Anchorhead said:

That said, when you see a swarm or giant cluster on a tree branch or the side of a building, that's when the bees are usually the least aggressive. they're in the process of finding a new home, have no babies, and no real food stores to protect, so they're largely uninterested in anything else.

Weird. I totally missed this thread until it was just bumped.

Anyhow, I'm pretty allergic to bees. Had a yellowjacket somehow get in the house on Thanksgiving of '05, I was sitting on the couch, waiting for my Dad to set out his famous Turkey and Stuffing when *WHAMMO* it stung me on the back of my neck!! It hurt like hell the rest of the evening, swoll up, I was a mess. I loaded up on tylenol and benedryl and made it through.

As far as your comment I quoted, Anchorhead, this happened to us last fall. Me, my wife, and my just about to 2 year old baby girl were playing around in the front yard. We'd set out a blanket by a 6 year old oak tree and we were just having a good ol' family time. I looked up and saw a ball of bees hanging off the side of the tree about 5 feet from us. They had to be at least a foot in diameter. I freaked out, rushed the family inside, and called a dispatcher at work who is also, like you, a beekeeper. She assured me they wouldn't hurt a fly, due to their migrating status, but I stayed inside. She said they'd leave in a few hours, sure enough a few hours passed and they disappeared.

I'm the big joke at parties, I tend to freak out at any sight of a bee, due to my allergic reaction to their sting. I look like the biggest dork dodging and bobbing when one buzzes by. Of course, here in Texas just about every party is an outdoor barbeque, and of course, the bees seem attracted to those.