Native flowering plants are important to all stages of a butterfly’s lifespan but are also attractive to bees and other insects. The native bees attracted to your wildlife garden are gentle, fascinating creatures solely focused on finding nectar and pollen, not you. The majority of native bees in the U.S. are solitary bees that do not have hives to protect and are not aggressive. The other type of bees—those you might be afraid of—are social bees that live in hives and include native bumblebees and the non-native European honeybee. These social bees, along with social wasp species may also seek nectar from your plants. However, they will only sting if their hive/nest is threatened. And in these cases, only female bees can sting.
In general, a bee will only sting if they are hit directly, feel threatened, or accidentally get caught in clothing or hair. If it helps, try to remember that bees are critical to the survival of flowering plants that help produce more than a third of all the foods we eat. So really, bees are our friends. You can read more about the importance of bees to our environment here.