#buzzing around curiously. i don't have enough context to know if you're using 'attack' to mean 'they stung me' or just 'they flew near me'

[flame-shadow]

a little curious now... is there a way to tell a wasps gender? And uh... years ago my grandma was fishing and got stung and nearly died because she was deathly allergic to stings but she didn't know until then.. that's why I try keeping my distance from wasps sometimes because I don't know if I've inherited something like that and I still don't know yet... in my area they seem to try to attack without a reason.. like, not even for defense and we know this because their nest would a little far off and we wouldn't be close to it at all but then they start zoomin' into ur ears lol. They are still very interesting and very cool creatures but I'm just a tiny bit scared of buzzing sounds now.. So sorry about last night I just wanted to give further context of their behavior because they attack people at my place every summer and we just don't know why we're just trying to chill lol ;w; . Also, is it true that when you see a big solid ball of bees in the air does that mean they are searching for a new place to live?? My friend and I saw one... well I mean.. I saw it with the corner of my eyes but she looked. She said it this HUGE almost solid ball of bees just sitting in the air and it looked like it was coming towards us so we just booked to the house. Idk, sorry about all this I'm just a little curious.

We'll do these in points for readability:

Wasps have a lot of variety, so anything I say likely won't apply to all of them [and also, if I say something wrong, I welcome polite correction from those who know more. I am just a casual wasp lover]. Generally, female wasps will be larger than males [aka drones] and they'll have ovipositors which in some but not all species have adapted into stingers. I've also noticed when reading about some species that drones have one more segment on their antennae than the females do. I don't know if that is the case for most wasps, though.

I'm sorry to hear about your grandma! That's scary that she almost died. If you can, I'd recommend getting an allergy test so you can know for sure if you, too, are allergic or not. That way, you can be more prepared to avoid stinging insects and know what to do if you do get stung. [also, if you get the kind of allergy test that checks for reactions to lots of things, you might learn about other unknown allergies that have been making you miserable. knowledge is power haha]

I know a lot of people have a strong reaction to things buzzing around their ears, even if it's not something that can sting. I get a weird tingly feeling on the back of my neck from buzzing sounds, for example. I imagine it's a pretty instinctual thing, and especially for people who are allergic, it's a useful 'oh shit i should get away' thing that might save their lives. Generally, though, it's better not to run or flail or swat at a wasp [or bee!] if it's nearby, as they could interpret the motions as a threat whereas before they were just curious/exploring. Also, certain scents can attract and potentially rile wasps and/or bees. I know bees have a reaction to banana scented stuff, for example.

You don't have to keep apologizing; thank you for realizing that your wording was hurtful. It's unfortunately quite common [in my experience] for animals like wasps to be so socially maligned that saying mean and violent things about them is normal and acceptable, maybe even encouraged! It skews perception and makes it harder to advocate for the animals. Wasps are just animals doing their animal things just like every other animal on this planet, and they don't deserve the cruel and ignorant things said about them.

I don't know as much about bees, but that does sound like they were swarming in search of a new hive. I hope they found a good, safe place to set up. <3