Scientific Name:
Agapostemon spp.
Description
These bees have a brilliant green head and thorax. Females also have a shiny green abdomen. They can be seen mid-spring to late fall foraging on flowers.
Behaviors
Sweat bees nest in the ground. Fertilized females overwinter in the soil, to emerge in spring, lay eggs and die. Those offspring will emerge in late summer or fall, mate, and overwinter again, fertilized.
Fun Facts
Their brilliant green coloration isn't a pigment, but rather an optical illusion caused by light bouncing off microscopic ridges on their bodies.
These bees are not likely to sting you, but if they tried, you most likely would not feel it.
Photo credit: Ray O'Farrell