Some of us would be happy to see the population of bees vanish from the face of the earth just to avoid getting stung. No one knows so well how frightened people are of bees than local
beekeeper John Klapac.
"I have a bee embroidered on the back of my shirt. Everyone thinks it's a bee," he said.
"I went to a lady's house in Potomac, she told me not to move. Then she hit
me on the back with two hands and knocked me right down."
Another time he was trying to get a check cashed at the bank, but the drive-in window operator saw a swarm of
honeybees in a box in his vehicle and slammed the drawer shut, "even though there was a bulletproof glass between us," he said, wryly.
"I knew there was no way to get her to cash that check."
He was also chased once by a broom-waving, bee-cursing lady. In elevators, people have backed away from him.
Sometimes, Mr. Klapac said, he lets bees fly around in his truck when he is
driving. The windows are completely rolled up. But that isn't good enough for nearby drivers.
"They roll their windows up and motion to me that I have bees in my truck," he said.
A sure way to get VIP parking at the Kennedy Center is to put a hive in your car, Mr. Klapac said.
"They don't want it in the parking garage. I got a VIP space right next to the door
of the Kennedy Center," he said.
If only people knew the fuzzy fellas better, they would be less afraid.
Here's how to stay sting free, according to Mr. Klapac.
Bees don't want to sting you because if they do, they die. If a bee lands on you, be still. Only if jiggled, or thrown against a fence, or screamed at, will a bee sting.
To rid yourself of a flying fellow, don't wave your hand. This shimmering effect upsets the bee and makes him view you as a potential threat. Instead, coyly take
your hand and flick the bee away like a marble. This sends it soaring a safe distance from you.
If honeybees have been collecting pollen and nectar all day, they're swollen full
and cannot bend over to sting you. "It's similar to touching your toes after eating Thanksgiving dinner. It's too much trouble," said Mr. Klapac.
Next time you are out in the garden, take note of what the bees have been doing. It may make you feel a touch safer.
