In summer months my heavily flowered vines are frequented by what must be hundreds of bees at a time.  If I pass by too closely one bee will suddenly stop its activity and fly close by my head at high speed, usually just once (if I continue moving away), then return to feeding/gathering.  The unusual thing is that it is always JUST ONE bee, not a few or even just two, always only one.  The question is this: how is it that out of hundreds of bees one and only one takes it upon himself to defend all the others by warning me off?  How is this bee "selected?"  And, once he has chosen/been "told" to perform this duty, how do all the others know not to follow suit?  Does the sound of his "buzz run" warn off the others?  Side question:  how does the bee know that my head is the best part to "buzz?"

On a recent hike in North Carolina's Sauratown Mountains, I came to a viewing platform at 2,572 feet at about 2 in the afternoon on a bright, sunny day and found it covered with thousands of earwigs. The insects seemed agitated, and many of them were flying; several dozen landed on me in the space of a minute. Every reference I've consulted says that earwigs are mostly nocturnal and seldom fly. What was going on here?