Cuckoo Bee (Sweat Bee)

HYMENOPTERA
Order Hymenoptera encompasses Ants, Bees, and Wasps. About 18,000 types reside in North Amerca (excluding Mexico). Like other insects, they have chewing mouth parts for breaking down food sources. Ants can deliver bites through their mandibles while Bees and Wasps sting to repel threats and subdue prey. The order typically operates during the warm summer months across Tennessee. Bees are an utterly important part of the state's ecosystem, eating pollen and nectar to help raise their young - Bee by-products are essential in many human products and their pollinating action serves many other purposes. While Bees and Wasps live in carefully constructed nests, the social Ant survives in colony made up of networked tunnels. The furry Bumble Bee is not aggressive by nature though disturbing an in-ground nest of Yellow Jacket wasps will be a mistake made only once!

Common Name: "Cuckoo Bee (Sweat Bee)"
Other Names: "Sweat Bee; Halictid Bee"
Scientific Name: Sphecodes spp.

TAXONOMIC BREAKDOWN:
The Taxonomic Breakdown is the scientific way to categorize a partocular insect species from its largest group (Animalia) to its smallest (variable). The Genus and Species categorizations taken together make up the species' scientific name shown above, in this case Sphecodes spp..

Kingdom: Animalia

 Phylum: Arthropoda

  Class: Insecta

   Order: Hymenoptera

    Family: Halictidae

     Genus: Sphecodes

      Species: spp.

The Cuckoo Bee (Sweat Bee) is also known by these other names:

Sweat Bee :: Halictid Bee

The Cuckoo Bee (Sweat Bee) has been identified by site users by the following descriptors:

red    black    maroon    hairy    fuzzy    furry    wings    winged    flying    agile    transparent    six-legged    garden    fields    antenna    six-legged    summer    stinger    stinging

The general likelihood of encountering this insect based on a given month of the year in the state of Tennessee. Generally, the best sighting months are June through August with peak occurring in July.

Below is a representation of the 'smallest-small' and 'largest-large' sizes commonly associated with the Cuckoo Bee (Sweat Bee). Due to monitor differences, sizes may not be exact on your particular screen. Conversions to millimeters are provided for convenience.

Below you will find the colors most commonly associated with the Cuckoo Bee (Sweat Bee). Both Primary and Secondary colors are represented in the showcase. Due to monitor differences, colors may not be exact representations.

The Cuckoo Bee (Sweat Bee) can be found in the following Tennessee counties:

Anderson; Bedford; Benton; Bledsoe; Blount; Bradley; Campbell; Cannon; Carroll; Carter; Cheatham; Chester; Claiborne; Clay; Cocke; Coffee; Crockett; Cumberland; Davidson; De Kalb; Decatur; Dickson; Dyer; Fayette; Fentress; Franklin; Gibson; Giles; Grainger; Greene; Grundy; Hamblen; Hamilton; Hancock; Hardeman; Hardin; Hawkins; Haywood; Henderson; Henry; Hickman; Houston; Humphreys; Jackson; Jefferson; Johnson; Knox; Lake; Lauderdale; Lawrence; Lewis; Lincoln; Loudon; Macon; Madison; Marion; Marshall; Maury; McMinn; McNairy; Meigs; Monroe; Montgomery; Moore; Morgan; Obion; Overton; Perry; Pickett; Polk; Putnam; Rhea; Roane; Robertson; Rutherford; Scott; Sequatchie; Sevier; Shelby; Smith; Stewart; Sullivan; Sumner; Tipton; Trousdale; Unicoi; Union; Van Buren; Warren; Washington; Wayne; Weakley; White; Williamson; Wilson.