Honey bees are one of the most common types of bees that people encounter in their daily life. They are yellow and black with slender bodies that often cause confusion with hornets or wasps. They are not usually aggressive. If a swarm of honeybees arrives in your garden or somewhere on your property the best advice is “leave them alone and they will leave you alone”. Bees do not like vibrations or other physical disturbance. If you see a swarm of bees hanging off a branch of a tree they will not harm you unless you do something silly like shake the tree or throw a stick at them! In many cases a swarm of bees will only stay in such a location for a short time – sometimes for as little as an hour – before moving on. Honeybees tend to establish their nests in places where they are under shelter and they feel safe. This could be in a hollow tree in your garden or maybe somewhere within the fabric of a building such as a chimney or in the “box” formed by the soffits & fascias on your roof. Honey bees have been known to swarm around perceived threats to their nests and will sting to fend them off. They will also swarm in order to establish a new colony.

Bees are known for being voracious defenders of their hives. They are less aggressive than hornets or wasps, but they will attack a potential threat. A bee nest in a yard can be problematic especially in residences where small children are present. For those who have allergies to bee stings, a sting from a bee can result in anaphylactic shock and even death hence living in close proximity to bees can be dangerous and even life-threatening.

Bee stings most commonly occur when a person unknowingly disturbs a nest. Generally, bees are passive and just want to be left alone. However, each bee has a specific role that they play and there are some bees in hives that are designated to protect the nest. These protector bees will fly out en mass and attack any perceived threat. Some bee species are particularly aggressive. Bees are different than other stinging insects. They have a barbed stinger that causes it to become stuck in the skin of the person stung. This causes the stinger to rip out of the bee when it flies off, killing it. Wasps and hornets have smooth stinger that allow them to sting again and again. Most people find the sting painful, but other than some redness and maybe some swelling, the injury will heal. For a select few, however, the reaction to the bee sting can cause a severe allergic reaction that can cause difficulty breathing and anaphylactic shock that can be life threatening.