Right now, Illinois seems to be bombarded with sweat bees following us everywhere we go, but these annoying, tiny, buzzing insects might not be bees at all. Sweat BeesLike a lot of people in Illinois, I'd been lumping two completely different insects into the same category my entire life. While both of them like to invade our personal space when it's hot and humid outside, hoverflies and sweat bees are definitely not the same thing. How to Tell Hoverflies and Sweat Bees ApartThe best way to distinguish a hoverfly from a sweat bee is by counting the wings and remember this saying: "two wings fun four wings run." Hoverflies have two wings instead of four and are far better fliers than sweat bees.