February — Halictus sp.
Small, dark, with crisp pale hair bands across the back of each abdominal segment. Furrow bees belong to February because of what winter does to them. The nest does not survive it. What survives is the mated females, sealed underground.
They are among the first bees back out when the cold breaks, and among the last still working in the fall. No bee in this guide has a longer season.
They are called sweat bees for the obvious reason, and most people meet them that way without ever looking closely. It is worth looking closely.
Photographed at Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge by Jonathan Swanson.
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