Bees are cold blooded insects but that doesn't mean they are cold hearted. Despite the fear around bee stings, mostly bees are not aggressive unless they are provoked. In fact, in certain situations, you can even pet a bee like this guy is.

That's right, these bumble bees are letting him touch them, and most honey bees will as well. But be careful, bees aren't normally so docile, especially if you are close to their nest or if you irritate them.

And bees can be deadly. Earlier this week, a woman in Texas was attacked by around 30,000 bees while riding her miniature horse. She had to ride her horse into the pool and escape into the house. But the horse was left behind. Both that horse, and another miniature horse were killed from the attack as well as a few of her chickens.

Investigators think that this was the work of Africanized honey bees, aka killer bees. They're one of the 20,000 species of bees out there.

Now, the African bee is part of a small group of bees called "social bees". These bees live together and are collectively part of a hive. They're probably the most territorial because they need to protect their home and their family to survive.

Other social bees we're familiar with here in North America are Bumble bees and honey bees. Like the African bee, they all have venomous sting.

Bumble bees have a very painful sting but they don't lose their stingers when they attack like honey bees do. Africanized or killer bees are not any more poisonous than honey bees but the thing with these killer bees is that they attack in greater numbers and are very persistent. They say that if you are attacked by killer bees, you should start running as fast as you can, preferably up wind in a zigzag, until you get to an enclosed area where the bees can't enter. Don't jump into the water though. The bees will wait for you and once you come up for air, they will start to attack again.

So what makes bee stings deadly? Well, experts estimate that it'll take around 1,500 bee stings to kill a 150 pound person. But, if you are allergic to bees, even one bee sting can be fatal. Even if you get stung just a dozen times or so, it may be a good idea to see a doctor.

So the bottom line is, don't make bees angry, and if you do, be prepared to suffer the consequences. Just like humans, bees are trying to protect their home, their food and their family so if you look like a threat, you may get attacked.

Now that doesn't mean you should start removing every bee's nest you see. Bees are the main pollinators of plants, and without pollination, most of our food wouldn't grow. So we definitely need them around.