Blurryeyed wrote:
Yes, they are alive and I use sugar water to attract them... I think that they have begun to associate me with the sugar water as they spend a bit of time swarming around me before they find the sugar water... You can't be afraid of them to use this technique, They will sometimes actually get on my arm or camera... but like I said before, if you stay calm it is not a problem.
You know, I've been stung once by a bumble bee when I was barefoot, 12 y/o, and stepped on him in a pick-up truck-- so I blame myself for that. Mason Bees and Honey Bees are pretty safe, in my experience. Yellow Jackets are a different story: nasty and aggressive-- especially if you are BBQing.