Halictus sexcinctus

• Nome scientifico: Halictus sexcinctus
• Common name: 'carpenter bee
• Dimension: 13-16 mm
• Habitat: woodland margins, dry nutrient-rich meadows, escarpments, sand banks, arid sandy meadows
• Behavior: solitary
• Collective behavior: polylectic
• Nest: in the ground
• Parasitized by: Sphecodes gibbus, Sphecodes albilabris
• Red list of bees in Switzerland: almost under threat

Interesting Facts:

Most species of bees of the Halictus genus are eusocial. Only a few, including the six-banded furrow bee, lead a solitary life, often forming large colonies. The males, much slimmer than the females, fly around the nests in the height of summer and in the fall, mating with the newly hatched females.