Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#675412
A change in the weather - Halictus tripartitus

A change in the weather - Halictus tripartitus
Alameda County, California, USA
July 16, 2012
Size: 5.9 mm bl
I suppose this is an ordinary Lasioglossum or something close; I'm posting to show behavior. Earlier in the morning, the sun had been out. Then the sky clouded over and the weather became cooler and windy. Around noon, when the photo was taken, this small bee and at least four lookalikes were sleeping soundly in or on radish flowers. The usual manipulations for photographing and measuring left the bee undisturbed. Honeybees, which also visit radish flowers, remained active during this time. Later, when the sun was out, the small bees were gone.

Images of this individual: tag all
A change in the weather - Halictus tripartitus A change in the weather - Halictus tripartitus

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Halictus tripartitus
Good guess with Lasioglossum or something close--Halictus is about as close to Lasioglossum as one gets in California! You can tell the two genera apart from your photo because Halictus has hair bands terminally on each abdominal tergum whereas Lasioglossum has them basally on each tergum.
Great shot of this little, and usually pretty quick, bee :)

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.