It is estimated that there are more than 300 different types of phobias and almost 10% of the world’s population suffers from these. Spheksophobia is one of the more common phobias belonging to this list. Explained simply, Spheksophobia is the persistent fear of wasps. The word is derived from Greek spheco meaning wasps and Phobos the ‘Greek God of fear’ or dread.
In Spheksophobia, the sufferer experiences an extreme panic attack at the sight or even thought of wasps. As a result, s/he goes into a “flight or fight” mode which is nothing but nature’s way of preparing the body for danger, in this case, wasps. Like in case of the fear of bees (Melissophobia or Apiphobia), fear of wasps can be greatly self-limiting in that; the phobic simply refuses to step outdoors owing to his phobia.
Causes of Spheksophobia
Wasps, like bees, are known for their deadly stings. They tend to dwell in swarms and can sting their victims repeatedly. What makes these creatures even more vicious and deadlier than bees is the fact that they do not leave their stinger in the human skin; rather they can withdraw and reuse it on their victims over and over. The sting of a wasp leaves behind extremely painful and burning sensations. Those with sensitive skin also experience swelling, redness and severe inflammation in the bitten area which often lasts for days.
Naturally, a person who has experienced a wasp’s sting or even seen a loved one getting stung could develop a lifelong fear of wasps. Adults (parents and caregivers) could also unknowingly instill the fear in young minds. Even simple statements like, “do not go out in the garden as there is a wasps’ nest there” can trigger Spheksophobia. An adult screaming at the sight of wasps ends up teaching the child to have a similar reaction.
News reports or media, TV shows about wasp stings can also sometimes trigger Spheksophobia. There are a couple of rather famous cases reported recently in the papers/Internet. One is that of a famous tourist spot in South Asia- it had to be closed down (and the tourists evacuated by helicopters) after a swarm of angry wasps attacked and stung some of them. Another well known and rather tragic case is that of a wasp stinging a businessman inside his mouth. This caused his tongue to swell up leading to instant asphyxiation which caused his death even before paramedics could come on the scene.
Symptoms of fear of wasps phobia
Panic attacks are the most common symptoms of Spheksophobia. The body goes into flight or fight mode and there is an adrenalin rush. This gives rise to following symptoms:
- The person feels like running away, though, most phobics remain frozen, sit down or stand still. The excess adrenalin then leads to shivering, shaking or excessive sweating.
- The phobic might experience elevated heart rate, accelerated and rapid breathing, and higher blood pressure.
- Some feel overwhelmed from constant thoughts of wasps stinging them leading to death. This can cause the phobic to feel totally out of control or detached from reality.
- Some people tend to feel dizzy from the adrenalin rush or might faint.
- Others might feel nauseated, vomit or experience gastric distress.
Most Spheksophobics show avoidance behavior, i.e. they refuse to step outdoors especially on sunny days when wasps are prevalent. They tend to avoid gardens, parks, florists’ shops, or places with trees, flowers and bushes where wasps are more likely to be present.
Treating and overcoming your fear of wasps
If you suffer from extreme or irrational fear of wasps, there is help available. Hypnosis is one such tried and proven method of treating this phobia. It helps induce deep state of relaxation and helps you re-evaluate the stress that is causing the phobia.
Another form of psychotherapy, Neuro Lingusitic programming can also help detect the faulty-pattern-matching ability of the brain which leads to the flight/fight response. This can help you successfully ward off the symptoms of Spheksophobia.
Other self help techniques like deep breathing, meditation and positive visualization can help you ground yourself to the present moment in order to relieve the anxiety experienced due to Spheksophobia.
Callum says
I have had an extreme fear of wasps and bees the last couple of days. There have been so many wasps flying around the classroom and in lines. When I was eight years old, I got stung by a wasps eight times.
Dani Gopold says
In 1988, when I still lived in Vienna, Austria, my mum, my best friend Karin, and I had a day down the Danube island. Karin and I went to get an ice cream/lolly and also went for a little walk. Not long after I finished eating my ice cream/lolly, a wasp stung me in between 2 of my fingers. I think I might have had juice that ran down my fingers. The pain was unreal. I screamed, and my best friend Karin comforted me. Not far away was a medic van, and Karin saw it and took me to get it seen by the medic. He put some cooling gel on and a little bandage and told me to keep it on till I got home and then take it off to let it air.
When that cooling gel went on, the relief was incredible. Thankfully, The pain eased quickly, but ever since my experience, I’ve had a huge fear of wasps. Whenever I see one near me, I run like hell. They are my worst enemy, such annoying buzzers, and they sting you for no bloody reason. I live in the UK now and always keep away from wasps.
Travian Price says
I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised at the record number of people claiming to have the same phobia that I’ve had ever since I was around the age of 8 years old! I’m 25 now, and I still have a constant fear/dread of being around wasps, bees, yellow jackets, mud dobbers, hornets, etc.
I also constantly fear getting stung a third, fourth, or maybe even a fifth, sixth, or seventh time (oh my!) while outdoors. Especially considering the fact my first sting happened twice on the same day when I was around the age of eight years old!
It’s a truly terrifying experience, might I add! Glad I got to share my own experience, though.
By the way, thank you so much for describing the information in this article as necessary to perfectly reflect the nature of my worst fear. Much appreciated, fearof.net Editorial Staff!
grace says
I am 10, and wasps are so evil when they try to sting me. I lost my voice once because of screaming. I HATE them!
MissUK says
I am so happy that I am not the only one with this phobia. I’m 40, and I’ve always had this fear as far as I can remember. For me, it started when I was a kid. I was stung countless times. To name a few: once on my toe as I was playing barefoot in my grandparent’s gardens, the next time it was on my ear while I was at the swimming pool, the time after on my foot while I was playing basketball with my cousin, and the latest one was back in 2015 when I heard a buzz near me, and when I put my hand in my hair, I got badly stung by this wasp. I probably forgot the other times, but I will never forget those times. It hurt like hell. It’s like someone just put a needle with all their strength. I swear you are never prepared for this! It makes people laugh, telling me, “Just stay still,” but there’s no way I can. I’ve tried, and it just doesn’t work. So now I don’t wear any perfume anymore in summer because I’ve realized that it attracts them. A part of me hates warm weather just because I always apprehend it. It’s awful. I’m always in a panic mode when I see a wasp. It makes people laugh, but it’s not funny. I just wish I could ignore them, but I can’t. I avoid eating in the garden with family just because of that, or if I try, I keep looking around all the time. They make my summer days miserable, I swear.
ClanCamBeul says
You are SO not alone, and I am relieved to find out I’m not either! I have never been stung or bitten by a wasp or a bee, but I remember sitting in the car’s back seat on a VERY long road trip with my parents, and a wasp got into the car during one of our stops. I was freaking out, just knowing it was right behind my head and I was trapped. My Dad refused to pull over to do anything about it, so I sat there shaking and crying for the next 45 minutes until we got home. Even though I didn’t get stung, my fear got worse instead of better after that experience.
I have also reached the point that when I hear buzzing, I immediately break out in a cold sweat, drop (or throw) anything I have in my hands, and run. While I don’t have kids, I can’t tell you how many times I have almost stepped out into traffic, bowled people over, and embarrassed myself in front of strangers. No matter the situation, I can’t control that immediate flight reaction.
As I write this, I hear a wasp buzzing against my window screen, and even though I KNOW it is outside, I still have a can of insect spray on the corner of my desk, just in case.
Tessa S. says
I’m not sure when exactly my phobia started, but I’ve been terrified for as long as I can remember.
When I was a child, my younger brother (around age 3-4) got stung multiple times by wasps. Sitting on the porch, we were outside on a summer day with my Mom. Suddenly, these wasps came flying up through the cracks of the wooden deck, and several stung him at once.
My brother was obviously in pain and upset, my Mom was incredibly worried for him, and I was absolutely petrified. Maybe that’s when it started.
Or maybe, it was the day I got harassed by a swarm at a pool. I was a kid; my cousin and I had been hiking at a state park. We had just finished breakfast when we wanted to swim in the pool at the lodge. We go outside, enter the gate that surrounds the pool, and see about 30-40 wasps swarming everywhere.
We were both so scared the wasps were starting to approach us. My cousin said, “Quick, dive under the water; they can’t get us in there.” I was so frightened; I didn’t think twice about jumping in. I dove in and went under for as long as I could. When I returned for air, the wasps were still swarming our heads. We kept going under, then coming back up, each time hoping the wasps would have given up and moved on – no such luck.
This lasted for about 15 minutes until we finally had to jump out of the pool and make a run for it. Those wasps chased us all the way to the lodge’s front door. I’m sure that experience didn’t help my phobia.
Living in the South my whole life, where it gets extremely hot and blindingly sunny for months on end, wasps are a real problem. When I walk outside and see wasps swarming around, I immediately feel intense fear and panic. I’ve never been stung, but it doesn’t matter; I’m still terrified.
I can’t help it, but I have to run away instantly when a wasp flies near me. My brain and body automatically go into fight or flight mode. I’ll scream and run away; everyone around me thinks I’m crazy, but I can’t help it. It can be embarrassing, but I can’t control my reaction.
The absolute worst is when a wasp gets into my car. If I’m driving or riding down the road and I find out a wasp is inside the car with me, I will absolutely freak out. I feel trapped with them, and it’s my worst fear; it’s a disaster if I cannot pull over.
It’s not just the fear of being stung. It’s how the wasps look and behave, but most of all, it’s the BUZZING! The sound of any bug buzzing is my biggest trigger; it just makes me cringe with nervousness. I can’t stand the sound of wings buzzing together, especially if they’re up against a window or something; it’s the worst.
I used to be scared of bees, too, but now my phobia doesn’t include them. I actually love bees, and I feel bad that they’re endangered. Wasps are partly to blame for endangering bees, which makes me dislike them even more.
Most people who don’t have this phobia can’t understand why we feel and react the way we do. I’ve been told the classic lines like “Don’t bother them, and they won’t bother you.” That is so untrue; I avoid wasps as much as possible; they’re the ones that seek me out!
Then there’s the “they’re more afraid of you than you are of them.” The wasps know they’re terrifying and use that to their advantage! They build nests all over my house, then want to attack me for invading “their territory.”
Most often, the ultimate advice I’ve received is, “Stay calm, and they’ll go away.” It’s almost impossible to stay calm when you have a phobia and the wasps are getting in your personal space. People without the phobia don’t get this!
Last but not least, there’s the fact that all flying bugs, not just wasps, seem to LOVE flying into my hair! I have very long, thick, and curly hair. These wasps and winged insects will fly straight into my hair and get stuck there; then, they’ll buzz aggressively against my head as they struggle to get free. It sends me into the worst panic ever as I frantically shake my head to get the thing out.
Slytherin Unicyclist says
Yeah. I’ve had the phobia since I was ten and got stung repeatedly in the same place. And I didn’t have the phobia immediately. I got it when a swarm moved into our front porch and stung me when I walked outside.
Mommabear says
I am 42 and have never been stung. I hear the buzz when no one else does, and friends and family laugh at me when I run. I’m so over it. I tried fighting it by standing still and closing my eyes, but my heart was racing, and I could literally feel every hair on my body raised. It is a horrible feeling I hate, and worse, I have passed this on to my kids without even knowing it.
Annabelle says
Literally me! When I was little, they constantly made a beeline for me if I was outside. My mom always said, “Just stay still, and they won’t sting you.” They still stung me. If there’s a wasp in our apartment, I go into panic mode and immediately flee the room to get my roommate to kill it; she does not enjoy this.
Lacy Sargent says
I feel you on this. I have to walk past my back porch to leave my house, and they are horrible around there, so every time I have to go, I’m trying to give myself pep talks. Today, I walked in, and my gate wouldn’t open, and there were three wasps around me. When I finally got inside, I immediately had a full-blown panic attack. I can’t wait for cooler weather.
Anonymous spheksophobic says
I’m very terrified of wasps! My family denies it, but I really am. I have been since I was eight years old. My eyes get as wide as dinner plates, and I start to freak out and run.
Abigail Reale says
I’ve never been stung, but my brother has, and I guess it was just seeing how scared he was of wasps that triggered me (not that I’m blaming him). Now it’s got so bad that just hearing buzzing (even if it’s just a fly or my phone) scares me. I don’t want to cause anyone else (especially children in my family) to grow up with a fear of wasps, but I get so scared I just can’t think straight, and all I can do is panic, scream, and run.
Kendra says
I have had a fear of wasps ever since I was a kid, but last year I was attacked by a whole nest while delivering mail. There was a nest on the mailbox post, and I didn’t see it until I opened the mailbox, and they all came swarming at me and stung my hand/arm so many times I couldn’t even count. I was in excruciating pain. Now every time I see a wasp, I just get flashbacks to that day, and my fight or flight kicks in, and I start running. I have been stung so many times at work while delivering mail, and I never even see them coming, so that terrifies me even more. People make fun of me and tell me, “just don’t bother them, and they will leave you alone,” but I have not once ever bothered a wasp, and yet I always get stung. I have now quit my job as a mail carrier because I couldn’t stand it anymore. Every day I would work in fear, and I couldn’t handle it anymore. I now avoid going outside during the day and refuse to even water my plants because there could be a wasp nearby. My husband makes fun of me for it and tells me I’m immature, but I can’t help it. Yesterday I saw a few wasps in my garage and called my husband, panicking, saying there must be a nest, and he thought I was on drugs because I was freaking out so bad. I’ve tried things to help, but nothing does.
