Do Hoverflies Sting Like Sweat Bees?

In this article, we talk about whether hoverflies are harmful like their similar-looking insect friends, the sweat bees.

Hoverflies are known to mimic the appearance and movements of insects like bees and wasps to stay protected from predators.

But do they also mimic the stinging abilities of these insects? Are they harmful to humans? Are they venomous/poisonous? How are they different from bees?

Let us find out in this article.

What Are Hoverflies?

Hoverflies get their names from their tendency to hover around flowers like a drone. These insects are also called flower flies or syrphid flies.

Their larvae are great at hunting and taking down aphid populations. Also, since the adults actively consume nectar and pollens, they are considered excellent pollinators.

Their body shape is quite similar to bees. Some species also have black and yellow markings on their body, making them look quite similar to wasps and bees.

A healthy adult flower fly can show an average growth of 1/4-3/4 inches and can usually be spotted near aphid colonies, laying eggs.

Due to their exceptional pest-controlling capacity and pollination services, they are considered beneficial insects.

Do They Sting?

Hoverflies might look like bees, wasps and other stinging insects, but they are pretty much harmless.

These flies do not possess a stinger and will not harm humans and pets.

At times you might find them landing on you, especially if you have beads of sweat coming out on a hot summer day.

They do so to suck the tiny sweat droplets to obtain moisture and salt.

Are Hoverflies Dangerous?

As stated above, hoverflies are not at all dangerous. These insects do not bite or sting. They are considered highly beneficial as they eliminate aphids and promote pollination.

Hoverflies and Batesian Mimicry

Various species of hoverflies exhibit an excellent example of Batesian mimicry

These insects mimic the appearance and behavior of stinging insects like bees and wasps to stay safe from predators.

Since they look similar to wasps and bees, potential predators avoid attacking them.

This happens because the predators are scared that they might sting and harm them.

Also, the bright colors indicate that hoverflies taste unpleasant and are not a good meal or snack.

The drone flies often copy honey bees to steer clear of predators like birds and lizards.

How To Differentiate Between Hoverfly vs. Sweat Bees

Like adult hoverflies, sweat bees are attracted to saline water like sweat beads. Since hoverflies look similar to bees, it is easy to misidentify sweat bees to be as hoverflies.

Sweat bees are dangerous and will deliver painful stings. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and differentiate these insects.

Here are a few differences, including the physical and behavioral traits between the two.

Pair of wings

Hoverflies only have a single pair of wings. All the members of the fly families have the same number of wings.

The sweat bees have two pairs of wings, which indicates that they belong to the bee family.

You can often see hoverflies hovering around bright yellow flowers. They can stay suspended in mid-air and can alter directions at excellent speeds.

The bees cannot do the same. If you find small bee-like insects flying around flowers like a drone, it is a hoverfly.

What they look like

If you look closely, you will notice sweat bee bodies are covered in a layer of fine hair. Hoverflies have hairless bodies and comparatively brighter bodies.

Sweat bees have dark eyes like yellow jacket wasps, and they are much bigger than hoverflies.

Also, you will observe that sweat bees have metallic-colored heads. They look exactly like miniature bees. In some regions, they are also known as baby bees.

What they eat

Hoverflies and sweat bees are attracted to the saline sweat beads on humans. The hoverflies are also active consumers of nectar, pollens, and garden pests like aphids.

Their larvae also eat eggs in aphid colonies.

These insects are harmless, but they might irritate you by buzzing around in search of sweat.

The sweat bees, despite their name, are comparatively less attracted to sweat. They only crave it when it is nearby and available.

Ability to sting

Hoverflies look like bees, but this appearance is to fool predators into considering them dangerous.

In reality, these insects do not possess any stingers and are entirely harmless to humans and pets.

The female sweat bees, on the hand, have a prominent stinger and can inject little venom into human and animal bodies.

Sweat bee stings can be painful; therefore, you must never fail to identify them as hoverflies.

Behavior

A few species of sweat bees are solitary in nature. Here every female bee builds her individual nest in a small underground hole.

Some species of these bees are social and live in colonies. Each colony has different roles, like the queen, workers, soldiers, and more.

Hoverflies are mostly solitary, but you can spot them gathering in large groups in foraging sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrap Up

Having a bunch of hoverflies in your garden is one of the best ways to keep aphids and other garden pests at bay.

But you must understand that they look similar to bees, and if you bring the wrong insects into your garden, you will be on the receiving end of painful stings.

Use the information from this article to identify them and to stay safe. Thank you for reading the article.