Green bees are striking insects known for their metallic, jewel-like coloration that shimmers in shades of green, blue, or gold. Their vivid appearance sets them apart from the more familiar yellow-and-black bees, making them a captivating sight in gardens and meadows. Despite their exotic look, many species of green bees are common and play essential roles in pollination, just like their more subdued relatives.
These bees are generally small to medium in size, with smooth, reflective bodies that gleam in sunlight. Their coloration comes from microscopic structures on their exoskeletons that refract light rather than from pigments. They often nest in the ground or in rotting wood, creating burrows where females lay eggs and store pollen for developing larvae. Their nests are typically solitary, meaning each female cares for her own brood rather than living in large colonies.
Green bees are efficient and frequent pollinators, visiting a wide range of flowers for nectar and pollen. They are especially attracted to brightly colored blooms and contribute significantly to the health of both wild plants and cultivated crops. By transferring pollen as they move from flower to flower, they help maintain biodiversity and support ecosystems that depend on flowering vegetation.
Their behavior is generally gentle, and they rarely sting unless provoked. Because many species are solitary, they are less defensive than social bees that protect hives. Their active foraging during warm months makes them valuable to gardeners and farmers alike, often working alongside other pollinators to ensure successful plant reproduction.
Types of Green Bees
Sweat Bee (Agapostemon splendens)
Found in: Eastern North America.
This bee is a stunning example of metallic iridescence. The male is entirely bright metallic green, while the female has a brilliant green head and thorax with a black and yellow striped abdomen. They are ground-nesting solitary bees, important for pollinating a variety of wildflowers and garden plants.
Ultra Green Sweat Bee (Agapostemon texanus)
Found in: Across North America.
A common and widespread species where the females are a vibrant, metallic green-blue on their head and thorax with a black and white striped abdomen. The males are entirely green. They are solitary but often nest in dense aggregations in the ground.
Virescent Green Metallic Bee (Agapostemon virescens)
Found in: Eastern North America.
As the name suggests, this bee is a beautiful virescent (green-tinted) metallic color. The female has a green head and thorax and a black abdomen with pale hair bands. It is a solitary, ground-nesting bee that is a valuable generalist pollinator.
Green Orchid Bee (Euglossa dilemma)
Found in: Florida (introduced), Central America, and South America.
A spectacular, large, and intensely metallic green bee. The males are famous for their unique behavior of collecting fragrances from orchids and other sources to create a perfume used in courtship displays. They are important pollinators for specific orchid species.
Cuckoo Bee (Triepeolus lunatus)
Found in: North America.
While many cuckoo bees are black and white, this species has a distinctive pattern that includes bright, metallic green-blue markings on its face and thorax. It is a cleptoparasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other bees, particularly those of the Melissodes genus.
Green-Marked Mason Bee (Osmia viridissima)
Found in: Europe.
A member of the mason bee family, this species is known for the striking green sheen on the female’s body. They are solitary bees that nest in pre-existing cavities like hollow stems or insect holes, using mud to build cell partitions. They are excellent pollinators for spring blossoms.
Blue-green Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa aerata)
Found in: Southern Australia.
This beautiful bee is actually more green than blue, with a stunning metallic olive-green and yellow-brown coloration. It is a large carpenter bee that nests by burrowing into dry, pithy stems of plants like tree ferns and grass trees. It is an important pollinator for native Australian flora.
Green Small Carpenter Bee (Ceratina smaragdula)
Found in: South and Southeast Asia.
A tiny, slender bee with a strong metallic green or blue-green coloration over its entire body. Like other carpenter bees, it nests in dead plant stems, but it does not excavate large galleries like its larger relatives. It is a solitary but mildly social bee.
Green Halictus Bee (Halictus viridis)
Found in: Parts of Europe and North Africa.
A small sweat bee that can display a noticeable metallic green or coppery sheen, especially on its head and thorax. It is a ground-nesting bee that can have both solitary and primitively eusocial colonies, depending on environmental conditions.
Sharp-collared Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum malachurum)
Found in: Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia.
While often appearing dark, this small sweat bee can exhibit a beautiful metallic green or bronze luster in certain light. It is a highly eusocial bee for a halictid, forming annual colonies with a single queen and many workers that excavate intricate underground nests.
Olive-green Masked Bee (Hylaeus nubilosus)
Found in: Australia.
A member of the masked bee family, this species is mostly black but has distinctive olive-green or yellowish-green markings on its face and legs. They are solitary bees that nest in narrow cavities and carry pollen internally in a crop instead of on external hairs.
Metallic Green Bee (Augochlora pura)
Found in: Eastern North America.
A stunning, small to medium-sized sweat bee that is a uniform, brilliant metallic green, sometimes with a golden or coppery tinge. It is a solitary bee that is unique for nesting in rotting logs and stumps instead of the ground. It is a common and valuable pollinator in woodland habitats.
Pure Golden Green Sweat Bee (Augochlorella pomoniella)
Found in: Western North America.
A very small, uniformly metallic green bee that can range from bright green to golden or coppery. It is a primitively eusocial sweat bee that forms small colonies in the ground. It is an extremely common and important generalist pollinator in gardens and natural areas.
Tropical Green Sweat Bee (Augochlora nigrocyanea)
Found in: Central and South America.
A robust sweat bee with a deep, metallic coloration that can appear as vibrant green, blue, or even purple depending on the light. It is a solitary nester, often utilizing rotting wood for its nests, and is a frequent visitor to a wide array of tropical flowers.
Smaragdine Green Sweat Bee (Lasioglossum smaragdulum)
Found in: Europe and parts of Asia.
This small furrow bee is known for its brilliant, emerald-like (smaragdine) metallic sheen. It is a ground-nesting species with eusocial tendencies, forming colonies with a queen and workers. It is commonly found in sandy soils and is an active pollinator.
Blue-and-green Sweat Bee (Neocorynura colombiana)
Found in: Central and South America.
A strikingly beautiful bee with a bold pattern of metallic green on its head and thorax and a contrasting deep blue on its abdomen. It is a solitary to communal ground-nester, often associated with forested habitats where it pollinates understory plants.
Shiny Green Bee (Augochloropsis metallica)
Found in: Eastern North America.
True to its name, this bee has an intensely shiny, metallic green body that can also show blue or purple hues. It is a social sweat bee that nests in the ground, forming small colonies. It is a powerful pollinator, especially effective at “buzz pollinating” flowers like tomatoes and blueberries.
Fire-tailed Resin Bee (Megachile mystacea)
Found in: Southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.A large leafcutter bee where the male is particularly spectacular, possessing a brilliant metallic green-blue head and thorax and a black abdomen with a striking orange-red tip. They nest in pre-existing cavities and use plant resins to construct their brood cells.
Violet Green Sweat Bee (Augochloropsis ignita)
Found in: Central and South America.
This bee displays a remarkable iridescence, often appearing as a vibrant green but shifting to violet or deep blue in certain lights. It is a ground-nesting sweat bee with social behavior and is a common visitor to many tropical and subtropical flowers.
Green-and-black Stingless Bee (Lestrimelitta limao)
Found in: Central and South America.
While most of its body is black, this unique stingless bee has a pronounced and beautiful metallic green sheen on its head. It is a highly eusocial and obligate robber bee, known for raiding the nests of other stingless bees to steal their honey and pollen stores.
Coastal Green Furrow Bee (Lasioglossum virideatum)
Found in: Western North America.
A small, slender bee with a distinct metallic green head and thorax and a dark, striped abdomen. As its name implies, it is often found in coastal habitats and is a ground-nesting species. It is an important pollinator for native dune and scrubland plants.