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What is Fear of Wasps or Bees Called?
Fear of bees, wasps or hornets can feel exhausting and overwhelming. Just hearing the sound of buzzing can be a trigger for some people.
Fear of bees is sometimes called apiphobia or melissophobia, while fear of wasps is known as spheksophobia. This phobia is quite common and with the news about Asian hornets recently, it is probably becoming even more common.
What is the Difference Between a Fear and a Phobia?
Fear is a normal response to danger and it is natural to be a little cautious of stinging insects. Wasps, hornets and bees can sting, so a certain amount of caution or wariness is sensible and natural.
A phobia however, is a much stronger and more exaggerated fear response, that feels out of proportion to the actual danger or risk. People with a phobia may experience intense anxiety and panic attacks just from being near a bee or wasp, or just from hearing the buzzing of one nearby. These feelings can even happen just from seeing a picture of one. This is why there are no triggering images in this article.
If fear of bees or wasps is affecting your everyday life, causing avoidance and making you dread certain situations, events or occasions, it may be more than an ordinary fear. Read on to find out why these responses happen and how to manage them.
Symptoms of Bee or Wasp Phobia
It can be difficult to live with a bee or wasp phobia especially during warmer months when insects are more active. Depending on what part of the world you live in it might be a year round problem. Or you may be lucky enough to have winters where you barely think about them at all because you just don’t see them around. Some people feel constantly on alert when wasps and bees are active, they may be hypervigilant and looking for them, especially when spending time outside,
People with this phobia often run away when there is a bee or wasp around. You might find that if one gets in your home it is almost impossible to let it out of the window because it is difficult to get close enough to them.
They seem unpredictable, the sound of the buzzing can trigger feelings of panic. Some people repeatedly check their home or garden for nests, and some keep windows closed even on hot summer days just to reduce the chance of insects getting inside.
Why am I so Afraid of Wasps, Bees and Hornets?
Some people develop the fear of these insects after a frightening experience as a child or younger person that had an impact and caused significant distress. For other people the phobia can develop gradually with no obvious starting point or original cause.
Fear of bees and wasps may also occur along with other phobias or anxieties. Once the fear response gets established each encounter tends to reinforce the anxiety reaction, making it feel stronger.
There are ways you can treat phobias and change your reactions. Many people are able to overcome their phobia significantly. Techniques such as relaxation methods, breathing techniques, CBT or hypnosis can help you to change the fearful response.
Entomophobia and Related Insect Phobias
Some people have this phobia along with Entomophobia, where they fear insects of all or most kinds. Entomophobia is beyond the scope of this article but if you click here you can go to the “Cleaveland Clinic” website to read more about it
How to Stay Calm Around Wasps
To overcome your phobia you would need to gradually change the automatic reactions you experience when you see one. With practice many people learn to feel calmer and more in control around wasps.
A helpful starting point is to simply try to not run away or panic if a wasp appears nearby. Try to take a few deep slow breaths. The more you practice responding like this, the easier it will be to change that automatic panic response. With practice and with time, staying calm and in control can become the new normal for you. It is simply a case of practicing a new reaction, as you do so it gets easier.
How Do You Get Over a Bee, Hornet or Wasp Phobia?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT can help people gradually learn to change the way they think and respond to bees, hornets and wasps. It can help you learn calming strategies and challenge fearful thoughts and reactions to the phobia.
Exposure therapy is often used with CBT and involves facing your fear in small manageable steps. You might begin with looking at pictures of them and progressing from there. Eventually you learn to react calmly and with less fear.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy or self hypnosis can help reduce the automatic fear response you have linked to bees, hornets or wasps. The aim with hypnosis is to help your mind respond more calmly and rationally in situations that would normally trigger panic and anxiety.
Hypnotherapy works by influencing the subconscious mind, where automatic habits, emotional responses and behavioral patterns are formed. With practice, these anxious reactions become more manageable and much less intense.
In hypnosis, desensitization and CBT methods are often incorporated into the process. Alongside the relaxing, calming experience of hypnosis, these techniques help to teach the subconscious mind a new way of reacting when you see a wasp, bee or hornet.
With practice, this can help reduce panic and allow you to feel much calmer and more in control.
We also offer a self hypnosis audio designed to help with overcoming fear and anxiety of bees, hornets and wasps. You can learn more about this hypnosis download here.
FAQ
What is a fear of wasps called?
Fear of wasps is commonly called spheksophobia.
What is fear of bees called?
Fear of bees may be referred to as melissophobia or apiphobia.
Can bee or wasp phobia be treated?
Many people improve their phobias using self hypnosis, CBT and desensitization methods. We incorporate all of these in our Overcome Wasps & Bee Phobia hypnosis audio which you can find here.
Is fear of wasps common?
A fear or phobia of wasps and bees is very common, and for some people it develops into a severe phobia that affects daily life. The good news is that it can be improved with practice and the phobia responses changed to controlled calm responses.
A – Z List of Phobias
Find out more on our full A-Z list of phobias with their Greek names, we currently have over 640 listed.