Pure Green Sweat Bee

May 28, 2025

Pure Green Sweat Bee (Augochlora pura), native to the eastern United States and Canada. They’re active April through September. Size is about 1/3 inch. Females carefully build their nests in moist, decaying wood, often under the loose bark of stumps, rotten trees, and logs.

They’re attracted to sweaty humans, licking up our sweat for the moisture and salt content. These jewel-like bees are generally not aggressive and will only sting if they sense a threat or are trapped.

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Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.