LightNews — News, ranked by scholars

Dwight

@dwightreads.bsky.social

A #SweatBee visiting the #Backyard vining #passionflower for #FlyDay #bloomscrolling #scape #ECK #nature #photography 🐝♥️💚

A sweat bee or garden orchid bee is getting nectar from a red passion flower.

Sweat bees are one of the largest genera of bees worldwide, Halictidae, with 44 sweat bee species in Florida alone. Typically more slender than other types of bees, most sweat bees have a dull to metallic black sheen, though some are brilliant green or blue. These bees got their common name from their attraction to perspiration for its moisture and salt. Sweat bees are abundant on farms and gardens, and visit a wide range of plants, making them important pollinators for many wildflowers and crops, including stone and pome fruits like peaches and apples.
Planting wildflowers can encourage sweat bees to visit your yard. For some sweat bees, environmental conditions can determine whether they exhibit solitary or social behaviors. Their nests are typically in bare soil located in a sunny location. You’ll have to keep an eye out for the nest as it looks just like two small holes in the ground.

October 9, 2026 at 3:03 PM

Suzanne

@suzannevtw.bsky.social

Another #Pollinator down. #ColorADay #YellowThu #InsectThursday #Macro #BugSky #SweatBee #Fall #VT
#AlphabetChallenge #WeekNforNeon
#ECK #Photography

A tiny yellow and black bee with shimmery wings and a neon green head and thorax resting on a tiny yellow blossom (on its final day).

A close up view of a tiny yellow and black bee with shimmery wings and a neon green head and thorax resting on a concrete driveway.

October 8, 2026 at 11:09 PM

Steve Ingraham

@lightshedder.bsky.social

Green Metallic Sweat Bee #Kennebunk #Maine 9/26 #Sony #RX10V My birds & #wildlife Mode. #Photomator #insect #bee #sweatbee #Point’nShootNature

September 20, 2026 at 12:42 PM

fredarock2.bsky.social

@fredarock2.bsky.social

Who can it bee now?

A sweat bee on red & orange blanket flower. I don't see the bee often in our garden. I have only 1 blanket flower
plant. Took some cuttings yesterday and planted them in the backyard to attract this type of bees .

#sweatbee #redandorangeflower
#mygarden #Septemberflowers

A green and yellow bee on the fuzzy ball in the center of a red n orange blanket flower. The pic is kinda busy. I was just happy to snap a pic of a different bee .

September 18, 2026 at 3:15 AM

Marianne Denton 🍂🥧🤎

@mariannedenton.bsky.social

And a variety of native bees - that I love so much .

Longhorn (Eucerini)
Leafcutter (Megachilidae)
Metallic Green Sweat (Agapostemon)

#BugSky 🌿

Probably a longhorn bee on a small yellow wildflowers

Metallic green sweatbee on orange globemallow

September 10, 2026 at 11:31 PM

Benita & Angel Jonesy🐈‍⬛🪽💔🌈

@benniepup1.bsky.social

Happy #WontLookWednesday Pals!🙂‍↔️ Hope's youse having a Furbulous week😃💓 The #GarlicChives floofing so's pollinator #Bees very happy💮🐝 Do youse see's the little green bee?🧐 He called a #SweatBee 😐 I's don't know about's youse, Pals, but I's would's be insulted if I's had's "Sweat" in my name😑😂💚

September 9, 2026 at 12:43 PM

Tom Gehling

@tjgehling.bsky.social

shared a photo with you from the Flickr app! Check it out:
flic.kr/p/2sxwvD5
#bee #sweatbee #Halictus #nativebee #photography #insectphotography #naturephotography #Grindelia #flower #bloomscrolling #CanyonTrailPark #ElCerrito

Male sweat bee (Halictus) on Grindelia in Canyon Trail Park in El Cerrito, CA

August 27, 2026 at 10:50 PM

Pete

@peterwelsh.bsky.social

Sweat Bees on Joe Pye Weed
#parkdaleurbanwildliferefuge #pollinators #sweatbee

August 27, 2026 at 3:25 AM

Pete

@peterwelsh.bsky.social

Sweat Bee on Echinacea
Amazingly the Echinacea is still going pretty strong.
#parkdaleurbanwildliferefuge #pollinators #sweatbee

August 27, 2026 at 4:20 AM

Tom Gehling

@tjgehling.bsky.social

shared a photo with you from the Flickr app! Check it out:
flic.kr/p/2sxnfq3
#bee #sweatbee #Halictidae #Halictus #nativebee #wildrose #rose #rosacalifornica #bloomscrolling #insectphotography #naturephotography #photography #CanyonTrailPark #ElCerrito #pollination

Sweat bee on California wild rose in Canyon Trail Park in El Cerrito, CA.

August 26, 2026 at 4:32 AM

Pete

@peterwelsh.bsky.social

Sweat Bee on Ironweed
I love this purple. It is the same purple that I navigate during experiences in deep meditation.
#parkdaleurbanwildliferefuge #sweatbee

August 25, 2026 at 3:04 AM

Pete

@peterwelsh.bsky.social

Sweat Bee on Ironweed
I love this purple. It is the same purple that I navigate during experiences in deep meditation.
#parkdaleurbanwildliferefuge #sweatbee

August 25, 2026 at 3:07 AM

Firewallbill

@fadedphotos.bsky.social

No Sweat, Bee
Our beautiful sweat bee is exploring a wild radish on the greenbelt in July. Just before the terrific August heat. We have a lot of wild radish on our greenbelt. It is edible, but I have never seen anyone harvested it.
#pentax_us #sweatbee #wildradish #pollinator #insectthursday

As far as mimicry goes, the sweat bee is a wonderful example of mimicking insects that have a powerful sting. The sweat bee has just about the mildest sting of an insect in North America. You might not even notice it. They are strongly attracted to sweat due to the salt and moisture content.

If one lands on you, let it be - they are just tasting and generally harmless! Give them a moment and they will go back to pollinating.

These are very peaceful insects and important pollinators.

Pentax KF with Pentax 60-250 DA * at 250mm, with 1.4x converter. 350mm effective. ISO 640 for 1/1250 at f8. Kolari HOT filter.

August 20, 2026 at 7:50 PM

eddieschumannphoto.bsky.social

@eddieschumannphoto.bsky.social

Sweat bee

#Photography
#Nature
#naturephotography
#photooftheday
#picoftheday
#naturelovers
#sweatbee
#bee
#insects
#insect
#macro
#bugs

Colour photo of a green sweat bee on a yellow cosmos flower

August 16, 2026 at 4:17 PM

Firewallbill

@fadedphotos.bsky.social

No Sweat, Bee
This is an example of mimicry, an insect that looks like a honeybee with a sting that is potent but in reality has a very mild sting. Sweat bee stingers are calm insects. They produce no honey but make a sort of “bread” that they leave for their eggs. #pentax_us #sweatbee #bee