They rarely sting unless provoked. Each bee can sting only once as its stinger is left in the skin. When stung remove the stinger by scraping it out with the back of a knife or credit card etc. Do not try to pull it out, you will only squeeze in more poison. In the wild, they nest in hollow trees, wall voids and other protected cavities.
Colonies usually survive the winter on the honey collected during the summer.
There may be up to 60,000 bees in a colony.