Washington State friends, don't read this. You don't have these there. But for my friends in the southern and eastern U.S., including Missouri, remember when you see these huge bees hovering around, looking like bumblebees but with a big white spot on their faces, they are male carpenter bees and they can't sting. While the females (who don't have the white spot and can sting) hang around in and by their holes in the wood, these males just goof off and stare at you with curiosity, showing real activity only when they wrestle in the air with other males. They love to hover and watch me smoke my pipe on the porch, but so far none is brave enough to land on my offered hand. So be understanding: Curiosity might kill the cat, but it needn't kill the male carpenter bee.
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I once had a hummingbird land on my "offered" finger, but it wasn't interested in me. Many birds were hovering around a feeder which had only four perches around its perimeter. I slowly moved in and placed my finger in position to form another perch, then held real still. Sure enough, a bird soon landed on my finger to feed for a few seconds, but it was of course facing away from me, and seemed quite oblivious to my presence. They seem to lose their fear of you if you don't molest them.
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