Caitlyn says
Kendra, you are not alone!
I am sorry to hear about your history of being stung so many times. Your fear is not irrational at all. I am simply terrified of bees/wasps/anything that flies in slow motion and has a stinger. I cannot explain why this is, as I do not recall ever being stung even as a child, but somehow this overwhelming fear controls my life during the summer months. I have encountered two wasps flying around in my kitchen in the past two weeks and am worried there is an open entry point somewhere, so I have been researching online for the past two hours about what to do, who to call, etc. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck and safe rest of the summer!
Trav says
It all started when I was at church camp as a boy. I had made a walking stick in arts and crafts and lost it somewhere, so my friend offered to help me retrace my steps and look for it.
So we were hiking in the mountains, and I stepped over a log. I shouted back to him (who was about 20 feet or so behind me) to be careful because the log looked rotten.
He yelled back, “what did you say?” As he plunged his leg right through it. The entire thing was one massive wasp’s nest inside. And I watched a tornado of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of wasps, swarm him as he screamed bloody murder! I froze like a deer in the headlights!
A camp counselor heard the screams and ran up the hillside, threw us over each shoulder, and booked it down the hill.
My friend got stung over 60 times, and I came over to his house to give him a bag of candy while he was sitting in the bathtub looking like he had chickenpox. Fortunately, he wasn’t allergic, or he would be dead!
I didn’t get stung once. And I joke with my friends that these bastards have since put out a bounty on my head because I swear they will come after me and leave anyone else around alone.
I’m 37 years old now and a high-rise window cleaner. I have zero fear of heights, spiders, water, fire, or any other such common phobia, but every day I encounter wasps at work, and it always sends a chill down my spine and gives me goosebumps.
For years I was afraid of bees and bumbles, but over time I learned how docile they are and really not interested in stinging since it kills them to do so.
Recently I have discovered that there’s a bald-faced hornet’s nest somewhere on my property or the neighbors, and I have been getting harassed by them whenever I go outside. They will dive bomb my face and even follow me into my car.
Last week at work, I was on a job where there were so many buzzing around my head for like 3 hours straight that I had to call my boss and have him come finish the job because I couldn’t handle it anymore. I was shaking the entire time, and the prolonged rush of adrenaline made me feel like I was going to vomit.
Grown man weeping while driving home feeling like a worthless chicken shit!
I can usually maintain my composure relatively well. But that was too much, and now I’m still freaking out about it.
I’ve been watching those videos of the guys stinging themselves to determine which ones hurt worse and am currently looking into buying a beekeeping suit with the intention of just going to find that hornet’s nest and let them try to finish the job they started over 20 years ago. Or maybe just capture one and purposefully sting myself on the arm to get it over with.
I’ve been stung before. It hurts like electricity going through your veins. It’s not honestly that bad, but it’s the freaking anxiety of having them buzzing my face, getting stung in a super sensitive spot, or knowing they release a pheromone after the first sting that alerts the entire nest to swarm. I have to overcome this fear somehow. It’s debilitating, and I don’t want the way I react to rub off on my kids!
Scott says
I’m reading through all these messages and pretty much have the same reactions and responses as everyone here.
I have had this phobia for as long as I can remember, and everything I’ve tried hasn’t worked. I had hypnotherapy once, and it made the phobia worse. I’ve tried CBT, and that did nothing either. I’ve got a session through the NHS to try exposure therapy, but I am doubtful it’ll work. Like, what am I going to do, hold a wasp? I said to the therapist it isn’t like holding a snake or spider, really – they’re more predictable!
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had actually ever had their wasp phobia cured? Is it worth even trying the exposure therapy? Or could it make my phobia worse?
Ugh, I hate this phobia so much. And like a lot of you have said, nobody understands it. “Don’t swipe the wasp away, it won’t hurt you” etc. – this does nothing for my phobia. I am embarrassed by it, and avoiding waspy situations is the best option usually!
I would love to hear some positive stories of this phobia being treated. Thanks
Sophie says
I was just personally wondering what you do to combat this issue in the summer. This summer especially has been horrible for my phobia.
Although not as intense as most, I started working in a bakery serving cakes this summer, and my phobia has worsened. I work around wasps for 4 hours and spend my breaks crying and worrying. I’m constantly on edge while outside and can’t seem to stop. Nothing helps me relax.
Leslie says
I don’t know how you do your job. I’m afraid of heights but not phobic. Wasps, on the other hand, are my worst fear. To make it worse, I live in Texas, where it’s warm enough to see them year around. Plus, I’ve passed my phobia of wasps to both kids. When they were little, they saw me go into totally panicked psycho mode every time I saw one. Luckily they handle it better than I do. They leave the area running, but I completely lose my shit. It’s so embarrassing, and my fear makes no sense to me. I’ve only been stung twice, and neither sting was that bad. Still, though, I’m absolutely terrified of them. I’d rather deal with a giant snake or alligator rather than one tiny wasp or mud dauber. I feel ridiculous!
Lynsey Patten says
I would have been running.
Anonymous spheksophobic says
I agree! I am deathly afraid of those bugs! I had been since I was 8.
MissUK says
My goodness, I feel so much pain for you! Having this phobia, you were so right to quit your job. How awful it must have been! One sting is already too much, so I cannot imagine what you went through. So very sorry!
Tessa S. says
So many people in my family have made fun of me or thought I was ridiculous for being so afraid of wasps. Luckily, my husband is so patient and understanding about it.
He will walk with his arm around me to make me feel less afraid, and he will go outside and do things for us when I’m too scared to be out because of the wasps.
Before I was with my husband, no one else really empathized with or understood my intense fear of wasps. He will literally come to my side of the car, open the door, and shoo away any wasps that try to go near me. Then he’ll walk me to the front door so I feel less exposed and vulnerable. It helps a lot.
JB says
I’m sitting in a 30-degree tent right now with the door thoroughly closed because there are too many wasps at this festival, and I cannot deal with them. I’d rather sit in here all day than go out there with the never-ending cycle of wasps flying at my face every 2 minutes.
Caitlyn says
Absolutely NOT.
Rachel says
I’ve been unable to go outside during the prime of the day for years due to my irrational fear of wasps. I’ve tried meditation, breathing exercises, etc. It really depends on the day for me. There is a channel I binge-watched that actually helped. I can’t remember the name, but it’s this man who “tames” wasps and keeps them as pets! It really made me look at them totally different. Though I’m still scared of them, it’s helped me not to go into fight or flight so easily.
KC says
Yesterday I learned that I will jump from a (slowly) moving car to get away from a wasp. I just became completely incapacitated and irrational. Absolutely traumatized.
Ally says
I always fear that if I ever got stuck on somebody’s roof with a wasp after me, I’d probably jump without thinking. I once jumped off a bridge over water while camping with friends and family. I was so scared to jump off like everyone else cause it was so high, but then the wasp showed up, and I wasted no time jumping off. It terrifies me what this phobia can make me do.
Austin says
My fear of wasps and bees has been with me since I was 5. I witnessed my cousin get stung, and he had an allergic reaction. For years I was scared of going anywhere wasps and bees could be. In recent years, the fear of bees has been basically nonexistent. I can see a bee and only flinch and then calm down almost instantly. Wasps, however, I still freak out and run away. I think the reason I overcame the fear of bees was that I learned they were endangered. Now, if I see a bee drowning in a pool, I’ll rescue it and back away. If I see a wasp drowning, though, I let it die.
Sabrina says
I’m the exact same way! I used to be terrified of bees, but now I’m just respectful! I even put pollinators in my yard because I know there’s a honeybee hive in the far corner! But if I even hear the buzzing of a wasp, I instantly start freaking out! I’ve been stung by them before, and it honestly didn’t hurt that much, but I’m still scared. Today a wasp somehow got into my house, and it took me literally five minutes to get the nerve to kill it.
Cadence says
One was in my house today, and I had to call my parent to come and kill it while I sat outside. I literally surrendered to it.
Ally says
I’ve literally locked myself in the bathroom for 2 hours once cause I was home alone and tried calling friends and family to come and kill it. No one could come. I then ordered ant spray from door dash, lol. They didn’t have wasp spray. After several attempts to gain the courage to finally come out and face it, I successfully killed it with one shot from a slipper and drowned it in ant spray. Human: 1 – Wasp: 0.
Jude says
Same thing! I just freaked about today because these wasp nests are all over our home, in a bush in the backyard, on the ground, and all over bushes and trees in the front yard, and the same happens with every house in our neighborhood! So then I freak out even though I’ve never been stung by wasps!
Amelia says
If I saw a wasp drowning, I would throw rocks at it to make it drown faster.
I’m not sure when I began to develop an actual phobia of wasps. I used to just stiffen up and lean in toward one of my friends or family members. Then I began to pretend I was calm and walked away when I saw one. Now if I see one, I will run away as fast as I can and try not to attract its attention. The other day, I was running through my yard when something big and buzzing hit my face. I didn’t even look to see if it was actually a wasp. I just ran and screamed. Twice.
It’s becoming a problem for me because I love hanging out outside, but every time I see a wasp, my heart starts racing, and I can’t stay there because my mind is screaming, ‘WASP! WASP! RUN! ABORT! ABANDON SHIP!’ It’s kind of comical, actually. But still, wasps are mean.
Alice says
I used to be completely fine with wasps, even if they were buzzing next to my ear or even sitting on me. But this summer, there has been a wasp nest outside my house somewhere near my room. The wasps have been burrowing through the window. Even duct tape can’t stop them from coming in. There have been at least 58 wasps in total now, with 54 in my room. Now even the faintest of rustling noises or just the thought that a wasp has previously been in a room sets me off. I have relocated to another room and am too afraid to leave it. I am scared anywhere else in my house. My parents also believe there is a nest but are unwilling to call the exterminators. Since they only had one wasp this summer, I don’t think they realize how frightening it is to walk into your room and see 17 wasps in there at the same time. My fear and paranoia have gradually increased all summer. I think I’m developing spheksophobia.
Kevin S Snideman says
Buddy, you are not alone either on this one because I have Parkinson’s disease and use a cane as well at 45 years old. Been scared all my life. It’s embarrassing. Every summer in the fall is even worse due to the yellow jackets in the grounds. Every time I even hear a buzz or hum, anxiety goes thru the roof. I usually wait to go outside until it’s close to dark to do all my yard work. I’m constantly looking around like a dope fiend for anything that will land on me and sting. My neighbors always stare at me, lol. I’ll drop my cane and run like I’m cured. Rain and the dead middle of winter are my favorite days. I’ll mow in the rain if I have to. I’m even skeptical at night! I hate my summer days and am over this so badly!
Kaida says
This is all very interesting to me – I am the exact opposite. I always felt happy to see wasps and I was curious about them and all flying creatures. I am good at spotting their nests and just stay respectful and either distant or slow/not stompy. A lot of wasps, like the mud daubers, are so docile you can gently pick them up if you want. Bald face hornets, not so much. I watch for their attitude and keep my distance. I have never thought it was a good idea to swat at any. Either mean business and know you can kill it (and must) or let it alone, and that’s your best bet.
For some reason, wasps and bees both like landing in my hair in particular. It’s naturally red. I don’t know if that’s a thing. I just sit still. Sometimes carefully disentangle one. I think the gentle moves help; it can’t all be luck. My parents taught me “stay calm, and they’ll just leave, don’t spook them and never sound afraid.” That may be part of how a lack of fear as the defense against wasps was taught to me.
I have my own fears – all dogs, even “nice” ones. People put me down about and disrespect, so I would never mean to disrespect all your fear of wasps. I think it’s interesting to share perspectives between phobic and non-phobic on the same thing.
Jayden says
I’m not afraid of photos of wasps or anything like that, but if I see one, I’m out of there faster than Sonic the Hedgehog could run the Daytona 500. If I have to get close to a nest, I’m super hesitant and I start to cry and have nervous breakdowns. I got stung 5 times by two wasps when I was 8, and ever since then, I’ve been petrified at going outside. My going outside fear probably stopped when I was 10 or 11, but I still run away when I see a wasp. It still haunts me. My family thinks my fear is ridiculous, and it kind of is, but the fact of the matter is that I feel my fear is uncontrollable, and I want to get over it.
Dylyn says
I’ve never been stung or had a family member been stung but I have the same reaction as you. I’ll start crying and running away or freezing.
Temperance bakker says
I’m exactly the same. I cry and run, and it’s horrible. I have to do gardening as a chore. I don’t have a choice, and it’s terrifying.
Claire says
Wasps are my biggest fear. They ruin my summer, and I avoid going outside where I can. Today I took my 4-year-old daughter to pottery painting, and because of the kiln being on, they had to have the door open. Wasps were flying around, and it brought me to tears because I couldn’t relax or finish my painting. Luckily the lady said I could return at a later date to finish it. The thought now makes me want to cry as I can’t do things with my daughter that I’d like because of my fear. She also picks up on my behavior and says she doesn’t like them. I just can’t help it. I lose it, and I absolutely panic.
Carol P says
I am terrified of wasps, bees, and anything that flies and has a stinger. I was stung on my tongue as a child. Having a great time with friends, I was laughing while running through a water sprinkler. A wasp flew in the back of my mouth and stung my tongue, leaving me with a welt. The pain was excruciating. I love to garden, but my plants often die because I fear going outside to do the necessary watering. At age 52, I still am terrified. My family thinks it’s ridiculous and won’t accompany me outdoors while I water and do the necessary gardening tasks. I’m at wit’s end, and I do not know how to overcome this fear. It’s aggravating and crippling to avoid being outdoors because of it.
