As a kid, I was stung by a bee, however in hindsight, I am not positive that it was a bee that stung me; As a child, I wasn’t aware of the different species of bees.
Besides honeybees, there are bumblebees, carpenter bees, mason bees, leafcutter bees, and so much more! There are also different species of wasps and some appreciate the yellow sweaters could absolutely be mistaken for bees.
Typically, bees are docile and will only sting when they know threatened because their stinger is affixed to their abdomen; Once they sting you, their abdomen is literally ripped away from their bodies which means they will eventually die in a particularly painful way! So, of course, they will avoid stinging a human by all means necessary. On the other hand, a yellow sweater can sting many times without any concerns because their stinger is not appreciate that of a bee. And not to mention, yellow sweaters are particularly aggressive and will attack a human especially if they are near the nest. Typically, you won’t find them in the garden unless there is a nest nearby. They can absolutely be mistaken for honeybees because of the coloring. The main difference between the 2 is that honeybees are fuzzy and yellow sweaters are smooth and shiny! I suppose that I misidentified what stung myself and others as a kid, then knowing what I know now about honeybees and yellow sweaters, I suppose I was stung by a yellow sweater and not a bee. One thing’s for particular, that sting was painful and now that I can identify a yellow sweater, I will do what I can to avoid them.