Photo: Yamil J.R / CC0

Lasioglossum morio

Green Furrow Bee

A very small sweat bee (5–8 mm) with a distinctive dark metallic green to brassy sheen on the head and thorax, and a black abdomen with narrow white hair bands. The scutum is densely punctate with a dull, micro-sculptured surface that distinguishes it from similar species. It is one of the most common Halictidae in Europe, found in an extraordinarily wide range of habitats from gardens and parks to roadsides and ruderal areas. It nests in self-dug burrows in bare soil, as well as in loam walls, mortar joints, and old timber-framed buildings, often in small aggregations. It is polyleptic, visiting flowers from at least nine plant families including Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Brassicaceae. In Switzerland it is recorded from 570 m up to 2200 m in the Alps. Swiss Red List: Least Concern (LC).