Cavin says
I was four when it started for me. I was stung on my foot by three wasps and after the swelling went down there was this knot. Then it started growing and remember I’m four years old. By the time we finally found a hospital that knew what it was and knew what to do that night, there was a tumor the size of a large grapefruit on a four-year-old’s foot on the side. Now I have a genetic disorder and if any wasp stings me near or on one of those 200+ tumors I have, I could die or be paralyzed. There’s a whole slew of things that could happen if they sting me on the right one, so I’m terrified of them. I’m 37 and I will run as fast as I can in the other direction if I see more than one wasp. Seeing a crippled person running with a cane from a wasp is a sight to behold, especially when I’m trying to hide behind my 10-year-old niece for protection.
Jayden Shannon says
I have never really had a fear of wasps when I was younger, even when I was stung, though I have never been able to touch a picture of one when I was in elementary school. The fear turned around when I was in maybe 5th grade. I have the symptoms of shivers after encountering them. And I’m not afraid of being stung but it is in my mind. I just hate the way they move, fly, look, sound, and their reputation. I usually scream at them when they annoy me as I mow the lawn. I hate the way they fly towards you and back off suddenly, inspecting things going away, then coming back. It seems almost purposely to terrorize you. This is God’s worst creation and even though I’m still only in ninth grade, the fear grows worse and worse. Is it wrong that I love killing them though and find them interesting?
Jake says
Yes, you’re probably sitting here too because you’re scared of getting swarmed or something as you mow the lawn and will not even be able to defend yourself. I hate how when you cut the grass in some area and they just come and fly over it so aggressively. The thing that scares me the most though is that I don’t know how to find myself if I am getting attacked by one. If it was an animal I could just fight it like it was a person or something but if it’s a small flying thing that’s probably the color of my clothes and flies around fast just stinging me, I don’t know what to do. I really do think that they’re God‘s worst creation and say that every time I go outside. Sometimes they prevent me from doing anything outside. One time I walked outside feeling super productive. One minute later I was walking and saw a wasp and stopped in my tracks and turned around so slowly. I walked away with my head turned behind me, staring at the ground for it to come follow me as I fell back into my house to have my parents come help me. I never do anything outside. The most terrifying thing though is when you hear the buzzing noise around your head and my heart goes through my chest down to my feet and through the earth.
Tessa S. says
I also have a terrible phobia of wasps, but it’s not just a phobia; I despise the little buggers!
I have the utmost reverence and respect for God, never wanting to question Him. But I still ask myself, why did He create wasps? Well, I think I settled on an answer. I think once Adam and Eve sinned and our world became fallen, creation unfolded in such a way that God allowed some very unpleasant things to exist specifically because they represent a fallen world.
I feel that wasps are a part of that. Sin introduced death and suffering into the world, so creatures followed suit, and as a result, some became representative of pain and suffering. A wasp’s sting is, in a roundabout way, symbolic of the world’s fallen nature.
I can’t stand wasps; they sometimes seem determined to terrify us. They’re mean and look so intimidating. Plus, they’re contributing to the extinction of bees. So I’d be happy to control the population by killing them and knocking down their nests, but I can’t go outside half the time, much less get close enough to kill one.
Abigail says
Wasps are something God created for a reason. Before the fall, nothing killed any animal at all, so wasps must have had a purpose in His creation. Ask God why He created them, and He will answer.
Amy says
My phobia of wasps has entirely taken over my life. I don’t remember ever being stung but I remember being at a theme park when I was younger and seeing a little girl getting stung repeatedly by multiple wasps that flew up her dress. Not nice. I think that’s where the fear stemmed from. I tried CBT as a method of eliminating my fear years ago but that did not work. I still will not go anywhere outside on my own in the summer and if I’m outside with a group of friends I’m always on alert looking out for them not paying attention to the people around me. I can’t even go outside in my garden and spend time with my family as there’s always wasps out there. It’s gotten so bad that even when an ordinary housefly flies past my ears and I hear that awful buzzing sound I completely freak out, even though it’s just a harmless fly! It’s winter now but it will be summer again soon and I’m dreading it! I’m hoping I can find someone local to me that does hypnotherapy as I’ve heard great things about this method.
Ali says
This is literally me. I am blown away at everything you said because it feels like I wrote it. I feel for you.
HKad says
Me too! I live this nightmare every single day, all day during the spring, summer, and fall. I am a prisoner in my own home. Literally. Three weeks ago, I discovered 3 of them in my house over a 24 hour period. They were all crawling slowly on the floor in my kitchen and were near death already. Not sure why. After my husband killed and flushed them, I broke down in tears each time. The fact that they had now figured out how to invade my safe place (my home) devastated me.
Estie says
This is me too! Exactly the same. I’m having a horrible time because I live in the UK and now the weather is nice so they are everywhere. It affects my life so much because I’m always scared of opening the windows at home. It’s just horrible.
Jennifer Hand says
I suffer from this too. I actually forked out for an air conditioning unit so I wouldn’t have to open a window. My fear stems from when I was eleven or twelve, and climbed up a tree, and then realized that the branch I had used to climb up (and therefore also down) was covered in a swarm of wasps. I was stuck near the swarm for about half an hour, screaming myself hoarse before my neighbor heard me and rescued me. Ever since then, I just can’t. I can’t cope with one at all. I shake, and want to vomit, and get all dizzy. It’s horrible.
Kristin says
This also is exactly me. I didn’t realize other people dealt with the same level of fear that I have.
Jake says
Yes, this is me too! I love how we are all here in the 2021 spring months. It gets so bad for me that if I hear a stink bug in the house I have a flashback of my whole life in front of my eyes and I won’t even go in that section of the house alone until I figure out that it’s a stink bug. I wish I could just have the power to make every single insect except honeybees that has a stinger just drop dead in front of me so I would never have to think about them again. I’d be so happy seeing half of their dead bodies scattered across a field. I know it sounds bad but they caused me so much mental fog.
Jmg says
Same here! My husband thinks I am crazy. If I hear any bug at night, I will jump out of bed and flee the scene until it can be identified and/or killed. I constantly think I hear them in the walls etc. It has made me paranoid. I have a huge stock of hornet and wasp spray. I get yelled at for spraying it in the house all the time.
Max deakin says
I’m exactly the same, my summers are ruined by these awful creatures, hate them, have a panic attack just thinking about them, won’t go anywhere alone in summer and have run away from my kids/grandkids if one comes near. Just wish I could get over this, it’s really hard to be normal when I’m so terrified.
Dominic Cardillo says
This is so me! I had gotten stung by something when I was younger, and I don’t remember if it was a bee or wasp, but it gave me an allergic reaction. I can’t go outside because of wasps. When we are outside at school, I have nowhere to go. My fear sucks because I want to go out, but when I see a wasp, I freak out and start running wherever I can go, even if I’m at a store or something.
Ali says
Yep I hear you! My summers are also totally ruined. Especially late summer/early fall. Where I live in Canada that’s when they are the most active. My phobia is so bad that right now when I have to go on the bus to work, the sole fact that I have to wait outside every day for the bus and could encounter a wasp gives me so much anxiety. Not only that, but then worrying one will fly on the bus. Oh man I wish I could overcome this. It’s comforting in a way to know I’m not alone and other people experience the same fear.
Tiff says
I feel SO validated! They limit my enjoyment of the outdoors and the warm months way more often than not, especially in August, September, and even October if it’s still sunny and warmer. I love being outdoors otherwise, so I may start listening to recordings of insects buzzing while lying down, relaxing my shoulders, and deep breathing. It seems like a sensible and affordable place to start :)
James says
Did the recordings of buzzing work for you?
Caitlyn says
I am astonished at how you’ve just described my life! Honestly, I’m just relieved that there are others out there like me, and I’m not the only one who feels completely out of control of my phobia and has to constantly defend myself to others around me for my behavior during a wasp encounter. I don’t know what instilled this fear into me, but it is severely affecting my daily functioning, and I want to get rid of it. Or at least find a way to stay indoors until winter.
Sam Anderson says
One time, I was taking off the Christmas lights on my deck, and apparently no one saw the giant wasp nest that was on the corner of the deck. You can probably guess what happened next. I got stung 4 times. Now I basically start sprinting away if I see something yellow/black flying.
Bob says
I received 4 stings this summer over the past couple of months. The last one had me in emergency. I’m terrified of them now and can no longer work outdoors as there is so many. Today a paper wasp flew near me and my ear canals swelled up (or at least felt like they did) and I had a panic attack. It’s strange to not even notice them to live in fear of them. Now I carry an epipen and nearly backflip when anything buzzes past me. A large black/blue non-aggressive one landed on my face at work the other day and my legs turned to jelly. My fear is getting worse each time I have an encounter as my last reaction to them was so bad. Don’t bother with the sprays – use wasp/ant dust. I tried burning a nest before I became allergic and got stung on the head, then went to bed not long after. I awoke with an elephant man type face. Horrid creatures.
Lea says
I am terrified of wasps and it’s ruining my life.
I only feel safe when my husband is home and he can kill them. I make him check the house before he leaves. I make everyone run out of my house shutting the door so quickly it almost hits them. I’m paranoid of opening the windows.
When a wasp comes in when my husband is gone, I panic. I tried so hard to kill one early in spring. It was huge and I hit it twice with a shoe and it didn’t die. I sprayed it with half a bottle of dry shampoo cause that’s all I had. I was watching it as it turned to face me and it was looking at me. It crawled into a crack and I took my kids outside. I thought I got it and I could see it cleaning itself from the window outside. I had to call my mother in law to kill it. As I was trying I was shaking and my teeth were chattering and I was bawling.
I bought hairspray because I read it makes them unable to fly. I found one in the bathroom and couldn’t even spray it because another one came for me. I ran out with my kids and again my MIL had to kill them.
Now I’m sitting here and I’m so scared. 2.5 hours until my husband is home and all I can feel is bugs crawling on me and I think I hear and see them all over.
I can’t keep living like this but I don’t know what to do. I hate leaving the house after a wasp check has been done as now it’s not safe.
I don’t want my kids to be like me. I don’t know what to do.
Jacqueline Orzel says
I 100% understand. I am the same way and it ruins everything, it just takes over. I’ve broken windows, fallen down stairs and run into traffic trying to either kill or run away from them. It’s completely irrational and I feel like it has less to do with wasps than it does with my own anxiety. I’m trying hypnosis this weekend, I hope and pray that it helps.
James says
Did the hypnosis work?
Kevin S Snideman says
I’m exactly that way at 45 years old, 100% exactly that way! I can’t keep living this way forever.
Joe says
I’m 16 and have a huge fear of wasps. I really want to overcome this. Please help me.
Brie says
It makes me feel better that so many people can relate, and that this is common. When I was 3 or 4, I was often warned about wasps and bees when outside. If a wasp got in the house we’d either go to another room until my dad got home, or my mom would convince my younger sister to kill it – she was a toddler. One day a wasp landed on my shirt without me knowing. I went to say something to my mom. She looked at me, gave a blood chilling scream, and ran from me. I freaked out because I didn’t know why she was afraid, so I ran toward her and started crying. She kept screaming and running away. At some point I looked down, saw the wasp, and was in a state of absolute terror. I don’t remember what happened after that but I’m sure she found it funny or not a big deal because she’s a nasty and abusive woman. I’ve been terrified ever since. Bees are okay, if you leave them alone they just do their thing. Wasps are an entirely different story. To this day I can be outside in the summer if I check the area for wasps and I’m in a fairly open spot where they can’t hide, but it’s hard to do gardening and yard work. I had to quit trimming our hedges after last year because I hit a nest. I get anxious just by seeing wasps in videos or books, and my hands start hurting for some reason.
Lea says
I’m so sorry. I am terrified of wasps and often grab my kids and run outside when one is in the house. I am trying so hard to overcome this so they don’t end up so scared like me. I am so sorry your mom did that.
Kaden Hansen says
Same as me Erin. I’m 17 and have a terrible phobia of wasps. I don’t go outside, I don’t go to High School games when the weather’s nice, and I hate the cold, which means I’m inside 24/7 doing nothing but fearing these little creatures. I don’t know what to do. I sure as heck will get out of any situations with wasps 100%.
CARs says
I just had a panic attack cause a wasp landed on the front of my shirt (black). At first I thought it was a honey bee but then I saw the backside was bright yellow and black. No thank you! Just over 2 weeks ago I was stung 12 times by the same jerks (ones that look like bees) cause I accidentally disturbed their nest. I ended up with secondary infections from it – antibiotics, Benadryl tabs and ibuprofen for a week. My hubby destroyed the nest as it was behind a shed right next to our house. I didn’t want anyone else or our dogs being attacked and harmed. Hopefully I won’t be too bad after this season is gone but I will definitely be way more cautious.
Amy Perkinton says
I’m 29 and I freak out when a wasp comes near me and if I see one in front of me in the street I do my best to avoid it. If one gets in the house I shut myself in the kitchen until my son has got it out.
Cavin says
I’m 37 and I still turn tail and run fast a lot of the times. Whenever I see a nest or if I see a wasp coming near me I just try not to look at them and run in the other direction. I’ve been known to jump behind my niece who is 10 years old for protection from a wasp.
