In article ,
dps writes:
|
| I assume your friend has an allergy to stings. There's no other real
| reason not to like bees.
|
| Foraging bees rarely sting. They will sting if they are put in a
| position from which they cannot escape, but if they're on a flower you
| can generally just brush them off without any problem. If you don't feel
| like brushing them off, just shake the flower and they will go
| elsewhere. If you get too near the beehive, however, they may sting, but
| they will buzz loudly around you first.

Yup. My wife is allergic to bees, and we have never had much trouble,
even when we have had plants black with bees.

I occasionally get stung when I grab one when gardening or tread on
one in bare feet (my normal footwear except in winter), but I am not
allergic, don't take much care about such things, and it happens only
once every year or two. When I pick them up to move them (in my bare
hands), or they land on me and I don't squash them, I never get stung.

They really aren't a problem, if a little care is taken, even for
people allergic to them.

| The same is not necessarily true of wasps or yellowjackets, however they
| are generally not a big problem until late summer or fall.
|
| In general, the wasps and yellowjackets are more likely than bees to
| sting people, and it is that kind of insect you should be more aware of.

Actually, no. While they are more likely to sting, fewer people
are allergic to them.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.