Kentucky Won’t Have to Deal With These Misunderstood Creatures Much Longer

I'm thankful we've hit the middle of August. With every passing day, this brutally hot summer (although I'll admit it's not brutal at the moment) inches even further away in the rearview mirror. Keep going.

Sweat Bees?

It's not just the heat that I'll enjoy seeing sail off into the sunset. The summertime insects that drive us crazy will be on that "ship," too. Bon voyage, mosquitoes and chiggers. There's another one that will soon make its annual exit due to the arrival of fall, but, in my opinion, it's not in the same class of annoyance as the duo mentioned above.

I'm talking about the humble sweat bee. They don't make me scratch the first layer of skin off my body like mosquitoes and chiggers, but they do get up in my grill when I'm trying to work, and I've done a lot of work (relatively speaking) outside this summer. They've never made contact, but there's a reason for that. Plus, I hinted at what they are two sentences ago.

Hoverflies

Sweat bees aren't even bees. They are hoverflies, and that makes sense, doesn't it? The nickname is understandable, because these insects materialize in the summer while we are all sweating. But you've never been stung, have you? And I just explained why. However, they might land on you for the salt in your sweat.

Hoverfly Benefits

Plus, because they pollinate like regular bees, you can thank them for the flavor of your oranges. (You didn't see that coming, did you?)

Anyway, soon, like all other summertime insects, the common hoverfly will descend into hibernation, awaiting its next opportunity to spring forth and get up in our grills once again.

Just don't waste any money on repellent; you now know why it isn't necessary.