Lily says
Thank you all for sharing your fears and feelings about wasps. Just reading about everyone’s reactions has given me a lot of validation. I have my own very frightening memories about wasps and yellow jackets that lived in and around my childhood home. Every day, just to get into the house across the lawn filled with fallen smooshed crabapples was a feat of bravery. They often came into the house and would sting without provocation. In later childhood I was ridiculed and laughed at by my own family. All insisting they will not hurt you. They belittled the instant automatic uncontrollable response that fear demanded. Running, screaming, crying, behaving dangerously. This summer I stabbed myself in the hand with a sharp scissor because I thought I heard a wasp. Now, there are treatments. These include exposure therapy. That is mixed results. If you’re like me, photos do nothing to allay your fears. It probably activates them! I on my own have begun a process of trying to understand wasp behavior by learning about them and what motivates them. So far I’ve learned a lot. Ultimately we can unintentionally activate their aggression. There is no way to slow them to live in close proximity to your home. This season I will call an exterminator and in preparation for next years batch I will be planting eucalyptus and peppermint and tea berry which they hate the scent of and will relocate to avoid. The even better news is that these natural essences also deter other vermin such as stink bug and others. I am pro nature and really hate harming other creatures even if they terrify me but I cannot accept a world where I allow my fears to stop me and will find a way to live in harmony. I wish you all the best in your journeys.
Owen says
Man I am so afraid of wasps. I’m 12 and my family bought a lake house and there are so many of them there. For most of the year it’s okay because there are two ways to get to my boat, so when one is near an exit, I just go the other way. But in August it is at its worst. It is a challenge everyday at my lake to go outside or inside. Every time I get afraid of a wasp, my family either gets really mad at me or says I will have to go to therapy for it, which for some reason scares me. But my dad said that he has some wasp traps, so maybe they might go away. I hope they do.
Gerard says
This is the thread I can relate to so much. I’m a 49-year-old man who has a crippling phobia of large hornets and stag beetles in particular. The thing is, I love nature and live in a National park – as do the giant hornets! It prevents me from living a “normal” life to the extent I will stay indoors with the windows shut. I wasn’t phobic as a kid but it’s gotten worse the older I get. I can’t even go for a cigarette outside in warmer months and hornets are also nocturnal. Still, many have it worse. Blessings to you and all here.
Erin says
I’m 36, never once been stung. I think that’s why I fear it so much. I live in Louisiana and it’s a nightmare everyday. I can’t do anything I want in the yard because I’m too afraid to go out there. I like being outside in general but there are so many wasps and whatever flying around the house and I’m pretty sure some live under the roof. My boyfriend thinks I’m insane but I just can’t be normal about it. I just want to move somewhere that doesn’t involve mostly wooded areas.
Someone says
The real question is who doesn’t have this fear
Bri says
My entire family and they always make sure to remind me.
James says
Mine too.
Sami says
I have been terrified of wasps since I was very little. We had a nest above our bathroom and there was a small hole next to the light bulb that they’d come out of so my parents got someone to deal with them. After a few days when I went into the bathroom I didn’t notice the dead wasps on the floor and stepped on one. Obviously I screamed and my mum ended up having to remove the sting from my heel with tweezers. That’s where my fear began but I’ve had multiple encounters, the most recent being barely an hour ago. I was clearing out a cupboard and tipped a bunch of small random bits into my hand and was looking at them to figure out whether to throw them away and noticed the front half of a dead wasp sitting on my palm. The result was immediately flinging it away from me and backing up with my heart racing and panting in panic. The sting end was on the floor with it and I spent 20 minutes trying to flick both parts into a tub with the end of a pen and each time I nudged it, I would flinch because a small part of me was convinced it would suddenly start moving despite it being in half and probably dead for a year or so. I’m too terrified to go through any more boxes today. I’m constantly made fun of for my reaction to wasps but I’d rather look like an idiot flailing and running than getting stung. I’ve not been stung since that first time as far as I can remember, so clearly I’m doing something right. Or I could have repressed the memory. Oh well.
Ollie says
I’m so glad I’m not alone. I’m in Middle School and people constantly tell me that “it’s a harmless little bug”. People don’t understand how bad my fear is. One time I went to my cousin’s house and they had a wasp nest under their porch. To avoid it, I jumped away from the stairs every time I used it. (People made fun of me of course). I don’t get why people aren’t as scared as I am. I also can’t eat outside without being uncomfortable because those little wasps like the food. I feel the need to run when I see one, even though people constantly tell me that it makes it worse. But I can’t help it!
Amy Louise Grundy says
I know how you feel. I am Amy and i’m 12 going on 13 and i cant even stay downstairs with the door open. I am absolutely terrified. My first encounter was the beginning of high school. In my Spanish class the windows were open and a massive wasp flew in and i freaked out and started crying but the teacher shouted at me “stop being ridiculous and sit down now”. I was so angry and so scared, he even made me stay at break with the wasp still in the class and i felt like fainting. Ever since then i have been horrified of them but i’m glad i’m not the only one and it doesn’t help that i only have pink clothes that attracts them so yeah i’m glad i found this site because even my family thinks i’m stupid for being afraid but yeah bye.
Sam says
Glad to know I’m not the only one! I’m 13 and a year ago my grandpa, aunt, uncle and 2 cousins were at grandpa’s pond. He was showing us around and suddenly we got swarmed. They were everywhere, and me and my grandpa were the last out. They got in my boots, under my shirt, and afterwards I counted 14 stings in overall. Grandpa got 15, aunt 4, uncle 3, and cousins none. So now, when I see one, I think back to that day and start panicking. I’m fine with bees and things, they sting when necessary and are nice little things. But wasps are pure evil, they sting when they want.
Amy Louise Grundy says
Yeah same, i personally have not been stung yet but i’m scared to be. What did it feel like, may you tell me? Thank you, oh and my name is Amy and i’m 12 going on 13.
Dave Welch says
I am 62 and suffered Spheksophobia all my life since I was stung by a yellow jacket as a 4yo.
I moved to Indonesia 22 years ago, which from a phobic point of view was not a good idea, they have some real monsters here.
I took up bug photography, including wasps. I had lots of terrifying, screaming like a girl, demented windmill moments. I swear I could win the Olympic 100m dash gold with a couple of wasps behind me.
It took a couple of years, but with daily exposure and lots of research, I eventually got over my problem. I have more than 40 species in my image collection.
In conclusion; knowledge is power.
Dwain E. Buchanan says
Well I’m with all of you. At work I deal with packs of lumber, stacked 6 high, bundles are about 3′ high, 4′ deep and range in length 8′ to 20′, so when I grab the top 2 bundles with my forklift, there could be a nest. I’m always on the lookout, people at my work can’t believe I’m scared of wasp. Well they are at my home too. If I grab a bundle and a nest is there I feel they will come after the person who raised the bundles and attack me, stinging me multiple times. I buy plenty of wasp spray but I’ve read up on wasps and should have put out deterrents in the spring. Usually I’d have a few nests at work but one company had sent in 1000s of bundles and causes a place for wasps. So now I’m on my way to buy a bee suit, peppermint oil/spray, eucalyptus oil/spray and plants. I’m not allergic but with me having COPD, I may hyperventilate and not breath, so I’m in fear of getting stung multiple times. Wish me luck until the weather drops below 50, then we can say goodbye to wasps until next year.
Bryce says
Similar thing here. I work at a yard for a construction company and I am on the pressure washing station most of the time. Every once in a while a vehicle will come in and there is a wasp nest in some sort of crevice. Those ones are easy because I just stand at a safe distance and spray the wasp killer. Today there was a wasp nest in the roof of the building which was too far of a long-shot to get with the spray. Next thing you know they are taking drop shots on me, probably pissed from the water hitting them. Now the whole yard has a reason to make fun of me for dancing/running around like a baby. Little do they know or care that I was in panic mode.
Debbie says
I’m camping this week and I often go alone. I’m not afraid of things that could potentially cause me more fear or pain, but the wasps do it for me. I’m a 57 year old female and I’m getting worse instead of better. I can relate to you running around in sheer panic. I understand that panic very well. I wish I had an answer but it’s good to know that others too feel this panic and we are not alone.
Ellie says
I’m freaking scared of those things. Anyone know a good bug spray to keep them away? It’s not great, because I’m in high school and my friends like eating outside. Those freaking things love food. Yellowjackets are THE WORST. They like to sting me. According to the seven billion things I’ve read about wasps to get less scared (none of which have helped), Hornets are most aggressive wasps, only surpassed by Yellowjackets. People make fun of me, but it’s like as soon as a wasp is in my vicinity I have to leave as soon as possible.
Jayden Shannon says
I know right. I hate when spring comes around because of allergies and the coming of wasps.
Anonymous says
Nice to know that I’m not just a wimp, and I’m not the only adult who will run away from an outside conversation because a wasp decided to show up. Also nice to know that I’m not the only person writing a comment from their bedroom as they’re hiding from said wasp. My sister and I spent 5 min timing our runs to the front door to avoid the various bees/wasps/hornets that have decided to patrol our porch only to let a fat one in. I’ve been terrified of bees/wasps for as long as I can remember, I’ve gotten better with bees as I’ve become more educated on their docility, but wasps are just evil. We recently had one crawl in an AC vent from outside somehow, I went to the bathroom around 3:30 am because I couldn’t sleep, heard a weird buzzing and looked up squinting to see legs and then a head stick out of the vent in an attempt to crawl out. My parents absolutely loved me shaking them awake in terror babbling about a wasp. Thankfully, now that they’ve realized that one being in the house or swarming around me puts me into a literal panic attack, they’re much more understanding and make sure that I’m okay. My mother in particular understands, as she’s struggled with chronic arachnophobia her entire life. It’s just something that you have to try and rationalize and cope with, even if it totally makes sense to be terrified of something like that. The funniest part is that literally no other bugs scare me. Not spiders, roaches, mosquitoes, beetles, you name it. Just friggin wasps.
Debbie Ann Khoury says
Your story is almost identical to mine. I hate wasps and feel they’re evil. I live in West Virginia now and they are everywhere. When I lived in California, I never had any trouble with them. For that reason alone, I’m planning to return there someday. I lived near the beach and never saw any wasps or other bugs for that matter. Probably something to do with the ocean air. I’ll cope with a few quakes other than deal with wasps. Little devils.
Zoe says
Mine is a fairly new phobia. I have just recently had a son and my fear is terrible. We went to a theme park the other day and I couldn’t go. As soon as I got out of the car a wasp was following me and my son. I went to a picnic yesterday and they were there again. I’m sick of them. I go crazy, flap around, scream and run. Everyone finds it quite funny when I’m in a fit of pure panic. They don’t understand. I’m meant to be taking my older daughter and son to the park today but the fear is preventing me from wanting to go. I will go tho even though it will be awful.
Kaleena says
OMG! I literally was starting to have an anxiety attack reading these stories. I hate wasps! I swear they sense I hate them and they deliberately sting me on purpose. I get stung every single time I am around one. I would get stung as a child and my grandma would put mustard on it and it would reduce the swelling and pain from the sting. I’m 36 now and about two years ago I got stung right under my left eye as I was going through the front door at my mother in-laws. I saw it as soon as I opened the glass door. Saw pure bright red coming at me then wham! Instant pain! I bawl over crying in pain and fear. I hate these things! And God forbid they get trapped in my car somehow with me. My brother screamed at me cause I was crying and screaming with panic and fear when one was in my car. Just the other day I walk out of the grocery store and one lands on my cart as I’m headed to my car. I calmly just shake it a little till it flew off. I thought I rushed by it in time to clear paths with it. Wrong! The stupid thing landed on my shorts on the back of my leg. I unloaded groceries, closed the trunk and put the buggy in cart rack and headed to my car. As I get in my car and sit down, wham! Pain sets in and I swiped it off the back of my leg just for it to land on my freakin window. I rush to open the door and also let the window down so it’ll fly away. Thank God it did and I quickly rolled the window up and drove off quickly. Last summer I was cleaning out the dryer duct vent outside with my new vent brush. As I’m pulling it in and out swiftly to remove the dust, I see two then three wasps start swarming. I run off screaming and crying and dropped the brush while running. I instantly feel stings on both of my butt cheeks. Multiple stings! I start crying and then my two year old baby girl starts freaking out as well and runs and cries with me. I think I may have introduced the fear to her as well now. I hate that this happened but what else can you possibly do?
Debbie Ann Khoury says
Poor girl! Move to California. Quickly.
Evan says
Hi, I just turned 14 and my phobia of wasps is still going strong. This whole conversation can be rounded down to 4 words: Wasps are just evil. I have a pretty good pain tolerance but the buzzing along with the fact that they fly around at your face and you can’t even track them drives me insane. You can tell just from a single wasps vibe that they just want to get you so damn bad, and when a wasp ever decides to not immediately come at me (which rarely ever happens) I literally thank god for giving me such a gift.
I can’t even deal with these things. It’s unfathomable that everybody in restaurants just seem to be chill with them flying around and under the table when we lock ourselves under a desk while being trapped in a chair.
It’s nice to know I’m not alone. And a tip to everybody that hasn’t said this yet, don’t get rid of this fear. We’re the smart ones here. These things are freaking evil and we all need to re evaluate why we’re afraid of wasps in the first place. Not being afraid won’t stop them at all.
One time there were a bunch of wasps in my families backyard and they all made fun of me when I freaked out, and told me to calm the hell down and got pissed at me.
