Close Call or Coincidence?

         The strangest thing happened yesterday. A Honey Bee flew directly into my eye and didn't sting me.

Close Call or Coincidence? 

          A Honey Bee that is away from the hive foraging for nectar or pollen will rarely sting, except when stepped on or roughly handled. Honey Bees will actively seek out and sting when they perceive the hive to be threatened, often being alerted to this by the release of attack pheromones.

Honey bees are the only Hymenoptera with a strongly barbed sting.

       A true swarm is not hostile; it has deserted its hive and has no comb or young to defend.

 Guess which gender of  Honey Bees has the ability to sting: Males or Females?

The larger drone bees, the males, do not have stingers.   The female worker bees are the only ones that can sting, and their stinger is a modified ovipositor.

     Close Call or Coincidence? My escape from a painful bee sting was neither- it  was normal for he Honey Bee to not retaliate aggressively based on the circumstances at the current time.