Black Aphodius vs Sweat Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Black Aphodius Sweat Bee
Scientific Name Aphodius fimetarius Halictus ligatus
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Halictidae
Size 5-8 mm 7-11 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Dung Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Europe, North America, Asia North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Black Aphodius

A small dweller dung beetle with a black head and pronotum and reddish-brown elytra. It lives directly within dung pats rather than tunneling or rolling. One of the most common and widespread dung beetles in the Northern Hemisphere.

💡

Did You Know?

Unlike roller and tunneler species, dwellers complete their entire life cycle within the dung pat itself.

Sweat Bee

A small, dark metallic bee that is attracted to human perspiration for its salt content. It exhibits variable social behavior ranging from solitary to primitively eusocial nesting.

💡

Did You Know?

Sweat bees are among the most important wild pollinators of crops, and some species can switch between solitary and social living depending on environmental conditions.