Then I told them that I actually think they target humans and that if they were so sure wasps are nice and all, I would like to see how they fare if they just stood there and didn’t do anything.
Obviously they agreed out of wanting to show me how safe everything was. Then not 10 seconds have passed by and multiple loud buzzing noises followed by screams of pain.
It’s nice to know I’ve found my people.
Jayden Shannon says
My friend, tell me about it. Karma is pretty great though I do strongly agree with you that wasps are evil (God accidentally put them on earth, when they were obviously meant for hell) and that they do target people, or well at least in my experience. They love to annoy me and watch me freak out. I’m 15 now.
Kimberly says
This article was so helpful! I’ve been afraid of wasps ever since I was 4 (I only recently overcame my fear of bees), after I was attacked by a swarm of wasps. My brother had disturbed their nest, and I happened to walk by. Apparently they thought I was attacking them or something, because next thing I know I’m covered in wasp stings and bites all over. Whenever a wasp gets within 5 feet of me I have to keep an eye on it, any closer and I freeze up and get ready to run. It really sucks, because I work outside at a nursery (a plant nursery) so wasps are everywhere. Just today I felt something on the tip of my finger, and when I looked there was a wasp crawling on me. Of course, I immediately went into full panic mode. I smacked it off, covered my hand, and just kind of crouched in the fetal position for a solid 5 minutes before I gathered the courage to head back and grab my gloves. I was borderline hyperventilating, and just thinking about it makes me shudder. I clenched my hands together for the next 15 minutes in an attempt to protect my finger I guess, and I really didn’t want to go back outside. But I’m glad I’m not the only one suffering through this! Wasps are terrifying beasts that should be avoided at all costs. Even if I feel bad for them sometimes and can’t bring myself to kill them.
Sedar says
Bees don’t bother me much, but wasps and mud daubers scare the heck of me because of their odd bodies and how when they sting they don’t stop. Just seeing them flying or hearing them near me can make me scream my head off and I’m usually don’t react to fear like that. I’m currently hiding in my house because I accidentally upset an entire nest of wasps and being outside makes me feel exposed and like they’re going to attack me at any moment. Knowing that there could be fifty of them out there and not being able to see or defend myself from them freaks me out. I just hate the stupid insects.
mer says
This is literally me when i see a wasp. When i see one i freak out and scream, and i run inside as fast as possible. They’re just so freaky and i hate them.
Dodo says
Hate them, even in Ireland they’re a problem in late summer, only country that is wasp free is Iceland, I’ve had the phobia since kindergarten when stung on the lip, ruined my childhood as I’m male and was teased by peers for it. They’re attracted to me more than others as last summer had bbq and wasps only buzzed around me. I never open bedroom windows ever! When I do get the courage I can zap one if resting with vapona but my dumb bro gives me lectures that wasps are important for ecosystem balance, personally I don’t mind if they became extinct.
Jayden Shannon says
Give me a plane ticket to Iceland.
Sofia says
Has anyone tried hypnosis therapy for this? I have always been extremely afraid of wasps and will cry hysterically when they get near me no matter the situation. It can be extremely embarrassing. I also ruined my own honeymoon because there was a large amount of wasps in the area and I didn’t go outside unless in the car. I can’t eat outside at restaurants because wasps like the food. I can’t go camping without a screen tent because of wasps. I have a high pain tolerance so I don’t know why they are so scary, it isn’t even the sting that’s scary. Something about the buzzing and that they come at your face and you can’t even see where they are you can just hear them sends me into hysterics. I feel like a lunatic and really want to find something that will help.
Katie says
My son was terribly afraid of wasps last summer. They invaded our backyard and pool time was ruined everyday. He ended up having panic attacks everyday and then I followed suit. Kind of backwards from the whole a parent teaches it to the kid. I used hypnosis to help ease my fear and now I can usually handle 1 or 2 wasps flying by. However, once they decide to hang around I do leave the area. Not panicking though, just aware and knowing my limits. It’s helped my son too.
Debbie says
I hear you. It’s not the stinging part although I don’t wish to be stung, it’s more the buzzing and finding one in your car as you are driving that terrifies me. I’m camping in a small area outside Halifax N.S. (Canada) and I’m haunted by the wasps that visit my picnic table. I near put one in my mouth as the wasp was already feasting on my sandwich that I picked up and almost bit into. I’m truly thinking about packing up and going home for the remainder of my camping. I wish I could just accept them as a part of nature and find a way to ignore them. For me it’s sheer panic. I’m a 57 year old female and it seems I’ve got worse instead of better when it comes to this irrational fear.
A.S. Russell says
I knew I wasn’t alone.
Since I live in a tropical environment (The Bahamas), wasps are everywhere I go. Even though I don’t suffer panic attacks and other times I kill them, I’m still nervous of them.
I had this since I was 4, because these creatures look terrifying as they fly, and every time I look at them, they can somehow detect fear themselves and intentionally fly closer to me. One time when I was hanging up clothes on the outside line, one flew way too close, causing me to run into a metal rod and slashed my leg in the process.
More times or not I slowly walk backwards away from them if I see them from a distance, but get too close, I’ll have the urge to bolt away. I usually go and find plants for the house, but this is also the time that wasps will also be visiting, and sometimes I will quickly back off and sometimes I run. Any unshaven patch of grass will have them.
I’m 18, and planning to go abroad, become a US or Canadian citizen, and join the military. But to have this fear on my mind is embarrassing. My best bet is to go to the Arctic and avoid these terrifying creatures.
Kathy Eastwood says
I live in the UK, so wasps are not active yet. Thankfully, but the late summer is a problem for me.
I have been stung 5 or 6 times in my life, as a child and also as an adult. It has been very painful, but the fear is more about not knowing when and where it will get me.
I am deeply distressed if I’m on public transport and a wasp is flying about. If I have been in a business meeting and one comes in, I become totally unprofessional.
Most people are deeply unsympathetic or even laugh at me. They say that I am making it worse by leaping about, but all the times I have been stung I did not know they were there, so did not leap about. It is helpful to read about other people feeling the same way.
Dodo says
I feel your pain, it’s worse if you’re a boy. My junior school days were a nightmare as every time we were outside and one came too close I ran away and was called a sissy.
Jayden Shannon says
Same with me, you’re just lucky you don’t live in Utah when they come out around the 11th of March and stay till like December 1st, I mean come on. I even live in Northern Utah but it still happens. Also we have a wasp with the 3rd most painful sting in the world.
Nicky says
I’m the same as all of you. I’m 19 and I fully just shut myself in the pantry because a wasp was in my bedroom. I have no idea how the hell it got in my room so I’ve gone mad and literally taped up everything it could get in through. My parents think I’m being silly but there has literally been 3 in the house over the past few days. I honestly think we have a nest in the house but they probably won’t listen to me
Dragon says
Grab a can of Raid. Tell your parents that there could be a nest outside. Or, call a service to spray the outside of the house. I’m extremely scared of wasps as well, so we get the outside of the house sprayed during the summer. I hope this helps
KC says
When I was in pre-k, I was stung dangerously close to my eye just above my right eyebrow to the point where I went to the hospital. I’ve been stung once since then but it wasn’t nearly as painful, yet I still scream and run in terror when I see a wasp. I’m currently in middle school and spend most of the rest of my day after school home alone, as my dad works over an hour away. We have wasps in our chimney, so every day I come home, there are always at least 4 flying around. I usually very quickly take my dog out of his crate, stand outside with him while he uses the bathroom, and then hightail it back to my room with him and close the door, not coming out until my dad gets home. My fear has kept me from doing so many fun things with the people I love. It’s just plain infuriating that everytime I see a wasp I scream and run like a small child. So many people have told me, “Oh, it’s just a little bug. It’s so easy to kill!” Little bug? Wrong. Easy to kill? Hell no.
Adrienne says
People tend to just not understand the actual fear we all feel. How come you havent blocked up your chimney ??
DDM says
When I was either 7 or 8, i was watching my 2 brothers and some other kids messing with a wasp hive, i was nowhere near them or the nest. When one of the kids hit the wasp nest, I ran as fast as I could thinking I wouldn’t be stung and yet I STILL got stung, despite being further away! And the strange thing about that awful moment was that i wasn’t even crying, traumatized, or scared because at the time I had assumed it was a big mosquito or some other big bug because I thought there was no way a wasp managed to sting me in my back neck because like i said, I was nowhere near the hive, or so I thought. Nowadays like everyone on here, I get just as nervous and scared. There was one summer when a wasp was trying to build a nest on our garbage can, I was trying to kill the wasp with bug spray since it was in a vulnerable position, but the fear of the wasp stinging my neck in retaliation despite running as fast as I could, prevented me from going closer to it. It wasn’t until a week later, my dad saw and killed the wasp easily without even flinching, and he’s been stung by wasps several times in his life. Lastly, when my dad told about times he been stung by a wasp, I was so of paranoia that when my cellphone vibrated I jumped in fear thinking it was a wasp. So in conclusion, I am happy to know that I am not alone in this fear and I hope I can overcome this phobia. The best thing i usually do if a wasp is near me is to not look at it and continually tell myself “if you’re not bothering it, it won’t bother you”. Not the best solution but hey, gotta stand your ground sometimes.
Charlie says
I’m ten and when I see a wasp I scream, sometimes cry, and run away even if it means running out on the road. There was a wasp in the car once and we were in a parking lot. When I saw it I screamed, cried, and ran into the parking lot a few feet away and onto the side walk. I will never be cured unless god cures me.
eliana says
I’m glad i’m not alone! I just turned 13. I feel the same way!
Jayden Shannon says
Same. I’m 15. It’s just that no one seems to understand the fear I feel, and the fear you feel.
Emma says
As I am writing this I am sitting in my car with my dog because there are 2 wasps inside of my house. I have been out here for an hour so far and I’m trying to work up the nerve to go ask my neighbors to help me out. I feel like an idiot for not being able to kill the wasps. I have wasp spray and wd-40 in the house and I was standing right next to it when I saw the wasps. I couldn’t work up the nerve to even try to kill them.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels that way
Naomi says
You sound exactly like me. I was feeling panicky just reading your post and empathy for you knowing there were two, not one, in your home
Kjerstin Phelan says
I’ve been afraid since I was eight. When a wasp flew up my pants leg and stung me on the ankle twice. Now there is one currently in my room and I tried to kill it after opening the window (because its 34 degrees) and turning on my fan. Now it vanished and I guarantee you I won’t sleep in my room for a week and if I do I won’t sleep well. That was my safe space and now it’s gone. I hate this fear so much. My parents and brother make fun of me and now refuse to kill them for me saying I need to get over it and do it myself.
eliana says
Happens to me too.
claire medlicott says
Reading this makes me feel better. My friends and family are horrible to me about this. They treat me like I’m an idiot and get angry with me. I have to freeze close my eyes and hunch over when wasps or bees come near me. And Ill just be hyperventilating and my heart racing just putting every effort into not screaming
Caroline says
Somehow in my home, wasps get through this one window and we haven’t found out how. I heard it buzzing as we were sitting in the living room and immediately my eyes bolted over to the window and my heart rate accelerated. I begged my husband to please kill it and at this point he only thinks i’m scared of wasps (and so do i, i’ve never been stung before) so he jokingly says he’s gonna let it keep to itself in the window. So i start crying. Eventually it starts flying in the window, not even getting past the blinds but i go into full panic attack mode, sitting up and grasping my chest, getting no air and crying uncontrollably. I was laying with my baby on the couch while he was sleeping on me about two days before this happened when we were home alone, and a wasp was actually flying around the ceiling and i started screaming and jumped up and locked us in the bedroom for 3 hours until i finally got up the courage to run to my car and drive to my mother in law. I refused to go back to the house until my husband came home from work and killed them. Now the thought of wasps alone send me into accelerated heart rate fits and rapid breathing as well as sometimes tearing up.
Flamer says
Today I was walking outside and I see a wasp outside and I go back inside i tried to get myself to go outside and kill it but I start crying and now I’m inside when I want to go out but I just can’t help it and by reading all of your comments it’s good to know that I am not alone
Summer says
Omg same
Lily says
This literally just happened to me as I was going to go out to get food when one flew at me and I ran inside.
I’m sitting inside and starting crying while holding a bottle of raid. I’m glad I’m not the only one.
Leanne Claydon says
I have the biggest phobia ever the moment I see a wasp I freak out screaming, shaking and almost crying even looking at a picture sends my heart raising I’ve been bit twice stung twice and had one in my hair it scared the living day lights out of me even writing this is freaking me out
Sam says
When I was three years old, I went hiking with my dad and got stung by a wasp on my left ear. Turns out I have an allergy and I had to go to the hospital and receive treatment, it is possible I could’ve lost my life. My dad was so nervous about it, he always told me to stay away from wasps and nests, and I think it developed into the fear I have today. I am so afraid that I have panic attacks and break down crying if I see one. I have tried to convince my wife to move to a much colder climate to lower my chances of being exposed to them. I pretty much become petrified at the site or sound of any flying insect, just because of the possibility it might be a wasp. It’s nice to know other people might feel this way. My last therapist couldn’t help me with it, I really hope there is a way to stop the fear.
Aaron says
I never hated wasps until a couple of months ago I was out weeding the garden with my dad and I saw a wasp and I started to sweat and then I had a panic attack and froze up then he sent me inside and now if I see wasps anywhere else I’m ok but when I’m in the garden I instantly freeze up and my heart rate increases and now I only go into the garden in the evening.
eliana says
I think you have a fear of getting stung in your garden.
