Sweat bees are charming creatures but only when you are not sweating in the middle of a stressful day. They can be a nuisance as they may persistently attempt to perch on your skin. Meanwhile, there is no need to worry if you are currently having issues with sweat bees or their infestation in your yard. So, how to get rid of sweat bees? This post will highlight a few simple DIY methods to get rid of sweat bees as well as prevent their future invasion of your yard. Read on for more information.
What Is A Sweat Bee?
Sweat bees are small species of bee in the class Insecta and family Halictidae and Apidae. The name “Sweat bee” is derived from the lifestyle of the creatures which is classified by an attraction to the salty taste of sweat on your body.
If you are sweating closed to the habitat of these bees, you may find that your skin will become a center of attraction for them. Although it is an innocent behavior naturally prompted by their lifestyle, most people find it uncomfortable.
Sweat bees usually have a metallic appearance with a dark shade of red or green. You may find that most of them especially the males have yellow stripes on their abdomen. Because of its appearance, a sweat bee may be easily mistaken for a fly. They primarily feed on pollen and nectar.
Do Sweat Bees Pose A Threat To My Health?
The answer to this question is no. Sweat bees are not dangerous and are considered to be generally harmless. Due to its characteristics, sweat bees have an irresistible urge to perch on your skin, not to sting you but to enjoy from the salty contents of your sweat. Although this may be difficult for an average person, sweat bees if left alone will fly away from your skin when it is satisfied with what it cames for.
In fact, the male sweat bees are considered to be completely harmless since they don’t have stingers. Their female counterparts, on the other hand, have stingers but they are considered as docile because they rarely attack until they are provoked or directly threatened. If you have kids, you may warn them about trapping sweat bees in their palm as it may lead it to sting.
Although sweat bee stings are usually minor and the pain and swelling may subside after a few minutes, it may be fatal to individuals that are allergic to bee stings. Furthermore, they don’t pass any disease to you if they perch on your skin.
Sweat Bees May Infest Your Yard
How to get rid of sweat bees? You do not have any reason to worry if you have discovered that your yard is infested by sweat bees. These species of bees are attracted to humidity and you may find them in large numbers when the weather is hot. Also, people sweat more when the weather is hot and these creatures are attracted to perspiration.
You may simply turn a blind eye to their infestation if they are not coming into your living room or kitchen. If you are lucky, you will wake up one cold morning and find that they are gone. However, if you are like me, you may want to take a few extra steps to get rid of them and prevent their future infestation.
It is imperative to note that, in large numbers, sweat bees may constitute a nuisance and make your yard less conducive for you and your family. For instance, you may want to enjoy quality time on the lawn with your family during hot weather days when their infestation is most prevalent. Also, the activities of sweat bee may attract predators like woodpeckers, which will further constitute a nuisance in your environment.
Benefits Of Sweat Bees
Sweet bees, just like other species have some economic importance. For instance, the alkali bee , Lasioglossum leucozonium, and the Lasioglossum vierecki species of sweat bee are important pollinators of crops.
How To Get Rid Of Sweat Bees
There are several easy ways to get rid of sweat bees. If they have infested your yard in large numbers, you can either take care of the situation yourself or employ the services of professionals if you are too busy. It is easier for the pest control professional to execute this task as they are experienced with getting rid of pests and they also have the necessary chemicals and machinery.
Alternatively, you may opt for a DIY method that is most conducive for you. These methods are accompanied by a few advantages which include but not limited to adventure and lower cost. In terms of adventures, getting rid of sweat bees yourself may be dangerous since the females have stingers and may attack you if they feel threatened, but it may also be fun if you put on protective clothing.
Most procedures are relatively easy and you may execute it with your family thereby allowing you to spend more time with them. In addition, since most procedures may require you to use ingredients you already have in your home thereby allowing you to spend less compared to the fee you will pay if you employ the services of professionals.
Furthermore, most DIY methods are relatively humane and safe and will not require the use of chemicals that may be detrimental to you, your pets or even the plants in your garden and lawn. If you have resolved to get rid of the sweat flies in your yard using a DIY method, here are a few tips and step that will make the procedure easier for you to carry out:
1. Identify The Species Of Bee
You should start by identifying the species of bees that has infested your yard. This is an important step as it will allow you to understand its characteristics and lifestyles thus allowing you to protect yourself if they are dangerous as well as take unique steps designed to get rid of the species of bee.
