Honey Bees should not be a problem,Yes they will sting if you step on them barefooted, or you fool with the plant they are on sometimes. A bee is working on there food supply not looking for someone to sting.

Yellow Jackets are another story, they can sting multible times, not like a honeybee who looses their stingr and will soon die.

If your wasp trap is baited with sugar water it will lure honey bees to it.

Remeber a bee sting is just nature at work, something man should not try to change.

Murrell

If you keep your grass mowed properly and free of dandalions, a child being stung by a bee is highly unlikely.

Not to be harsh, but your child would have to do something pretty dumb to get stung by a bee. It won't hurt them anyhow unless they're allergic. It would make more sense to have them tested for a beesting allergy, and if they're not allergic, cross that off your list of things to worry about.

Wasps and especially hornets are the jerkwads of the stinging insect world, but even they need to be provoked, can be nailed with a can of RAID if they're really proving a pest (or, there is a way to make a REALLY awesome flame thrower out of a Super Soaker, that would deal with hornets without the need for pesticides), but even with them, the chances of your kids being stung is pretty small.

It's only natural to worry about your children, but really, rationally, it's hardly worth a thought. Would you rather your children learn to fear nature, or to appreciate it?

Just my $0.02.

Actually, I'm not worried at all about my son getting stung, I'm sure it will happen at some point in his life. It's more the other people's children that I provide childcare for that I would worry about. Unfortunately, there are some parents out there that aren't so appreciative of the natural order of things, and might worry about excessive bees in my yard. But I suppose those parents can take their kids elsewhere. Outside of my daycare hours, my son will have free access to our garden area, and since I'm teaching him to just leave the bees alone, you're right, he would have to do something pretty dumb to get stung;) Will all flowering plants attract the bees, or are there any that I can plant specifically?

Well, long, narrow flowers will be somewhat harder for bees to feed from, and they'll possibly go elsewhere. Flowers like those generally depend more on hummingbirds and butterflies for pollenation. But no guarantees. Indian Pink might be worth looking at.

Thanks teryaki...........I'll have to look up Indian Pink, I've never heard of it. I grew up on 1/2 acre outside of suburban Detroit, and have relatives in the Cleveland area. I swear, my Dad had half the backyard growing some kind of garden, so bees were a normal everyday thing. I got stung twice as a kid, and believe me, I gained quite a reverance for bees. I don't see so many out here, but maybe this is just an indicator of how the bees are doing nowadays. I would love to bring in the butterflies and hummingbirds, as well. I've got about 3000 square feet reserved for plants, bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, butterflies, and bugs. I'm sure the kids will have a blast!!

Interesting question.

My husband is a beekeeper and keeps 3 hives in our backyard, about 70yds from a daycare center. There is a bunch of trees between us, but not too thick. We've had our bees there since '04, and the daycare continues to do business without complaint to us. (knock on wood, throw salt over the shoulder, rub the belly of the Budda, etc...)

Actually we are lined up to do a presentation at our local library for their Summer Reading Program for school children. We expect to teach them to identify different types of "bees" , and inform them that a wasp, yellow jacket, or hornet WILL attack, and not to mess with them. And to indentify honeybees, bumblebees and such as "friendly pollinators" that need respect, but can be observed safely.

Good luck!
Jackie