Ayden says
When I was 6, I walked out the front door early in the morning to begin the walk to school with my grandfather. I remember getting about 20 feet away from the house when I felt this sharp and intense pain in my back, it turned out a bee snuck up into my shirt and stung me. All i could remember from that point on is the intense pain and going back inside to get help. Now i’m 15 and whenever I go outside on a sunny day all I can think about is a wasp or bee crawling up my shirt and stinging me, or just getting stung in general. We have a wasp problem at our home and I think there is about 5 nests all in different locations around my house. Whenever I go outside to do a chore such as pulling the weeds, anything that flies past me makes me freeze up and get intense shivers, and that’s usually when I run back inside to hide. I can’t do anything during the sunny hours when they’re most active, and this severely limits my ability to do work outside, and exercise as well. I usually wait until 5-6ish to go outside and do things because i’m so terrified of being stung. I’ve only been stung the one time but anytime I remotely see a bee that’s not even chasing me i’ll stiffen up and get shivers. It’s the worst thing ever and I wish it would go away cause it sucks, and when I do run back inside cause of a wasp my father calls me a coward and my mom doesn’t give any sympathy. If only they could understand how terrible of a phobia this is. I really hope i’ll get over it but I don’t think I will.
Nicole says
I understand I am the same way! I cannot get over it. It’s hard for me to enjoy the heat of the day especially living in a place where it’s mostly hot. The winter is the only time I feel normal. I completely understand!
Natalia says
This comment is just going to be explaining my feelings, no story.
I THINK I have had a fear of bugs in general since I could remember, but recently, it has gotten out of hand.
I don’t even go outside hardly anymore because of how scared I am. I literally freeze and jump if I see a fuzzy in the air because I immediately assume it is a bug. I have even run into the street because I was trying to avoid a wasp. I have an immediate instinct if I see any insect flying in the air to just … RUN. People glare at me when they randomly see me jump and squeal away randomly. I can’t contain my instinct.
It has gotten to the point where I don’t go outside for a week during Late Spring/Summer JUST to avoid bugs. Don’t get me wrong, I love the weather, but my fear completely overpowers my pleasure and emotions in general during Summer.
Can anyone relate or have I completely lost my mind?
Help says
I can relate, this thing says most people get adrenaline and freeze, but I get adrenaline and just dash away. I once ran an entire mile in just under 4 minutes because I thought a wasp was chasing me.
Sarah Regan says
I’m the exact same, I run and scream! I have never frozen on the spot.
Caitlyn says
I am the exact same way. And all of my family makes fun of me for it. I see a leaf fall from a tree thinking it’s a wasp and I jump and go to run. I thought I was nuts but your comment made me feel better. It’s not even that I’m scared of the pain… they just freak me out for some reason
Ashley says
God me too. A giant yellow jacket got into my dormitory today. I’m currently the only one living in the building but I was terrified of it and even worse, it was airborne. I literally ran by it screaming into my room and called security to come take care of it because I was having a panic attack thinking it would come get me. Thankfully the guys at the dorms get why I’d be freaked out and killed it (they think it may have been a Queen because of the size of it) and said if another one got in to feel free to call. But damn. Every year I get jump scared and have panic attacks if they show up. I’m better at handling them outside than I am when they’re inside! I’m still on high alert and terrified that one will get in while I’m not looking and I’ll be stung (I’ve never been and I don’t want to). I hate it. I find it embarrassing and exhausting.
Ryan says
I was washing my sisters car today with my mom when I saw a wasp’s nest above my mom’s garage door. I froze up and my mom got really mad at me and sent me inside. Not exactly a punishment but she just doesn’t understand how hard it is for me. Once I was on my trampoline and a wasp flew in between the mesh, so I crawled underneath the side netting and sprinted inside. I can’t have dinner outside, find it hard to go outside, and if a wasp gets inside the house I can’t sleep until it is killed. No one seems to understand that this phobia is real asides from my sister’s boyfriend! It sucks and I will not leave the house until that nest by the garage is taken care of.
Sota says
I know them feels man. I have the same thing. I refuse to eat outside, reluctant to go out on sunny days and I freeze when one of them is around.
Max says
I feel you. I freeze up, terrified when I hear buzzing, even if it’s just a fly.
Jaime says
I’m afraid if i see a wasp coming to me i sometimes run away from them!
Ellie says
So do I . I can’t take my daughter for walks around the neighborhood because I can’t control the panic . It’s always been really embarssing when other people see me react to them
Lamny says
I get it! I keep that wasp spray that shoots 27 feet and I love to shoot those guys dead. But get this. I had a stroke in March 2016 and my fear of wasps has almost gone away. I can actually swat them I sit still will not stay in the house with one due to mobility issues but outside with my swatter I almost date them to sit down to where I can get them. Weird I know!
Teddy says
I am terrified of wasps! I have been since I was a kid! My friends still judge me for having this phobia!
Anonymous says
Im a 14 year old girl with an extreme phobia of wasps. The sight or thought of one near me gives me panic attacks. I cant breathe and I begin to scream and cry, ill plead for help from anyone nearby. The worst part is that i understand this will only make things worse but i cant stop it. Even while indoors i’ll sometimes have auditory hallucinations of the wasps and freak out. My family thinks i’m just being dramatic and they refuse to help me whenever i have panic attacks. They tell me to get over myself and just stay calm, as if it were just that easy. Throughout the school year i have access to free therapy for other anxiety issues, but during the summer when wasps are most active, I’m on my own. I have never been stung by a wasp but i witnessed a friend be stung earlier this year. He did everything you’re supposed to do, he stayed calm, didn’t move, yet he still suffered the excruciating pain. At this point I speed walk when outdoors and avoid walking long distances or going outdoors at all costs. It has begun to take a toll on my summertime activities. I hate the constant panic attacks and its worse because my family members refuse to help me. Sometimes they’ll even expose me to wasps to make me “get over it”. At this point I have considered pouring hydrochloric acid on a paper cut to mimic the sting and potentially ease my fear of the pain. Then i’ll know what to expect from the sting and have less fear of the unknown. Any advice for curing this phobia on my own would be greatly appreciated.
Flame says
It’s nice to know that I’m not alone. My family thinks the same thing. Meanwhile I’m scared they don’t get me at all.
Donna says
A lot of people are really scared of wasps. I have a phobia of wasps. I think they are dangerous to be near. Your family should not deliberately put you near wasps, it is not nice of them to do that.
Anonymous says
Well I always hated wasps. Bees I never hated, in fact I still like bees. Wasps don’t seem to serve a purpose in nature and seem to be far more aggressive but my real fear didn’t start until about 2 years ago when I was standing outside admiring the view on my walk way. I felt something crawling on my leg and didn’t think it was a wasp so my first reaction was to swat at it. That lead to it stinging me on my leg. I didn’t have a bad reaction or anything but ever since I’ve had an extremely bad fear of wasps. I’ll almost panic at the sight of one even if I know for sure they can’t reach me and I’ll run inside if I hear a slight buzzing just because of the possibility of it being a wasp. I’m trying to get over the fear as it makes me feel limited on life at times and wasps are just a thing that kind of gets in my game room a lot and Im calling my mom to kill wasps more frequently then I’d like and I don’t feel like putting other people in the position to get stung because I’m too terrified to go near it.
Ellie says
Use a vacuum tube. If youre worried about getting stung, wear clothing that covers your body and tie off any openings using hair ties or tucking them in, cover your collar using a towel or scarf.
Keep the bag closed off and let it sit outside for a bit to let it either fly off or die.
I’m also really scared of wasps, its what I do.
Emily says
I feel exactly the same, last summer I had two awful experiences with wasps and it has left me so terrified of them that I won’t go out of the house. The first one was on the way to going on holiday, we were in a car park eating and I got locked in the car with a wasp and had a full on panic attack in the car park, then a short time later once I was on holiday I was walking down a street next to water and lots of bins with my family and I was surrounded by wasps it’s like I attract them, they were swarming around me so I just ran off, I was shaking and crying and I feel like it’s scarred me for life. It has affected my relationships with people because they don’t understand how I feel, my mum has tried everything to get them away from our house and I still can’t go outside. I need serious help too!
Tasha says
I went swimming a little over an hour ago, while i was standing in the pool talking to my fiancee i feel this sharp pain on the back of my neck and i immediately smack whatever was hurting me, it fell into the pool, i covered my neck and started screamimg it was horrible. My fiancee was trying to splash it away but it landed on the concrete. I was yelling for him to kill it because it looked like it was shaking itself off before another attack. He killed it but i never want to swim again i am so scared when i see things move out of the corner of my eye.
Anonymous says
Whenever I go somewhere, wasps just seem to follow me! When I walk home, there’s a brick wall with a bunch of bushes plated on it. It’s 4:00p.m., and there like 5 wasps every bush… I just put on my hood, stretch my sleeves so that when I put my hands in my pockets my arms don’t show, and I look down. I go for a walk and there’s wasps here and there, like they’re stalking me. Once, I was sleeping, and my watch tried to wake me up, I dreamt a wasp was buzzing inside of my hands… I can’t live with wasps!
Jonathan says
Dude we are like twins, I react the same way and I almost had an exact dream like yours, but the wasp was constantly stinging my palm.
Irma says
I’ve always had a healthy respect for bees. When I was a kid and got stung the area would always swell up double it’s size and the itching would be so intense and last for more than a week or two. Last July while working in the yard I got stung by what was believed to be a bee though it didn’t have any of the Burning pain that comes with it. Within 15 minutes I was having an allergic reaction that resulted in an emergency room visit and a severe reaction requiring epinephrine being administered due to swelling in the throat. It took me weeks to recover from the physical symptoms. Now I am so afraid of having that experience again that even though I keep my epipen close by at all times I am no longer able to enjoy sitting on my deck, which I’ve always enjoyed, and the sound of buzzing sends me running inside. I try to keep my mind away from all thoughts of that event but it’s almost impossible. I finally went out and worked in my front yard deciding I was not going to let bees keep me from something I enjoy and felt so successful. And then later in the middle of the night I started thinking about ground bees and the nest you can’t see and getting stung more than once. Just thinking about it now is so overwhelming. I’m getting ready to retire and my plan is to work in my yard but now I’m not so sure.
I was tested for allergic reactions and tested positive to yellow jackets black and white faced, interestingly enough very slight reaction to wasps and honeybees.
I don’t want to spend my whole summer inside my screened-in porch looking out :( but I can’t take the risk of getting stung.
buthaina says
my fear of wasps is just sooooooo strong , ill never go out if there was a wasp or a bee ( what ever the size of the wasp is ) , i have many nightmares of wasps ( approx 100 ) coming to my room , that’s just scary , if i am going to school then i will go from another door , if i am going out also from another door , even when i arrive from school i just run as fast as i can , if i am in school and i saw a wasp i just look like a crazy person running for help.
Meow says
I have exactly the same problem, but my family and friends don’t understand it. I love going outside, but I can’t because I am terrified of getting stung. Wasps have ruined my springs and summers.
Jessica H. says
I had the worst fear of bees and wasps for the longest time growing. I’m talking since I was little. I had never been stung until I was 23 and it only made my fear worse. It was summer of 2016 and it was going to be a really hot day in Iowa – we were under a heat advisory for a few days. Mom and I were cleaning the yard outside when she suggested we go for a motorcycle ride on her new bike. Of course I said yes and we took off. We rode around for about an hour total and we were about 30 minutes from home when something smacked into my chest. I didn’t realize at the time that this thing fell down my shirt – I was wearing a cut off shirt to keep cool outside. I just figured it bounced off and I was good. I started to feel itchy on my chest so I reached my hand down to scratch when BAM. I got the worst pain in my left ring finger. A damn wasp fell down my shirt, stung my breast, and proceeded to sting my finger. Of course we were on the bike and had no place to stop. I told my mom to just keep going so we can go home through tears and a throbbing finger. As this happened, my finger doubled in size and I had a nice welt that spread on my breast – which I didn’t realize it happened until I had taken off my shirt so I could shower. It took about a week for the swelling and pain to go away and 1 doctor’s visit to find I’m actually mildly allergic to bee and wasp stings. Now my fear of bees has subsided…but my fear of wasps has intensified.
Brit21 says
I’ve always had a slight fear of wasps but my serious phobia started when i moved into my first apartment and noticed wasps, bees, bumblebees, hornets, and yellow jackets flying in and out of a tree in front of the apartment. Then i noticed a wasps nest the size of a small plate right outside my front door. I would only leave my house if someone was with me, or i would leave through the garage, run as fast as i could to my car and slam the door. Then when i moved to my next apartment i noticed them flying everywhere outside of my front door. Now, im almost 26 and i will only leave my house with a heavy jacket on and the hood over my head (I don’t care if its 100 degrees outside and trust me i know i look like an idiot when its hot outside) jeans, shoes, no perfume, no dark colors, and i will have my keys in my hand ready to unlock my door. I walk as fast as i can down three flights of stairs to avoid them.
The reason they terrify me so much is because of how fast they fly, they have no real purpose except to ruin my life and how they can get stuck in open spaces and cant find a way out. I haven’t been stung since i was in elementary school but the pain of them terrifies me. Honeybees are not so bad but when i see something flying i automatically assumes its a wasp/hornet/yellow jacket and i run for the hills. I used to love going to the beach, being outdoors, and being active and now i just sit in my house and think about how many there are outside of my door. I have missed job interviews because wasps have been near my front door, I have missed parties, birthdays etc. All because of a stupid wasp being outside my door. I feel embarrassed of my fear because people tell me how if you just ignore them they will leave you alone.
