[1] In Britain and Europe this species could easily be confused with Halictus tumulorum and can only be reliably separated by examining the genitalia of the males; more subtle features are that fresh female H. confusus have wider pale banding on tergites 3 and 4 while males have more yellow on the joints of the hind and middle legs.

A number of subspecies have been described, among which are:[1] In Great Britain this species has a southerly distribution from Dorset east to Kent and north to Norfolk.

In one study in North America, spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) was favoured by the newly emerged queens, while the toothwort Cardamine concatenata was used to a lesser extent.

When the wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris) began to flower abundantly in meadows and orchards this species became the main plant used, and the bees collected this pollen for provisioning their nests.

In late summer, the last brood fed on other species of flower as the clovers faded, including Lespedeza lineata and Symphyotrichum ericoides.

[8] Halictus confusus nests in aggregations and exhibits a primitive form of eusociality, with castes that are behaviorally distinct but not morphologically different.