What do you use to keep bees away from scaredy-kids?

[SKL]

My kid is not allergic, but she's starting to get weird about bees.  I am wondering whether there is a repellent I can give her so she can be less of a wimp about it.  Preferably something "natural."

[LucyStoner]

The only thing that worked for my son was learning a lot about bees and spending time observing bees. It took a lot of time but he went from a panic mode at the sound of imangined or vaguely suspicious buzzing to encouraging himself.

[maize]

I'm hoping there is something out there that repels them because one of mine is allergic.

Edited May 2, 2016 by maize

[LucyStoner]

I'm allergic too and I never found a bee specific repellant. That said, new products come out all the time so maybe I just don't know about it.

[foxbridgeacademy]

 Different bees have different venom and can cause different reactions unless your child has been stung by all the different bees you can't be sure they aren't allergic.  I didn't find "my" bee until I was 25, paper wasps, wood bees, and bumbles I'm all good but yellow jackets can very easily kill me, and have tried twice. After years and years as a child of being teased by family about being a "scardey-cat" I got to tell them "I told you so". If someone does find something to keep yellow jackets away please tell me, I miss the outdoors and DH would love someone to help him mow.

 

*My mom is allergic to only honey bees and my dad is allergic to only wasps, and my sister is allergic to only yellow jackets.

Edited May 2, 2016 by foxbridgeacademy

[lailasmum]

Maybe some education about bees might help. As far as I'm aware bees don't do that thing where they bug you for food like wasps do (well they don't where I live). Bees just do their own thing and you only get stung if you actually do them some harm somehow.  So just being able to tell them apart by sight could help, knowing what to just ignore and what to move away from could help. 

[displace]

They hate peppermint (?) so maybe make a peppermint oil spray to use when going outside, avoid wearing perfumes/shampoos/soaps with sweet or floral scents, avoid bright colors.

[Spryte]

I don't know of a repellent either, but if you have an area where wasps like to nest, you can hang up a paper lantern shaped like a wasp nest - it will, supposedly, scare them away. They even make some for the purpose, though I've heard any color will work.

 

For regular out and about stuff, I'd focus on education.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't think there is anything out there.  I'm very leery of seeing a group of bees low to the ground.  That is sometimes an indication of a nest in the ground and if you step near that they will sting you.  First time I got stung ever it was because of a nest in the ground at a playground. 

 

Bees are not as nasty as wasps/hornets.  Probably what you are encountering are hornets.  Some of them are very aggressive.  I've never been stung when just shooing them away by waving my hands.  The times I've been stung was getting too close to their nests (not on purpose).

 

 

[goldberry]

I don't have a good answer.  We went camping with a family and the boy sat in the car and played video games most of the time because he was scared of the bees.  (No, it wasn't just an excuse, this was an ongoing issue.)  

[skimomma]

I have an irrational fear of bees/wasps.  Even though I know I should stay still and they will (probably) leave me alone, I just cannot do it.  The fight or flight thing takes over and I'm running around, flapping my arms, and in all likelihood making it more likely I will get stung.  I have been this way since I was 7 yo and accidentally put my hand into a wasp nest in the corner of the A-frame of an old swing set.  I got stung multiple times and also fell flat on my stomach, knocking the wind out of me in a way I can still recall with almost perfect clarity.  This was in addition to at least one sting a year due to wasps that lived in and around my house.  By the time I was 10, I was nearly hysterical at the very thought that a bee/wasp might be nearby.

 

I say all of that because despite this, I am still able to enjoy the out-of-doors.  I still camp and garden and do lawn care and run almost daily in the summer.  I just occasionally look like a freak and elevate my heart rate a little too much.  I know of no repellant.  I assume if there were an effective one, it would be well-known for all of the people with deadly allergies.  What has helped me was to learn about the different types and how they operate.  I suspect I would be in a far better place now if some adult had helped me to explore this as a child.  So now, I do still completely lose my mind whenever a yellow jacket or wasp comes around but can at least avoid the panic when it is a bumblebee or honey bee.  Even my 12 yo, who has been stung a time or two herself, always lectures me on standing still and not elevating the aggression.  It does not help me but I am pretty sure her mother's ridiculous behavior has prevented her from developing the same fear....if for no other reason than to avoid looking like a freak.