I suppose that depends on your point of view. My relationship with bees has always been one of "you leave me alone and I'll leave you alone", and that has worked out pretty well. I don't get nervous when a bee shows up or buzzes by, and they have left me alone.
Now, however, they have moved into my shop. The door doesn't seal very well (or not at all) and that is where they have come in. They found a gap between the floor and the bottom of the wall and set up shop themselves.
Even when the door is open they prefer to land and walk in. It seems rather polite. I haven't been spending a lot of time in the shop this summer but when I have been in there usually one or two will occasionally enter or leave. The other night though I was fiddling around in there and four of them were buzzing around keeping an eye on me. I tried to get them to pose for a group shot but they are active little critters and this is the best I could manage.
I have to admit, being in a small space with that many bees made me a little nervous. The next evening I was in there again and one of them spent some time buzzing along the ceiling directly over my head. At one point it dropped suddenly and brushed my wrist before hitting the floor and taking off again. It was kind of intimidating.
I have mixed feelings about getting rid of them. I know that bees are necessary in the life cycle of most plants and that bees in general are in decline. I do, however, have to consider the safety of myself and my family, who do not share my ambivalence toward bees. Getting stung while operating a power tool could have disastrous consequences.
