He seems to be okay, he may not have been stung at all. He's curled up sleeping right now, like he usually is this time of night. I got stung after I posted - I was done messing with the bees and went out with out the veil and all that to stand at a respectful distance and just observe the hive and I guess they were still a little angried up and one of 'em got trapped by my hair. Poor thing couldn't get free and I couldn't see it to help it out and it stung me on the back of my head. But it didn't hurt badly for very long, so I'm hoping that if W did get stung he is similarly no longer hurting.

Bees are actually surprisingly low maintenance, they'd probably be okay being left for a few weeks at a time. You have more actual winter to contend with than I do, which I understand can be challenging bee-wise, so you'd have to figure that out. But if you were to join a beekeepers association (like I really ought to do) you'd meet people who would be willing to drop by and check on your bees while you were out of town.

Mason bees need love, too, though!