![]() As it turns out, sweat bees mate during visits to flowers, making them invaluable as pollinators. They spent so much time tormenting us, I questioned whether they served any real purpose in our ecosystem. If pressed against your skin, the females extract revenge in the form of a gentle sting. I’ve since learned the trick to dealing with sweat bees is to attain the detachment of a Zen master. Given their attraction to the salts in our perspiration, they tend to show up in droves when I’m already a little cranky and irrational. I began to think of sweat bees as the insect version of Chinese water torture. See more photos from Sam Droege at the USGS bee inventory and monitoring lab photostream.Īnyone observing us from a distance – scowling, cursing and flailing our arms – would’ve surely thought we’d lost our minds. They were a nuisance throughout the day and even after sunset.Ĭlick here for more information about the photo above. We suffered a plague of mosquitoes and large, hard-bodied gnats, but in terms of sheer numbers and persistence, sweat bees were the worst offenders. The air was still, even on our breezy ridge, as if the wind had decided it was also entitled to take a few days off. The humidity was oppressive, as bad as it had been all summer. The moderate temperatures were deceptive. Instead, “sweat shirt” was an uncomfortably accurate description of the light-weight tops I wore all weekend. As I looked forward to a splendid weekend in the Uwharries, I fantasized about pulling on a sweatshirt against the evening chill. I knew it wouldn’t last – we were bound to have another spell of muggy weather before the start of autumn – but I convinced myself the pattern would hold through Labor Day. The air felt fresh for the first time in months. You might be able to avoid sweat bees by getting rid of bare dirt in your garden or lawn.There was that glorious day toward the end of August when the humidity dropped and the heavens parted. Unlike other bees, they don’t make hives or live in large groups. Sweat bees like to make their nests in the dirt on the ground. Know where sweat bees are so you can avoid them This helps your body recognize a bee sting the next time you’re stung to avoid an overreaction.īee venom immunotherapy may help protect you from a serious reaction to bee stings. Immunotherapy involves getting an injected treatment of bee venom. It’s a treatment option that may help prevent a severe reaction if you get stung in the future. If you have a bee sting allergy, immunotherapy is something you can talk to your doctor about. Slowly move indoors or to a shaded area if you can.Ī specialized doctor called an allergist can help you identify and stay up to date on your allergies and treatment options.Stay calm, and don’t swat or try to crush a bee if it’s flying around you.If you know you’ll be outdoors or near flowering plants, wear clothes that are light colored or have neutral tones to not attract bees.a beta-agonist like albuterol to help you breathe better. ![]()
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