Halictus farinosus

Smith, 1853

Wide-striped Sweat Bee

Halictus farinosus is a primitively sweat to North America. It nests underground in soil, forming small colonies averaging 3.5 and 13.5 reproductive . The exhibits intermediate social strength within the Halictus, with most workers mated and capable of ovarian development. Nesting varies with weather conditions, with colder, wetter springs delaying activity by up to two weeks.

Imparipes on Halictus-farinosus BMOC 15-0606-034 by Photo by Pavel Klimov, Bee Mite ID (idtools.org/id/mites/beemites) unless otherwise stated in description.. Used under a Public domain license.

Halictus farinosus, F, Side, UT, Garfield County 2014-06-20-18.47.40 ZS PMax (22155380091) by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA. Used under a Public domain license.

Halictus farinosus, F, Face, UT, Garfield County 2014-06-20-18.14.33 ZS PMax (21957080210) by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA. Used under a Public domain license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Halictus farinosus: /həˈlɪktəs fəˈrɪnoʊsəs/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Habitat

Ground-nesting in soil, often in . Documented nesting sites include Green Canyon, Utah. Requires bare or sparsely vegetated soil for nest excavation.

Distribution

North America. Documented studied in northern Utah (Green Canyon). GBIF records indicate presence across North America.

Seasonality

Nesting activity occurs May to August. Phenological timing varies with spring weather conditions; colder, wetter springs delay nesting by up to two weeks.

Life Cycle

Primitively with small colonies. Colonies contain a and , averaging 3.5 workers and 13.5 reproductive per colony. Most workers are mated (77.5%) and exhibit ovarian development (73.4%). Queen-worker size differential is moderate (8.8% width, 6.2% length).

Behavior

Nesting is delayed by up to two weeks in colder, wetter spring conditions. - size differential varies annually with weather, being larger in colder years. Workers in favorable conditions survive at greater rates, grow larger, and may produce their own offspring.

More Details

Social Structure Variability

The demonstrates plasticity in social parameters based on environmental conditions. Weather affects not only but also the degree of - differentiation, with colder years producing more pronounced size differences between .

Research History

Long-term studies at Green Canyon, Utah have tracked this across multiple decades (1977/1978, 2002, 2010), providing rare comparative data on how climate variation affects social biology.