OMG, a huge bumble bee

Just flew into the side of my face while I was driving. I didn't know what it was at first. I just felt it hit my face and I slammed on the breaks (there were no other cars around) and started screaming and flailing around. Then I saw the bee land on my lap, then it flew out the window. That scared the crap out of me.

...Oh my God!.. are you all right?... I mean nobody gets hurts with your breaks!?... ..

Originally Posted by CoolCat

...Oh my God!..

are you all right?...

I mean nobody gets hurts with your breaks!?...

..

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There were no other cars around.

Ohhhh gezzz you were so lucky. I am not really afraid of bees but do not like the yellow jackets and avoid them if possible. My biggest driving fear is when a bee gets in the car.

I told DH if it happens, he'd better pull over NOWWWWWW and I'll jump out of the car till the bee leaves. I've been stung by yellow jackets (never other bees) and had one crawl around my mouth when I was little. I take a dim view of them!

If it was really a bumble bee, it probably wouldn't sting you, although if it's a female (worker), it can. Bumblebees are pretty reluctant to sting you. Much less so than a honeybee, for example.

I worked for a beekeeper one summer in high school, and we saw lots of bumblebees, but never got stung by one.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

If it was really a bumble bee, it probably wouldn't sting you, although if it's a female (worker), it can. Bumblebees are pretty reluctant to sting you. Much less so than a honeybee, for example.

I worked for a beekeeper one summer in high school, and we saw lots of bumblebees, but never got stung by one.

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Yeah, bumblebees are very docile. I've actually touched them before. It just scared me at first because I saw a huge bug flying at my face. I didn't know it was a bumblebee until after it hit me in the cheek.

Yellow jackets and wasps are mean enough to sting without warning. I had one land on my finger one time and I froze and didn't move - darn thing stung me anyway!

There are some wasps that are very slow to sting...but I can never remember which ones, so I just avoid them all!

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I've been stung by yellow jackets (never other bees) and had one crawl around my mouth when I was little.

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How did you get one in your mouth?!
I've only been stung once by a paper wasp (yellow and brown wasp) when I was 4. It had landed on my arm and tickled so I scratched it before looking... I used to play with bumblebees, I would hold flowers for them to land on so I could see them up close.

I haven't seen many honey bees so far this year, but there have been plenty of bumblebees - more than last year luckily.

And I don't like the paper wasps around here. They're generally slow to sting but they chase the humming birds away from the feeder! I went out the other day and killed one because it wouldn't leave the poor birds alone.
I find the red wasps that catch spiders are fascinating to watch, and the huge ones that catch cicadas are just weird - but luckily pretty much harmless (only one of the sex even has a stinger).

TMI that no one wanted...yet again.

You are so lucky there were no other cars around. I am glad you are ok.

i run scraeming wheni see a bee

The one on my mouth was probably where I got my "fear" of yellow jackets. We were going to Virginia and stopped at a gas station and got pop to drink. My mom or dad finished theirs and wanted me to go throw it away. No problem, I got out of the car, walked over to the trash can and tossed the can in. Well there were a lot of jackets around the cans and one of them flew up at me and landed on my mouth. I froze like a statue - and he crawled around a little then flew off - I took off in the other direction.

But I don't trust them. The time I was stung was taking my son on a hike with a bunch of other parents/boys and we went past a nest of them. One of the kids was allergic and got stung - they had first aid kit to counteract the poison. But I only had mud to put on my finger when I got stung.

My biggest driving fear is when a bee gets in the car.

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I understand that completely! If I hear one in the car that's all I can think about, and I pull over as quickly as possible.
I have a terrible fear of getting a bee/hornet/yellow jacket/ whatever caught in my hair. I had a friend who was cycling thru a park once and rode thru a swarm of bees. She had long hair at the time and they became caught in it and stung her pretty bad.

EW. I wouldn't want any insect crawling around in my mouth, let alone one that could sting!
You're luckily that you're not allergic. That's not the sort of worry you want to have interfering with any outside events that you might encounter wasps or bees during.

I'm pretty sure I'm not allergic since the wasp sting didn't cause a reaction - I'd be in a pretty serious spot if I were, I don't tolerate epinephrine very well.

isn't it funny that gigantic bumblebees are the most docile ones?

I was not allergic to stings when I was little, but as I've gotten older I've developed an allergy not a life-threatening one thank goodness, but i do swell up pretty good

We had one of the largest bees I've ever seen trapped between the double windows in our bathroom the other night. Our daughter (she's 28 yrs. old) was yelling like a little kid and the poor bee was trapped and couldn't possibly get to her.

Anyway, I took a clean washcloth, gently opened the inner window, got the bee gently so as not to squash it, carried him/her outside and let it go on its way. I'm 60+ years old and I have to say I've never seen a bee that large. It was easily the size of my thumb.

My friends still laugh at me - a couple years ago we were golfing and for some reason a wasp was sitting on the lip of my pocket. When I put my hand in my pocket to get my ball it stung me. My hand swelled so large you wouldn't believe it. If you blow up a doctor's rubber glove, that's what my hand looked like, seriously. I hated the thought of quitting the game early so continued through the 18 holes then went to an emergency out-clinic in the area.

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

isn't it funny that gigantic bumblebees are the most docile ones?

I was not allergic to stings when I was little, but as I've gotten older I've developed an allergy

not a life-threatening one thank goodness, but i do swell up pretty good

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See, now, I never had an allergy when I was little little, but by high school I swelled up like crazy when stung.

Dad & I were outside fixing up a shed & there was a hornet's nest we didn't see until they came out ready to sting....dad waved his hand around hoping he'd get stung instead of me cuz I would've swelled up. That's my daddy!

Now see, Bumblebees are the only bee that doesn't really bother me. Maybe because I watched one crawl on my granddad's face when I was little. It actually started to climb up his nose but all he did was gently blow it out and it just flew away, peaceful as could be. Of course, if one flew in the window and hit the side of my face, I probably would have freaked too!

Back in 2004 when we had the 17 year cicadas, I had one fly in my open window while I was driving and get stuck in my hair! Yeah, THAT was fun because I wasn't the only car on the road. But luckily no other cars were close enough to be effected by my swerving and screaming! But, I'm sure I gave a few near heart attacks that day!

Originally Posted by calico2222

Now see, Bumblebees are the only bee that doesn't really bother me. Maybe because I watched one crawl on my granddad's face when I was little. It actually started to climb up his nose but all he did was gently blow it out and it just flew away, peaceful as could be. Of course, if one flew in the window and hit the side of my face, I probably would have freaked too!

Back in 2004 when we had the 17 year cicadas, I had one fly in my open window while I was driving and get stuck in my hair! Yeah, THAT was fun because I wasn't the only car on the road. But luckily no other cars were close enough to be effected by my swerving and screaming! But, I'm sure I gave a few near heart attacks that day!

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OMG, I would have crapped a brick if one of those cicadas flew in my hair!!!!!!! The only reason the bee scared me is because I didn't know it was a bee at first. I just saw something big flying toward my face. Then when it hit me I went nuts. I calmed down once I saw it was just a bumblebee.