Karen’s Opinion

I have been wondering if I was stung by a regular bee or a sweat bee while working in my flower bed last weekend. I didn’t think sweat bees would sting but I am wondering because I felt a stinging sensation inside my glove and when I pulled the glove off, a sweat bee fell to the dirt. My hand never did swell, thank goodness.

I did some research on sweat bees and found that sweat bees are black, brown, red, or metallic green, and sometimes with yellow markings, and usually 1/4 to 1/2 inch (4-10 mm) in size. The one I saw was black and yellow and was about a 1/4 inch in size. The Wikipedia article went on to say that they will sting if squeezed or squashed against one’s flesh. Aha! Sweat bees will sting. The sting is not painful and poses no risk unless one is allergic to bee or any kind of insect sting.

These past few weekends have taken a toll on me. I am so sore from pulling weeds and mowing grass. Last weekend I pulled weeds and didn’t wear gardening gloves. I have trouble feeling the weeds and getting them pulled by their roots when wearing gloves. My hands are still scabby from all the splinters and scratches. So, yesterday, I decided I would wear gloves, which, I am proud to say, were purchased using ShopWikii . They have everything from clothing to gardening supplies and they save me time by finding the best deals on the web. They don’t work like the regular search engines who get paid to list their sites. Their search encompasses thousands of websites! For instance, if I need a new pair of hedge trimmers, I simply use their website to find out what kind of hedge trimmers there are, then use their consumer search to see which ones are recommended as the best for my needs.

Anyway, I shook the gloves before I put them on in case any spiders had decided to make one their home. I was wearing the gloves while pushing rocks around and wouldn’t you know it, a bee flew into my glove and stung me. It stung me a few times before I realized what was happening. Ouch! If not for all the beautiful daffodils blooming around my work area, I would have thrown up my hands and said forget it.

I was moving rocks in order to lay some patio blocks down next to the sidewalk leading into our backyard. It is a muddy area that seems to always be dirty. I hope the patio blocks make the area stay cleaner.