"Yo! Docent-guy! Where is the first aid station? I just got stung by a sweat bee and it really hurts."

"You weren't stung by a sweat bee, you silly person. Sweat bees are small, non-aggressive insects of the Halictidae family. The bright green Augochlorella species of that family are the smallest and most abundant in Missouri. They can be very annoying and often swarm in a troublesome manner. They don't attack humans, however, so we have nothing to fear from them."

"Then why is my hand all red and sore? I think I need an ambulance."

"Because you were stung by a wasp – probably a yellowjacket of the Vespidae family. They are black and yellow, about the size and shape of a honeybee, and extremely aggressive. They have adapted to human coexistence by eating food scraps, especially sweets. Were you teasing it? I don’t know why people insist on teasing yellowjackets."

"No, I never even saw it before it stung me. Ooh, my hand is throbbing now. I need a doctor."

"Yellowjackets associate the smell of perfume and body lotions with food, and often land on human extremities to look for it. When people try to brush them off, which you probably did, they aggressively defend themselves by stinging. You should have just left it alone and it would have flown away. Strangely enough, yellowjackets are often and mistakenly called 'sweat bees' by Midwesterners."

"But my hand is killing me. Look at it! It's starting to swell already. I think I’m going to die."

"Of course, Midwesterners also butcher the city named Versailles by pronouncing it 'Versales.'" We pronounce Nevada as 'Navade-a,' and we call the capitol of South Dakota by the name 'Peer' instead of Pierre. Midwesterners are strange."

"Thanks for sharing that information with me, but my heart is pounding. I’m feeling faint. I really need to get to a hospital."

"Yes, I know. Insect stings can be painful, but the species are important for the pollination of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Stinging insects also prey on pest insects that eat cultivated plants. Therefore, they are important and beneficial to the agricultural industry. Try to avoid injuring them. Don’t swat them or step on them, and never use pesticides on them. Stinging insects are our friends."

"Oh, thanks a lot. That makes me feel so much better."

"Don’t rush off now, and come back soon. By tomorrow you will feel right as rain."

Ah, yes, another satisfied customer.