Iridescent Green Sweat Bee Likes Pollen Super Macro P1030742 super macro photo taken with a Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ28 camera using an attached Raynox-DCR-150 macro lens. Their looks are similar to native Florida sweat bees, or halictids, with a few major differences. The top has been removed revealing three cells under construction by a female green orchid bee (b). Augochlora pura bees can be distinguished from other green metallic bees in part by minute inspection of three traits:  (1)  an Augochlora pura bee's tegulae (where the wings attach) are dark and oval in shape; (2) the marginal cell of an A. pura bee's wing is truncate; and (3) the female bee's face has distinctive "epistomal lobes". This relationship is not always chemical; some species of orchid go so far as to produce flowers that physically mimic a female bee as an attractant. Augochlorella aurata sweat bees are the smallest of the three species of the tribe Augochlorini  found in Rockefeller State Park Preserve. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Rufous Hummingbirds are amongst the most common hummingbirds in the United States. It turns out these bees are a wee bit camera shy and it took a lot of persistence to get this one to pose. There are only three species of this genus in the United States. The males of this species spend considerable time collecting fragrant, volatile compounds produced by wood decay fungi, other decomposing materials, and certain fragrant flowers. Some traits that are helpful in distinguishing female silky Agapostemons are:   (1)  They are much heftier than the three green metallic bees shown below -- the silky Agapostemon's abdomen is broader and bulkier, and its body is notably longer (nearly half an inch, compared to Augochlora pura  at .31"; Augochlora metallica at .35"; and Augochorella aurata at .21"). These bees are a highly important group of  wild pollinators, responsible for the pollination of an impressive range of  commercial crops --  among them squash, legumes, sunflowers, watermelons, apples, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers, to name but a few. The females of this species are fully iridescent in shades of blue and green with the exception of amber-colored legs and wings. Male bees have an enlarged hind tibia with a hole providing access to the spongy compartment which acts as storage for fragrant compounds collected from its environment. Bi-colored Agapostemons are polylectic -- that is, they feed on a variety of plants rather than specializing on a single kind. Orchid Bees Euglossa is the scientific name of the orchid bees. The upper part of the male bee's tegula (where the wing joins the body) is metallic green. 2004. Contributed by Elliotte Rusty Harold on 23 September, 2007 - 4:13pm Last updated 8 October, 2007 - 6:39pm. According to Charles D. Michener’s The Social Behavior of the Bees, the tribe Augochlorini consists of bees that are typically brilliant green (but sometimes purple, blue, brassy, red or black); and that live predominantly in Central and South America. Then I started to wonder if it is a bee at all. Males tend to fly more slowly and rest longer on flowers, looking for mates. In contrast, sweat bees have quite short tongues in comparison to their bodies. It has short, sparse black bristles (setae) and three cross-grooves on the thorax. Blue banded bees are an Australian native bee instantly recognizable by it’s iridescent striped body. 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