Many of us flee when they hear a buzzing bee. Yes, many people believe they have apiphobia or fear of bees. Many others are sensitive to bee stings. But, what does it mean when a bee follows you?
Bees follow you around because you have a pleasant scent, sweat, you resemble a flower, or you enraged the bee. If this occurs, run away, hold your breath, avoid sudden movements, and pull out the stinger if you’re stung. Don’t try to fight it since you’ll only enrage it.
Have you ever wondered why certain people are more appealing to bees than others? In this article, we’ll discuss various possible causes for bees to follow you and ways to avoid getting stung.
Reasons why a bee(s) may follow you
If a bee is following you, bees are likely drawn to your clothing, perfume, or something sweet you’re consuming. If you don’t try to hurt them, they will eventually leave you alone.
If more than one bee is pursuing you, it might be because they see you as a danger to their colony. In that scenario, you need to leave the location right away.
1. You have a pleasant scent about you
A honey bee’s primary responsibility is to gather delicious nectar from flowers to feed the hive. Therefore, they naturally want to investigate anything sweet when they smell it.
Consequently, honey bees are drawn to sweet, sugary scents produced by soft beverages and fruits. Additionally, they like the sweet aromas of several lotions, perfumes, and hair treatments, especially those that have a floral flavor.
2. You resemble a flower
You may have heard someone mention that fashion hurts. Even though we disagree with this viewpoint, it might be valid in the case of bees. Bees are particularly drawn to patterns and hues that mimic flowers.
Bees will usually leave you alone after they realize that your Hawaiian shirt is not a true nectar source. However, honey bees prioritize visiting you with vivid and floral patterns like mums.
3. You have a sweaty odor
Sweat smell is not a favorite to most people. The deodorant and antiperspirant market is enormous because of this. Do you, however, know who does? You are right if you assumed bees.
Sweat bees, also known as halictid bees, are drawn to the smell of perspiration. They typically have a deeper color, a metallic sheen, with undertones of red or green.
4. You enraged the bee
Of course, there’s a considerable probability that a bee will tell you if you’ve bothered them. Bees are protective of their hive, queen, and honey reserves. Therefore, they will protect themselves if they feel attacked. Some bee species have even been seen to pursue people for a distance of more than a quarter of a mile when enraged.
What to do when bees follow you
When followed by a bee, do one of the following:
1. Run
You should run when a bee “bumps into” you, and it’s not a mistake. If a colony of bees believes you are a predator, it will first send out a few guard bees to “head butt” you away and warn you to stay away. If not, the hive will launch a full-scale attack.
When it comes to bees, your most basic inclination to flee is always the best course to take. Don’t think twice. Do not confront them. You’ll buy them some time so they can acquire hundreds of thousands more. Just leave immediately.
2. Hold your breath
Hold your breath if an attack has not yet occurred, and I mean literally. Take a deep breath. The smell is a bee’s primary sense. They use scent to find their way around.
Holding your breath won’t help much if a massive swarm of bees is on you, but if only a few are nearby, it might allow you some time to escape. However, if you take that away, you are, in a sense, turning them blind. You practically appear to be invisible to them.
3. Don’t make sudden movements
The typical reaction of a person to a nearby bee is to brush it off or shoo it away. Unfortunately, it may feel so nice to swat at it, but it will only worsen matters. The bees will sense a threat. Therefore, their instinctive reaction is to unite and defend the queen.
4. Pull out the stinger
In conventional opinion, you must use a flat object like a credit card, butter knife, or a pair of tweezers to scrape the stinger off your skin. We’ve been instructed not to attempt to remove it with your fingers since doing so will press the bulb at its end and hasten the venom’s penetration into your skin.
Simply let it go, pull it out, rub it, and pinch it out. It’s irrelevant. The only thing that counts is that you get rid of it as soon as possible since the longer it sits there, the more venom will enter your body. If you have a bee venom allergy, carry an EpiPen with you and call 911 right away.
Don’t use chemical means to fight bees since you could easily bring about colony collapse disorder in the hive or swarm.
Conclusion
In conclusion, keep calm and leave the bees alone, and you won’t likely get stung because bees often won’t sting until they feel highly threatened. Don’t think you can fight them off.