Sometimes a person may be stung by a bee, but this is rather exceptional. The people who are most frequently stung are the beekeepers themselves.
Bees visit flowers and are not aggressive.
Each sting means the death of the bee in question. The bee has a barbed sting. After stinging, the sting tears loose from the bee’s body and lodges in the wound together with the venom sac.
Are bee stings dangerous?
Most people react very little to bee stings. Only 1% of the population develops a serious, general allergic reaction. This reaction occurs after 10 to 15 minutes and needs to be treated immediately.
Especially people with cardiovascular diseases or with lung conditions may suffer from serious consequences. A serious reaction is rather rare (1%) and the chance that a subsequent reaction will also be serious ranges between 20 and 60%.
General rule: the more serious the previous reaction, the stronger the next will be. Bees are more likely to sting when confronted with strong odours (alcohol or perfume) and sudden movements.
The beekeeper, who wears special protective clothing, will first blow smoke into the hive.
This smoke calms down the bees and makes them less inclined to sting.