I couldn’t imagine what i would do if a wasp were to fly into my car somehow as i’m driving. I honestly think i would crash from being so scared. Seeing a wasp makes me sweat, my adrenaline starts pumping and I get away as fast as possible. I wish i didn’t have this fear but i’m not sure if i believe hypnotherapy would work.
wandering goat says
I can really relate to some of these comments, many of which are just heartbreaking. I’m an adult man that’s never been stung, and though I don’t have the fear as much as some, I really dread wasps. It does change some of the things I do, like I try to avoid eating outside whenever I can, and when it comes to mowing the lawn (with all the vibrations that come with it), I google sunset times and do it as late as possible and wear all grey (I’ve heard mixed things about red colours, so I stick with grey).
Worst is my workplace keeps the door open in the summer to save on A/C costs. It’s not a problem most of the summer, but they become a lot more inquisitive in the fall when they switch from hunting for protein to sugar. Most days they don’t even get in and I’m completely fine (I have a desk right in front of the door), but if I see one, I manage to calmly walk away and when I come back, it’s usually gone. However, the rest of the day is spent being nervous and continually glancing, wary of another incident. It makes fall an anxious season for me, despite me liking everything else about the time of year.
Michael Potts says
I’ll never get over this fear until wasps stop acting like ****holes and go and live on an island on their own.
This will never happen.
Peter says
I got my phobia when I was a toddler and my dad told me he got swarmed by yellowjackets, and now I have never gotten over my fear. I almost never go outside because of how crippling my fear of wasps is. You’ll often see me hunched over while clenching my sleeves when I’m outside in the summer; so that the wasps don’t crawl into my shirt. Even though I have only been stung once by a bee when I was seven. No one I know will help me try to get over the fear, either thinking that its easy as can be, and my “friends” used to yell out “there’s a bee!” whenever I was around them. But come on! What if it was you, or what if someone had a fear of dogs? Would you make barking and growling noises when you’re near them? I was starting to think I was the only one with this spheksophobia, but now that I’ve found this article and seen what others have been going through I have hope that I will get better.
Paloma Campos Tilly says
Wow your friends were really shitty. I’m sorry that you had to go through all that. :( I was stung by six wasps when I was little and now I constantly dream about them and am so scared to go near them.
Trinity says
I have only been stung once and now every time I go outside and if I see one I literally freeze if someone try’s to move me my first thought is that it is the wasp then I will scream or cry my eyes out I don’t want to be afraid but I can’t help it
Janelle says
When I was about 4 years old I got stung by a bee. We were in Bastrop at the time. And so I was playing around in the grass and I saw this yellow thing flying around and so I thought let me see what this is because at that time I didnt even know what a bee was. Anyway I picked it up and squeezed it. All of a sudden I felt this sharp pain in my finger, and I dropped it and ran. After that my fear of bees and wasps grew intensely. Every time I see them I have panic attacks.
Floris says
Omg. I’m so glad there are people who can relate to my fear. I’m a tall guy mid twenties and I look like everything except someone who’s terrified of wasps, but I am. I got stung when I was 12 and from that moment on this phobia controls my life during summer months. I don’t wear anything light (T-shirts and shorts) even if it’s blazing hot outside. I don’t wear perfume to prevent attracting them and I don’t go on picnics because of this phobia. I’m not even afraid of the pain experience that’s accompanied by their sting, it’s the knowledge they can sting you multiple times within a couple of seconds. Ugh :(
Kaelyn says
I hate going near gardens and trees in general. My stepmom got me to help out with the garden last year and I froze up every time I saw a wasp, she didn’t understand, but she didn’t get angry. But EATING outside. No way is that happening, nope. No thank you. Wasps love food, and in the beginning of summer for me, they like sweet foods, at the end they like protein. So when my friend asked to go on a picnic in late summer, I flat out refused.
Madison says
I’m so scared of anything that looks like a wasp it’s hard to go outside. I live in the country and they are everywhere. My step dad tells me that running doesnt help but it’s not like I try. It just happens. When I was outside I walked near a wasp nest and I ran because one came towards me. My step dad tried to explain to me again just as a red wasp flew right next to me. I ran as fast as I could and he just told me not to run. I was so overwhelmed I started to cry. I went to my room and sat in there for an hour before I could come out and face them again.
Anoynomous says
I don’t think I have this phobia, but when I see a yellow- jacket I walk away. But if I am busy doing something, and they fly by me I don’t care. They just look creepy.
Chris says
Well I’ve been reading some comments and I’m amazed on the stories I’ve only experienced one sting on my left side of my cheek bone when I came back from basketball practice when I was 13 Years old still am afraid of them I tend to run away instantly I see one and even then they tend to follow me still scares the hell out of me till this day.Now I’m 17 Years old and I’m still scared of them I’m even suspicious of them when I hearing sounds I tend to run the hell away from the sound till I’m at a safe distant were I can’t hear it.
Sophie says
I was stung when I was younger, about 7 or 8, when myself, my cousin and my younger brother were pretending to trip over a log. (Don’t ask me why, we thought it was funny for some reason) When it was my turn I felt a sharp sting on my back. I reached around and grabbed it, thinking that the boys had thrown something at me, but when I opened my hand, a wasp flew out. It had stung me twice on my hand while I was holding it.
Ever since then I have been terrified of wasps. And hornets. I don’t care, they all freak me out. Throughout high school, where my group of friends sat wasps would hover around, and if I saw one, I would scream and run to a safe distance, dragging my stuff away. If the wasp moved, I would move too, always staying a safe distance from it. My friends would laugh, and made a game of every so often saying “Wasp!” to freak me out, but they would also say it if there was an actual wasp too so it was okay.
Now though, I work in childcare, and I am terrified that a wasp will sting the kids. They get in all the time, and once I had to ask my BOSS to get rid of it for me. (She shooed it out the window with nothing but a piece of paper. So brave!) A few times when I need to wash the dishes, a wasp has been at the window trying to get out. Now I have to do my job, so I’m there ducking and weaving, making no noise and no sudden movements just in case. It’s horrible, and I usually bolt the instant it is done. Nobody at work understands, and usually laughs at me. There was a wasp at the door once, and I could leave work, because if I opened the door, (which was a wooden door with tiny little windows) the wasp would get it. Again, my boss actually opened the door and shooed the wasp away so I could leave.
PS- That wasp at the top terrified me. I very nearly didn’t read this page because of it.
jlee says
I have the same problem and I work in childcare and I am seriously traumatizing those children about wasps. when I see a wasp Its every man for them selves ill warn them and if they are within grabbing distance ill yank them away but that’s it. A few months ago one of the kids came to tell me that another child got stung when i went to him the kid was sitting on the jungle gym slightly over my head and i was checking him out and when I look the hugest wasp was still walking on his pants and all I could do was scream and run. It scared him to because He jumped from the jungle gym and the wasp flew away.
Adam says
I’ve never been stung and yet I have a very bad fear of bees, wasps and whatever the case may be. One landed on my finger as a kid and although it flew off when my mom intervened, that memory stuck with me. I think the fact that I’ve never been stung makes the feeling that it’s inevitable even worse. Can’t stand the buzzing, either. Freaks me the hell out and you’ll often see me with earplugs outside if I’m forced to do yard work. When I see them I tend to breathe very heavily and don’t feel comfortable again until I feel safely distant.
Kim says
I don’t react much to honeybees or bumblebees as I know they’re relatively docile in comparison to yellow jackets.
I’m not even much afraid of baldfaced hornets.
.. just yellow jackets.
The dread of being swarmed by yellow jackets was realized 12 years ago when I accidentally upset an underground nest. It looked just like tiny yellow and black helicopters zooming straight at me .. then I went into an ‘out-of-body’ experience, watching myself surrounded by the enraged beasties. I was climbing a rock face and, wanting a free hand, tossed what I was carrying up ahead of me a few feet .. Anyway, thankfully I was right next to the water so, hearing an almost audible “JUMP”, that I did, grateful to have nothing that couldn’t afford to get wet.
The salt water probably soothed the 4 stings I did get, and because of adrenaline I didn’t feel the stings at first.
For a few days after, I was itchy, achy and lethargic. I’m mercifully not allergic but this event did nothing to ‘cure’ me of the phobia .. my poor Mom couldn’t get me to pick berries, attend picnics, or even sit outside at the local coffee shop.
Wouldn’t you say I at least have a logical cause for this terror?
My landlord, yesterday evening, took down a small nest building right outside my apartment entrance. I felt like I was under house arrest.
Skye Vansickle says
Whenever I’m outside during the day, morning, or afternoon I panic at the sight of a wasp, hornet, or bee. When something that’s not one of those, my brain instantly assumes it is. When I was younger, I was still afraid, but I could still manage to go outside in the summer and spring. But now, I can’t even go to the car because of the amount of bees. This is especially bad because there’s almost an infestation of them outside my house. My family can’t afford therapy. I used to go swimming outdoors, but now I can’t even do that. I don’t really have anybody but my mom supporting me through this, and everyone else’s usual response is “get over it”, but I can’t.
Caedin Price says
On my eighth birthday I was stung in the head by a wasp. Right now im 11 and scared to death of wasps, bees, hornets, yellow jackets, even mud dobbers. Wasps come through my windows so I hear them then run for my life to my Papa to tell him to kill the wasps. Each year my family comes to try to get rid of the wasps. But at the corner of my house there’s a space where about 200-300 wasps stay. I wish wasps could never exist.
Jill B. says
I am also 11 and I am deathly terrified of wasps and even when I hear any buzzing noise, I scream and run away. My mom says to just ignore them, but it’s just so hard! Please help me!
Issac Aston says
When I was like 8 I had this black fisher price truck that i used all the time.
Then after I hadn’t used it in a while, I went out to find a huge freakin wasps nest on the bottom! Thing is though, Since it was on the bottom, I didn’t see the wasps until they where all up in my face. Ever since then, every time I see a wasp I flip out. (Side note: My phobia’s been better lately, but it’s still pretty bad.)
Carmela says
I honestly didn’t realize how big my fear of wasps was until one got inside my house yesterday. I saw my mom get stung when I was a girl and since then the idea of a wasp landing on me and stinging me has terrified me… in my mind they’re all out to get me! When I’m outside I can rationalize that I’m in their habitat and they don’t really care about me if I stay out of their way. But when they’re inside it’s a completely different story.
It took me two hours to muster up the courage to kill the wasp yesterday, and I had to be on the phone with my dad the whole time. I went out and bought the worst/best wasp spray they had… all the while praying that that wasp was still in between my blinds and my window. Thankfully he was. Today all my windows are closed and I’m sweating like crazy…. Ugh, friggin wasps.
Chalvak says
From about April to November it is almost impossible to get me outside without forcing me to. When I was seven or so, I was so fearless about bees; I’d put them in jars and watch them get angry because they were just so fascinating. That sure as hell changed when I put a jar over the hole of a hornets’ nest. Months later I stepped on a honey bee, and soon after that I was accosted by a wasp who thought the lemonade on my mouth was too sweet to pass up. I can’t even look at bees anymore without being terrified that the moment I go out they will make a b-line for me, even from 25 feet away. I’m afraid to kill them lest they sting me in the process. Even sweat bees leave me ill, to the point I had to devise my own strategy of blowing them off of me so they’d think it was a gust of wind and not get angry (whether it works or not is simply placebo). It’s awful… My mother and step father understand and try to work around my fear to make my life more enjoyable outside but my dad and step mom harass me about how I need to grow up and just kill them. It’s not that easy!
I says
Wo, you sound a lot like me! My dad and stepmom are pretty insensitive too, and always get mad at me for being scared, even when I’m not even being dramatic. They refuse to believe I have an actual phobia, but luckily my mom and stepdad are accepting. I should shove this article in my dad’s face!
Dr Ahmed says
I wish either wasp or i could live on this planet. I am a medical doctor and despite knowing so much about them i still cant do anything to overcome this fear. I can very well understand the the feeling of you people. I wish i could find some solution regarding this. Pls help me my life is hell because of these wasps. Oh god what have i done to deserve this. Dr Ahmed
Sarah Cattanach says
I am also terrified of wasps and bees especially in all the places throughout all the summer months from March until into early November. I cannot enjoy being outside during the summer and the thought of this makes me feel ill and terrified.
My partner is amazing about my fear but as when i am out in the country at my Partner’s we have to work out in the garden replacing wood outside under all the windows and i am petrified of wasps flying at me and i am so scared of being stung over and over again or a wasp getting inside my clothes and i really have to get well away from them.
We get them in our work as our Reception area is right at our front doors and it is awful and they are on the bus. You can’t even carry anything sweet with you outside as the wasps go for you and i can’t eat outdoors with my partner if we are out for a drive in the car. I get so scared that he may eventually get sick of my large phobia and that he may finish our relationship we have together and i don’t have any confidence at all in any way. My partner says he loves me and would never ever leave me and he has promised me this but i am just so scared of that happening to us as i am scared that i may be ruining his life and this is my very last chance of ever being in a loving caring relationship for almost 6 years.
I am glad that i am not alone with this phobia too and i am terrified of this years summer as i also have Epilepsy.
Please help and save me and not lose my relationship.
