Actually, honey bees and carpenter bees are quite mild. They have to feel threatened before they’ll sting. Generally, they’ll just go about their business. It’s the yellowjacket wasps you have to watch out for. It seems like they’re spoiling for a fight.
For me the carpenter bees are the really dangerous ones, because they drive me right up the ladder. (Armed with a syringe of DE and a bad attitude!)
That's what I had always thought too until one summer night. My wife and I were in the garage shooting pool at midnight. Out of nowhere a lone honeybee flew in went straight at her face and stung her. It was weird.