I'm afraid of people who are afraid of bees.

I have come to like them. I have been feeding them the past two winters and walk into the swarm (quite small - not a huge migrating swarm) to replenish the sugar water and they just leave me be. But like you they used to make me nervous..the hovering and the potential sting.

I like bees. I used to grab them (gently) out of citrus blossoms and hurl them at the school bully. She would flee--and the bee would chase her, because bees do that when you run (they want to know what the fuss is all about).