# How to get over extreme fear of bees??



## nevernotanxious (Dec 19, 2012)

I'm almost 20 years old and have an embarrassing, crippling fear of like..all bugs. My main focus for this is bees/wasps/yellow-jackets though, since it's spring now and they're starting to come around. Every time I see or hear one I stop in my tracks and run away, and am overwhelmed with fear. Unless I'm walking to class, in which case I flinch and try to look as normal as possible since I'm surrounded by other people. But I usually don't succeed..anyway, I don't know where this fear came from. When I was little, my brother and I would go outside and catch bugs and lizards and stuff all the time, but I think I was still scared of bees then. I've never been stung so I don't know if I'm allergic. I went horseback riding once and there were yellow jackets flying all around the horse and my legs (and i was bitten by a horsefly, which hurt), but I managed to stay calm and not freak out. Why can't I just stay calm now?? I think the two main reasons I'm scared is because I don't know if I'm allergic, and the loud sound they make just freaks me out so much. I hate this. I love spring weather and I want to be able to enjoy the outdoors, but I can't. I want to go to therapy for this fear, but I don't know if it's gonna help. I've researched them to understand their purpose and how they act, but it hasn't helped. I need advice!

oh and I do remember watching Candyman when I was like 7 and it definitely freaked me out, but I can't remember if I was afraid of bees before I watched it.


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## visualkeirockstar (Aug 5, 2012)

I'm scared of all bugs too but bees isnt thr top of the list.


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## TobeyJuarez (May 16, 2012)

i hate bugs to man....


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## WineKitty (Nov 26, 2004)

I am afraid of them too and will scream if they get too close. It's irrational but I don't know how to get past it. Sorry, I know that isn't much help, just a bit of empathy. I am like that will all bugs but esp spiders and hornets.

Bees, I have found, will leave you alone unless you bother them. Hornets are just mean little ****ers.


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## WhoDey85 (Sep 6, 2006)

They are probably attracted to brighter colors I'm not totally sure. They seem to love sugary drinks and hanging around trash cans. 

They won't sting you unless they, or the nest, (protect the queen at all costs!) feel threatened. I ran over a yellow jacket nest, (which is actually a wasp, they are worse) man that was painful. 


Just try not to panic and anxiously swat at them or run and scream and they will just move on. If you are being chased by a swarm of bees they say to run as fast as you can in one direction, when you get a certain distance away from the nest they will stop chasing you.


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## markwalters2 (Mar 18, 2013)

I am a man. I hate bugs.


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## slytherin (Dec 30, 2012)




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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

In Mexico they sell these candies in plastic containers that have swarms of bees everywhere. We just walk through them because bees are harmless.


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## nevernotanxious (Dec 19, 2012)

Thanks everyone. I just have to keep reminding myself that they won't bother me if I just remain calm and keep walking. Although that's a lot harder than it sounds..I have to go to class a certain way and today there were about 15 bees buzzing all around the walkway. It was so gross and terrifying. Luckily I was with a friend so I wasn't embarrassed when I ran to escape, but I can't be doing that when I'm alone haha. I need to blast my ipod so I can't hear them and look at my phone so I'm distracted or something. Anyways, thanks for the tips!


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## thebadshepard (Oct 13, 2012)

Sorry, I know this isn't particularly tasteful, im not trying to be mean but


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## PickleNose (Jul 11, 2009)

I always found that staying away from places where there was sure to be more than one bee worked wonders for my fear of bees. It didn't cure it but it's not there when bees aren't.


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## Charmander (Sep 5, 2012)

Whatever you do, don't watch the movie 'My Girl'. 

But just remember that bees won't go out of their way to attack you, unlike wasps. The one thing I hate about them is when they fly close to your ear. I have a fear of one going in there.


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## Sacrieur (Jan 14, 2013)

Immersion therapy? I don't know.

I haven't had that problem. I kill wasps that annoy me by grabbing them and crushing the life out of them. Little ****s.


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## Relz (Oct 31, 2011)

Hey I can totally relate, as I have a severe insect phobia myself. I had my first therapy session last week.

In my experience, researching the feared insects doesn't help. For me, it just makes things worse since even a picture or photograph is enough to trigger moderate panic.

About the advice being given here, I know people mean well but I don't think it's going to make any difference alleviating your fear. Correct me if i'm wrong, but it doesn't matter if you've never been stung or if they won't go out of their way to hurt you, etc, etc, blah blah blah; when you're scared, you're _scared_ and reason is the last thing on your mind. If your phobia is severe, I strongly suggest try therapy. If you're not sure of the severity, I'd still do therapy. If your fear is limiting your freedom/enjoyment of life (it seems this is the case from your post) it is severe enough to warrant outside help. Just be sure to research a good one-- don't waste your time on a therapist who isn't an anxiety/fear specialist. CBT is best for this kind of thing.

Good luck. I really hope you beat this.


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## scooby (Jun 24, 2009)

slytherin said:


>


Damn, I was going to make reference to that. Beat me to it. Something along the lines of "go to prison, they don't allow bees in there."


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## ThatGuy11200 (Sep 3, 2012)

I used to have a fear of bees and wasps, although I'd never been stung by one I was terrified that I would be. I got over that fear when, on a trip to the seaside, I accidentally trod on a sea urchin. The little bar steward's venom caused immense pain and I no longer feared being stung by bees. Bees, and even wasps, are much more interested in doing their own thing than stinging you.

Now I think little fuzzy bees are quite cute.


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## SilentLyric (Aug 20, 2012)

Only the female bees sting.


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## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

I have a similar problem.

[spoiler=Don't read this if you're sensitive to just reading about bugs(this is not a helpful post)]I have the same problem with horse flies. I've always been terrified of them, but a certain event like 5-6 years ago made it worse. I somehow ended up in a linden tree sanctuary. Both me and my ex got out of the car(it was red and extremely hot). After a while we noticed that there were horse flies EVERYWHERE. They were covering the outside of the car and the inside. They flew all around me and bit me. I started to panick, jumping up and down and shaking my arms to get them off, and my ex tried the best he could to get them out of the car. I have never felt so trapped/scared in my entire life. I still have nightmares about them regularely and whenever I see one, I can't focus on anything else. Last summer I was fishing at a lake where there were horse flies and it completely ruined the day. I've tried to calm myself down, breathe, and attempt to kill them as they land, but nothing has helped killing the fear so far. I mean, they actually want to hurt you so it's not completely unreasonable.[/spoiler]


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## Evo1114 (Dec 9, 2012)

I would rather NOT be around bees, but I respect them. They buzz around you and might even land on your because, well, they are bees, and they are doing their thang, looking for flowers and such. Once they figure out you are not a flower, they just fly on and continue on with their biz. They will only sting if they feel threatened. If you swat at them or run away, they might think you are a flower trying to get away and they'll keep on trying until they can thoroughly check you out. They don't just fly around looking for people to sting. With that being said, when a wasp lands on me, I still get extremely tense thinking 'please go away, please go away'. And yes, if you look like a flower or smell like a flower, I imagine the more interested they are going to be in checking you out. Some bees though, like yellow jackets are just ****ers. Just try to avoid areas where they are nesting. 

I don't necessarily LIKE bugs, but I respect them. I'll even 'rescue' box elder bugs that I find inside and take them outside even though they serve absolutely no purpose that I know of. The only bugs I despise and will definitely kill if I see them inside are the pests...ants, flies, asian beetles, mosquitos. Screw them. Bees and wasps serve a critical purpose in nature. Gotta respect them.


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