Insecticide For Sweat Bees

Sweat bees are among the many stinging insects in Ohio. The sweat bee is a close relative to honeybees and yellow jackets and they produce a small amount of honey. They are different from their cousins, however, because unlike the other stinging insects they don’t live in hives but rather find shelter in cracks of rocks, walls and roofs.

Insecticide For Sweat Bees

Sweat bees are called so because they have a manic craving for human sweat, or, more precisely, to the salt it contains. They need it for a more active lifestyle, just like athletes need more protein to work out. The bees can even crawl under your clothes and in the hair if they smell human sweat. Few people know sweat bees’ real name which is halictid bees belonging to the Halictidae. It is the second most common family of bees after honey bees and they can be found all over the world.

What do sweat bees look like?

Sweat (Halictid) bees vary greatly and are enormous in number (up to 3500 species) of bees of different colors. Often they are not associated with the bees in general, as many of them don’t have the usual yellow bee coloring. As the University of Florida entomologists report,, “The majority of species are dull to metallic black, with the remaining species being metallic green, blue or purple” with a short sharp tongue and long hairy hind legs (quite often it is the metallic green species that are called sweat bees). Males have vividly striped yellow and black abdomens. The bees’ size varies from 5 to 11 mm. Sometimes the sweat bees could be confused with blowflies because of their metallic color or even with hover flies, as the  Purdue University specialists claim..

About different types of bees: Read here.

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Where do sweat bees nest?

Sweat bees are soil nesting bees: they usually nest and live in the earthen burrows in sunny dry areas, but sometimes their nests can be found in soft wood. Some are semi-social or communal, while others are solitary. Because they are attracted to sweat and water, they are often located close to people working outdoors or, for example, near a pool. There are especially a lot of them in humid jungle climate conditions, as well as on meadows and in the orchards.

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When does the sweat bees’ activity peak?

As a rule, sweat bees can be encountered from March to the end of summer. In certain states, though, for instance, in Georgia, the activity of several sweat bee species peaks from March to October.

Do sweat bees sting?

Yes, females do stings, but in general sweat bees aren’t considered aggressive. According to the information from the University of Kentucky entomologists, they don’t attack humans for the sole purpose of stinging. They merely land on your skin to collect the sweat drops. If you attempt to attack them, they will sting you as they will feel the danger. The same will happen if you keep them in your fist or try to destroy their nest. If you don’t touch the bees, they won’t hurt you, as sweat is their only target.

How dangerous are sweat bee stings?

Sweat bee stings are not dangerous and stung people hardly feel any pain. But this pain still exists and it even has its own rating. Thanks to Justin Schmidt, an American entomologist of the Southwestern Biological Institute and University of Arizona, today the humanity has quite a fascinating scale of various insects’ bites pain. According to Mr. Schmidt, sweat bee stings have the least pain level which is equal to 1 as your skin can barely feel it. “A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm”. Still, keep in mind that allergic reactions to these bees are known to happen, just like with any other insect/bee sting or bite.

Is it true that sweat bees are beneficial insects?

Yes, the entomologists frp, around the world confirm that all kinds of bees including the sweat bees are essential to the ecosystem functioning. The latter, in particular, play an important role in the pollination of plants and crops scattered over long distances. The University of Florida entomologists consider stone fruits, pomme fruits, alfalfa, sunflower etc to be such crops. Sweat bees are generalists and will forage on a wide variety of plants. In recent years, people have become more aware of the sweat bees’ ability to save crops and tend to keep them alive.

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Still, if sweat bees have become a real misfortune for you, you can deal with them even despite their usefulness.

How To Get Rid Of Sweat Bees: Should You Kill, Catch Or Repel Them?

So, in which cases does getting rid of sweat bees become a necessity?

1. If the best have nested on your property and one-time attacks have become permanent.
2. If you like traveling to or live in the hot humid jungle where sweat bees can stick around you almost from the outset.
3. If you work or workout outdoors and the bees distract and disturb you.
4. If you are allergic to bees and getting rid of them is vital.

What is better: killing on contact, repelling or catching sweat bees?

Killing on contact means instant elimination of single sweat bees with insecticides.

Catching is large-scale trapping and killing the bees, and is the most desperate measure for those who are unfortunate enough to share their property with the sweat bees nesting there. It is suitable for the extreme cases where the sweat bees at your place have become too intrusive.

Repelling is the most humane and lenient towards the useful sweat bees control method. Repellents can protect you from the bees circling around or when camping, when you don’t have the time to install proper traps.

Below we will describe all three methods to you, and it will be up to you to decide which one works best for you.

How to Trap Sweat Bees with the Best Sweat Bee Catcher

To get rid of sweat bees, you neither have to look for a special sweat bee trap, nor buy a random one. Carpenter bee traps, for instance, are not suitable for getting rid of sweat bees. Various species have different types of nesting behavior and so the wooden traps that are specifically designed for catching the former bee species are used. To catch sweat bees you’d better buy an ordinary bee trap

Insecticide For Sweat Bees

Sweat bees are tiny, stingless bees that live in the United States. They are also called Halictus bees, as they are part of a larger group of bees that includes other sweat bees and mining bees.

These insects look like tiny wasps or flies with metallic blue-green bodies and clear wings. They can be found in gardens and on flowers throughout the year, where they feed on nectar and pollen. Sweat bees have evolved to be able to survive in temperate climates, which means that they do not need to hibernate for winter like many other bee species do.

Sweat bees are not aggressive and will not sting humans (unless provoked). However, if you accidentally brush against one while gardening or walking through your yard then it may bite or sting you on the hand or arm because it feels threatened by your presence.

List Of Insecticide For Sweat Bees