Sable Island Sweat Bee

There are five species of bees found at Sable Island National Park Reserve, including two species of sweat bee: the Sable Island Sweat Bee and the Nova Scotia Sweat Bee. The Sable Island Sweat Bee (Lasioglossum sabelnse) is endemic to Sable Island, which means it is found nowhere else in the world.

On this page

• Morphology
• Behaviour
• Species at risk
• Protection and management
• References
• Image gallery

Morphology

Sweat bees are a diverse group of small bees. There are almost 4500 species worldwide.

The Sable Island Sweat Bee is small in size (5-6 mm) and a dull-metallic colour.

Like for many insects, little is known about the basic biology and ecology of the Sable Island Sweat Bee.

Behaviour

Many species of sweat bee are attracted to sweat for the salt content, even on humans.

Sable Island Sweat Bees are active on Sable Island from mid-May to mid-October.

Habitat

Sweat bees are distributed across much of Sable Island. Their preferred foraging habitats are the heath and shrub communities.

Sweat bees play an important role as pollinators in the island’s ecosystems.

Sable Island Sweat Bees are generalist floral visitors or foraging generalists which means they forage on a variety of plants to collect pollen and nectar. They often forage on flowers within 1 km of their nesting sites.

Their forage flowers include:

• rose
• goldenrod
• clover
• dandelion
• yarrow
• pearly everlasting

Breeding and social structure

There are different breeding strategies for various sweat bee species.

Evidence suggests that Sable Island Sweat Bees are eusocial nesters. This is when there are only a few select females (queens) in a colony capable of breeding.

The non-reproductive bees are workers. The workers contribute to the success of the colony by collecting nectar and pollen, doing housekeeping, etc.

Nesting

The Sable Island Sweat Bee is a ground-nesting species. Their nests are often found in the stable sparsely vegetated sand.

Research suggests that many species of sweat bee spend their winters underground and form new nests when they emerge in the spring.

Image gallery