Identifying the bees will also give you an insight on whether they are endangered or protected species. If they are protected, you may need to obtain a warrant before taking actions to exterminate them.
2. Destroy Their Habitat
Making your yard less conducive for sweat bees will go a long way to repels the creatures and also force those that have already infested your yard to relocate. First, make sure your lawn and garden do not hold too much wet as sweat bees are known to be attracted to humidity and wet environments. Use a small quantity of water for your lawn during the control process.
Remove all wood piles from your environment. This would discourage them from infesting your yard as they love to nest in piles of wood. This best time to do this is the early days of spring since they are usually seen in large numbers later in the season. Sweat bees also love to nest at agricultural sites so properly disposing of grass clippings may force them to relocate.
Furthermore, you may spray an insecticide on cyfluthrin granules and drop it in your lawn or close to areas that the bees are nesting. However, ensure you keep out of the reach of kids and pets as it may be dangerous for them to meddle with it.
3. Try Using Repellants
Using repellants is another amazing way to get rid of sweat bees. A famous sweat bee repellent is called the mint rub/spray. It is highly effective, easy to make and easy to use. Mint rubs may also be beneficial for your skin health. However, this rub/spray may only repel bees from your skin and not your environments. It may be useful when going to the beach or other open places.
As already mentioned above, it is easy to make mint rub/spray. For the spray, simply add a few drops of peppermint extract into 200 ml of water. Shake well and spray on the opened parts of your body. For the rub, you should mix a few drops of peppermint extract into lotion in your palm and apply to the opened parts of your body just like you would apply a sunscreen.
You should consider getting commercial repellant to get rid of bees that have infested your yard. However, it is best to go for those that are DEET-free as they are safer for you and your environment as well as for kids and pets. Repel Lemon Eucalyptus is a popular bee repellent on the market. It is DEET-free and does a good job keeping bees away.
Another effective option is the Burt’s Bees Natural Herbal Insect Repellent. This product is preferred by many because it is made from mostly natural ingredients such as lemongrass soybean oils and citronella. It is inexpensive and it works great when it comes to keeping sweat bees away.
4. Insecticides
Insecticides are great options too and they are ideal if you don’t have time to try other homemade DIY methods. There are many different brands of insecticides on the market, but there are few things to consider when choosing an insecticide such as whether it is safe to use for outdoor use as well as the ingredients.
The best time to spray an insecticide is after sundown when the sweat bees have already retired to their dwellings. Put on protective clothing and a mask to protect yourself from the bees as well as the chemicals contained in the insecticide. Spray the nests properly and wait for results. You may need to spray again if the first time did not exterminate all the bees.
The PT Wasp-Freeze II Insecticide Is an effective one that contains 0.12 percent Phenothrin and 0.129 percent d-Trans Allethrin. It is ready to use and it is potent for outdoor purposes. Other powerful insecticides you may use include DeltaGard, Sevin dust, Diazinon, Talstar, Onslaught, carbaryl, malathion, and many others.
Insecticides like diazinon may be beneficial in keeping more than just bees away from your yard. It is powerful and can be used to control ants, silverfish, cockroaches, fleas and other insects. It is best to use it for outdoor purposes only. Meanwhile, it is pertinent to state that Diazinon is an outlawed insecticide. The product may not be safe for you or your pets.
5. Use Bee Traps
If there are only a few sweat bees in your yard, you may construct a kind of trap to capture and relocate or exterminate them. You may use a canister that can be covered after trapping the bees. However, this method may be tiring, risky and may not be efficient. If you agree with me on this, then you may want to consider getting a commercial bee trap.
These traps usually come ready to use. They are specially designed to trap bees and they may be more efficient than the homemade traps. An amazing commercial trap is the Seicosy Non-toxic Wasp Trap constructed from plastic. It is lightweight and relatively easy to use. The traps may be used to capture wasps, bees, flies and the likes.
