I don’t think they sting too often, I think the males might be stingless. I just grab an old badminton racquet and go to town, then spray the holes. I have noticed an increase as well, we call them ‘borer bees.’
Freegards
Never been stung by one that I’m aware, but they’ll chase you if you’re near their nests. Stand still, they’ll zoom up and study your face, then go back to hovering on guard.
The main annoyance other than the damage to wood is getting them in an overhead trellis or porch roof with exposed rafters, they’ll rain sawdust down on you in surprising amounts while they bore.
I wouldn’t want to get bitten by something that can bore into wood like that, whether they can sting or not. I bet they could draw blood.