Do you have the odd bee that buzzes you every time you go to the clothes line or weed the garden? The ones that makes mowing the lawn difficult? Well some of this behaviour is genetic and replacing the queen may help.

If not, Ormond & Harry Aebi's book on "Mastering the Art of Beekeeping - Vol 2" (Chapter 5, How to Tame Bees) tells you how to get over this problem.

Their solution is to make a wave cloth. In other words, have a cloth (old dirty shirt) permanent mounted on a line or stand fairly close to the hive, which moves around in the breeze. The bees see the movement and investigate, but can't do anything about it and soon get used to the movement around them. Very soon you can happily move around your yard without bees investigating you. Try it - it works.

Incidently the book is very good reading - Aebi's hold the world record for the production from one hive.