This Sweat Bee is about 3/8 inch (female, 8-10 mm; male, 7-9 mm). This bee has white hair bands on the black abdomen. The forehead (frons) and eyes are black. The lower part of the face (clypeus) is yellow. The antennae are pale yellow underneath and brown on top. The femurs are black and the tibia and tarsi are yellowish.
The species is widespread though-out North America and is considered to be common in this area. The male shown in Photos A and B was photographed in Fontenelle Forest on July 3, 2009. The female shown in Photos C and D was photographed on September 7, 2014. The adults are generalist pollinators and visit flowers from several families. The adults overwinter.
Halictus ligatus bees nest in rotting wood or in the ground. They are primitively eusocial meaning that ovarian development in female workers is suppressed by agressive behavior of the queen. This works in smaller colonies but in larger colonies some of the female workers will reproduce and start their own colonies. Halictus ligatus bees are mass provisioners. They construct a mass of pollen and nectar for the developing larvae to eat. The larvae will not pupate until they have consumed the entire pollen mass.
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