Bee of the Week- Halictus ligatus

Halictus ligatus, Photo by Susan Chesloff

This fairly small (~.5″ long) and slender (note thin waist in above picture) native bee is very common in the city. Like, Lasioglossum zephyrum (featured in an earlier Bee of the Week), this species is considered to be primitively eusocial. This means that individual bees live in groups with one female “queen” doing most of the reproduction, while the other females share parental care. It is termed “primitive” because there is little difference in body size or shape between queens and workers and because colonies of Halictus ligatus are not nearly as large as those of European Honey Bees (which are considered to be advanced eusocial species).

More Resources

Link to species page on Discover Life (detailed morphological characteristics, difference between males and females, flower visitation records)-

http://stri.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Halictus+ligatus

Link to global distribution map on Discover life-

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20m?kind=Halictus+ligatus

Link to images on Bugguide

http://bugguide.net/node/view/14566

Have a good bee photo? Submit it (to beewatchers@gmail.com) with a description of the location and we may use it in a future “Bee of the Week” feature.