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Sweat bees (common sweat bees)

Lasioglossum spp.

Sweat bees (common sweat bees)

Nesting Preference

Predominantly solitary ground nesters; small tunnels in soil.

Active Time of Year

Often spring through fall (species-dependent).

Species in Genus (Oregon/Global)

15 species

Favorite Flowers

  • Prunus avium (sweet cherry)
  • Rubus spp. (caneberries)
  • Limnanthes alba (meadowfoam)
  • Trifolium spp. (clovers)

Lasioglossum are frequently the 'background bees' of the Willamette Valley: abundant, small, and steady, quietly stitching together pollination across a huge variety of plants. They can look deceptively plain, but their ecological contribution is anything but.

Most species nest in the ground, and because they're small, they can use nesting spots that would be useless to larger bees. If you've got patches of bare or lightly vegetated soil that stay relatively undisturbed, odds are good some Lasioglossum have considered it prime real estate.

Solitary wasp

A solitary wasp has no colony of workers helping raise her young. A female may stock her own nest cells with food, or find a host for her developing offspring. Solitary describes social life; parasitoid describes a feeding strategy. A wasp can be both.

Social wasp

Social wasps share a nest and cooperate in raising young. In yellowjacket and paper wasp colonies, reproductive females lay eggs and workers help feed the brood and maintain the nest. They can defend that nest, so observing a forager is different from approaching a colony.

Non-native Social wasp

This is a social wasp introduced beyond its natural range. In this case the European paper wasp was introduced to North America from Europe, probably hidden in shipping materials. Non-native describes its origin, while social describes colony life.