I have never met honey bee, so I wouldn't know. however, the way honey bees hide is by runnng off to their hives. however, they mostly just sting stuff when agitated, especially if in large numbers.
No it is not a predator. It only stings to protect it's hive. Once it stings something, it dies, so they don't really want to sting you. They will if you bother them, but pretty much if you don't...