Thank you
Kev says
My brother got stung once when I was little, and ever since then I can’t stand the sight of them. Once, I went into my room to get my shoes, only to discover that there was a wasp sitting on one. Freaked out, made a fool of myself, and finally my dad came went and smashed it. Then, one time me and dad were working, taking apart an old trailer. The truck didn’t want to start, so I got out and stood in front of it while he tried to crank it. A wasp came zooming out from under the hood and almost stung me. I cried like a baby for the next 15 minutes. At the time, I was 14 years old. Too old to be acting like a 3 year old.
Brianna says
When i was 3 years old i was trying to climb onto a chair in my backyard and I inadvertently smacked my hand against a large wasps nest and they all came out and stung me all over my body about a hundred times and i had to be hospitalized because of all the swelling and pain. Ever since then i have had this debilitating fear of wasps and it gets so bad to the point that i was sent to the principals office because i refused to enter my classroom because i thought i saw a wasp flying around. I was also scared by the picture on the top of the article.
Bella says
Oh my gosh! I was freaking out just by the picture on the top of this article too! I thought that I was the only one…
Sophie says
Nope definitely not the only one. I froze and threw my phone across the room when I saw it. Took me a solid 10 minutes to gather the courage to look at my phone and scroll down quickly
I says
I’m not the only one, yay X’D
Heather Rice says
I absolutely, positively hate wasps. When I see a wasp’s nest, like at Club Success, I don’t want to go near it for fear I’ll get stung. I think I now have spheksophobia because every time I see a wasp’s nest, I scream and run away so that I don’t get stung.
Brittany Moss says
Honestly, I am terrified of wasps but I have never been stung before (knocks on wood). My fear all started from when I had to stay in my brother’s room when I was 8 and a wasp ended up landing on my face and crawling. I kept telling my mom that I saw a wasp in there but she didn’t believe me. I also thought my brother was playing a prank and putting either a paper or a feather on my face…till I felt it crawl. This article is very helpful cause I always get laughed by family and friends and I am always told it is not a big deal. I am so terrified when I see them and will run. I am even more terrified when they get into the house. I will go into in complete terror and will lock myself in a far away room until someone is able to kill it for me as my fear is so bad I can’t find the will (or power?) to kill them on my own. Even at this moment, like right now, there is a wasp SOMEWHERE in the house and we can’t find it!
Side note: I really don’t like the fact when I was looking at other articles for this they ALWAYS have to have a picture of a wasp. Like come on! It’s about people having phobias of wasps then there is always a picture of one. Doesn’t help with that. But the article was still very helpful. Thank you.
Anonymous says
I am so scared of wasps, I went on holiday and stood on a wasp and it stung me. I started crying because I was only 7 or 8 and then a few weeks ago I sat on one! It crawled into my shorts and repeatedly stung me. They scare the living hell out of me!
Vicki says
Hi all, I’m glad I’m not alone, my husband finds my phobia hilarious but has dutifully taken on the role of wasp repeller, to save my sanity. I’m rubbish when wasps are about, I flinch and jump and run flapping and squealing as far away as I can. The worst thing is that my toddler is watching me do it and I don’t want to pass along this debilitating fear.
I just find myself hoping for a cold snap after the new lot hatches next year, and it kills them off early. This year has been horrific so far.
Emily Macy says
I was outside having a picnic, then a wasp came and I couldn’t get out of the bench and I fainted.
megan says
Hi,
I’m so glad people can relate to this issue. As I have gotten older I have become worse, the daily fear of being stung is unbearable. It has gotten to the point where I’m never not thinking about a wasp being near me. I have lost count of the amount of times I have smacked my ears because I heard a buzz or nearly caused my other half to crash the car as one has flown into it. I have been stung so many times now, I really don’t know what to do? I haven’t been stung in 6 years but I remember the pain it caused.
Today at work, one was in the room. I panicked and hid in the corner, hoping it wouldn’t see me (like wasps carry vendettas). It landed on my shoe and I thought I was going to pass out :( I had to get a co-worker to come down to help. I am a grown up and this fear has crippled me.
ayden says
It for sure helps to know im not the only one who suffers from this, and that there are other people out there who struggle with this issue, its so bad I can barely go outside for more than an hour, and I can only stay outside the longest when it gets dark.
Elizabeth says
I was stung when I was a little girl and have since had a phobia, although I didn’t realise I did until my boyfriend pointed it out to me after we had a baby, that my behaviour around them was irrational and if I didn’t control it I would be passing on neuroses to our children. I didn’t want to pass on my fear so I have tried to keep a lid on it, and can now resist running away flapping arms and remain seated if a wasp is at the table, although a bolt of adrenaline is surging through me and I cannot listen to what anyone is saying, I’m fixated on the wasp until it goes away. I’m now married and the children are getting older and one of them has my fear of wasps, she is unable to control it and will freak out if one comes near, even though she’ll be in high school soon. She has never been stung but I think she has picked up my fear so while I thought I was doing well, obviously not. It has ruined days out now and is causing relationship problems because my husband gets frustrated that wasps are getting between us and is dominating some family outdoors time and I get upset that he doesn’t understand and frustrated that while I can control my behaviour to some extent, the fear is still there and is still quite strong. Hoping to find a solution for us all!
Alana says
I am so worried about passing this fear onto my son, also.😕 And I can’t concentrate on the sermon if there’s one in the church. I sit on the front, and I will literally turn around and watch it, rather than looking at the preacher. And I teach 8 the grade. If any wasp, bee, etc. Gets in my room, the kids kill it, and I can’t teach until they do. I feel so guilty, but I just can’t go near them. I hope they never get stung.
Olivia Peralta says
I am terrified of wasps and many other bugs and I have been since I was little. My parents tell me to just grow up and get over it but it’s not that simple. If I see one while I’m out, panic and adrenaline fill me immediately and I run away from it. One got on my bus once and I thought I was going to die because I had to walk past it to get off the bus. I hate going outside because wasps are out there. It’s frustrating and I wish they didn’t bother me so much, but I can’t help it.
Sydney says
I’m the same way. Just now I was out in my garage doing homework when I saw a wasp flying around and to avoid walking past it I army crawled under our truck….
Donna M says
I have always been scared of bees and wasps (as well as anything else that buzzes around for that matter).
I had never been stung until last week when I was trying to get out of the chair in the garden to get away from one.
Now I am petrified, I mean to the point of screaming, sweating and running faster than I ever thought possible!
I was in the garden putting out the washing in the weekend and one flew over, the peg basket went up in the air and I ran for my life.
I was out with my husband at the weekend and one came near me and I just ran, arms flapping (not the best movement I know but I could not stop myself).
I have been checking the area around me when I am getting in or out of the car, going in the garden etc, and just doing this puts me in a panic. Also I have noticed that if anything touches me I instantly think it is a wasp and I am going to be stung, again instant panic.
I don’t think I can carry on like this, the fear has just taken over. Has anyone had any of the treatments that are mentioned in the article?
What a nightmare ;-(
Charly says
I’ve had this phobia of wasps since I was a child after having been stung a couple of times throughout my childhood. I have found more recently my phobia is actually increasing and getting worse every year. I live in the UK and relish the British summer time but these little buggers always spoil my summer. I can’t go to BBQ’s or picnics as I know there’ll always be wasps about. Today I have realised I need to do something about it. I work in a bar and today I encountered two wasps who came in to the pub, naturally I freaked out and made a complete fool of myself in front of all our customers who understandably found my reactions ridiculous. It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon out there today and after having spent all day cooped up behind the bar, I would love to go out and enjoy the sunshine, however through this fear I am now sitting indoors miserable and effectively being a prisoner in my own home. I’ve had enough of it. I’m considering hypnosis but if anyone has any tips on conquering this fear I would very much like to hear them. Thanks.
Zack Caito says
Hi Charly what I started with was looking at photos and videos about wasps until I was comfortable watching them on videos close up and next time it took me awhile but I looked out the windows and watched them. I would be scared to see a wasp or bee out there but now I’m not scared of seeing them when I’m inside and there’s a window and I did go outside. After this step I was with my counselor at school and me and him went out. The first thing I saw was a bumble bee flying in the distance. I was scared but I tried to work on breathing and thinking about other things and I actually saw some wasps and bees and they didn’t bother me. I was like wow this is awesome I’m relieved and I also went outside there again and a wasp flew behind me and I didn’t freak out too much and today I’m still scared of them for some reason. I’m still trying to get over this irrational fear with my cryder counselor but I’m just too scared to do anything. I hate being indoors scared all the time I wanna get outside so bad.
A says
I’m glad that I’m not the only one with this phobia, but it seems like I was the only one affected by the photograph of the wasp (viewing it on a cell, giant image). There is a wasp in my bedroom right now and I could die. I’m terrified to go back in there. I don’t know if I’m allergic but if I am then what? Will I sleep on the couch forever? And if one got in, why not others? How many could be in there right now? I’m so scared and I feel helpless and my mom won’t help me even though she isn’t afraid.
Jen says
The comment section helped me immensely! Not to get over the fear but in knowing that I am not the only one. When I was about 5 I was on a school playground and they were everywhere and I barely noticed them, until one bit me. Ever since then I have had this irrational fear of wasps. Bees not so much, but every time I see a wasp I will literally run the other way. In my head I know that I shouldn’t be as terrified of them, but I can’t seem to stop the fear. I refuse to go outside if I can see wasps flying around. And my little brothers and sister saw how terrified I was of them, so therefore I have passed the fear on to them. I thought it would go away as I got older, but it seems to be here to stay.
Jo says
I’ve been afraid of bees and wasps for as long as I can remember. I have run in front of a car before because one was chasing me, I’ve locked myself in or out of a room if one is in there. I can’t spray it because I’m too scared to open the door, it’s so frustrating when people don’t understand, they throw bits of paper and make a buzz sound and laugh when we’re left in tears and panicking. Stop being childish, grow up, really if it was that easy none of us would be afraid! I’m so glad I’m not alone and reading others comments is comforting so thank you.
Jessica says
I live out in the country, and have an old porch filled with rotted wood. I also have an old tree right in front of it. The wasps tend to make their nests in my porch area, which prevents me from being able to open my front door without a panic attack. I am in constant fear of them stinging me. I can’t bring myself to get past this phobia. It is strange to everyone I know, because they are so calm about them. They have been stung before, and I have not. I refuse to go outside on hot days, and when I have to I’m usually wearing shoes, a sweater, and sweat pants. I’m aware that my fear is irrational, and probably more mental than anything. I have no idea what to do further about the situation. Yikes.
Claire says
I’ve been afraid of all insects since I was about 4 years old, my aunt tried to stop me from going to the busy road near her house by telling me ‘the flies will get you’. Somehow over the years this has extended to all insects but especially wasps and bees or flies that buzz. I can’t be out in the sun, I can’t have the windows open for too long in case one gets in, I can’t kill them. It’s horrible and everyone just tells me it’s stupid and childish, glad I’m not alone.
Rebecca says
I am extremely afraid of wasps, I can’t be in the same room with one. I’ve never been stung, but I’m too afraid to even go near one.
Jane says
The comments section helped me more than the article itself. It’s comforting to know that one is not alone – fear, much like misery, loves company.
I am petrified of wasps – have been stung a couple of times, including once when I was asleep! The little tyke must have wandered in through the door and settled on my leg while I was napping. It stung me when I turned over – talk about a rude awakening.
It’s come to the point where I cannot stay in the same room as the wasp and cannot kill one even if it lands near my hand (just happened). Sigh.
Steve says
I’ve been afraid of wasps since I was a small child. In the spring and summer months there are always a lot of red paper wasps around my home, so when I was a kid and playing outside, I got stung by them a lot. To make it worse, I’m allergic to them. Once I was stung by one above my eyebrow, and that whole side of my face swelled up big time, and even my eye was swollen shut.
On a side note, a few years ago I found out about an easy treatment for wasp stings. Just place a penny on top of the sting wound and hold it in place with a band-aid or tape, and leave it there for a few hours. The copper in the penny somehow draws out the poison. After that it will still hurt a little, but it will be much, much less painful than it would if you leave it untreated.
Flamer says
I feel you man
Cass says
I can’t stand the sight of wasps or bees though wasps even more so. I’ve never been stung by one (only a bee which was quite painful) and I hope I never do. We have a few wasps around here and I had to go out the back door today to go out because there was one hovering at the door!
Jeff says
There was a wasp in my room the other day and I started crying and sweating and felt very light headed. I thought it would sting me and I would die, so I ran and locked myself in the bathroom until it was gone. I was so scared.
Rebecca says
I know right? I was camping once in ocean city and a wasp entered my tent. I hid under me and my sister’s sleeping bags and screamed until my nana got it out.
Harriet says
The worst part for me is hornets. The first time I saw one I just had a panic attack and locked myself in an old arcade. Today I was in a restaurant and I could feel something big on my foot and I froze and kept whispering to my dad there’s something on my foot and since he removed the dangerous hornet I haven’t gone outside. I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s experiencing this.
Makeely says
My mom begs me to go outside but I can’t, I have to scream so loud when I see one and I shake, breath hard, get dizzy, and cry when I see wasps.
Donna says
I would really understand being scared of hornets. Their sting would be worse than a wasp I think. I was stung on the foot by a wasp when I was young. Very painful.
Joni says
Thank you! This is very informative. I usually get panic- or anxiety attacks. I have never been stung, but I have been in a few attacks..