I have been stung only once (It was enough) but have had them around most of my life. In our house they kept the roaches almost eliminated in one place I lived in as a kid. Of course you had to turn on the lights if you were going to get up at night to give them fair warning to run out of the way and always shake your shoes out before you put them on. I got stung because I was walking around barefooted at night so I stepped on one that I did not see.