Entomophobia is the fear of insects and bugs, so if the topic of this newsletter has sent you into a panic, you may be a sufferer.
Firstly, I’d like to clear up any confusion between entomophobia and arachnophobia. They are phobias relating to different types of animals and involve different fears.
Entomophobia
Arachnophobia
If six legs freak you out (beetles, Daddy Longlegs, flies and wasps) it is entomophobia, while if you’re terrified of a beastie with eight legs (mites, scorpions, spiders and ticks) it is arachnophobia.
Entomophobia or bug phobia is the fear of insects in general due to their appearance, their potential to bite or sting, or the idea of them crawling on you. Sorry if I just caused you the chills.
You may fear bugs from a traumatic experience with an insect as a child when bitten or stung and the memory has stayed with you, or it could have been a learned fear from your parents, family or someone close to you, or the mere thought of them just disgusts you with their thin legs and the fact that they seem to fly straight at your face!
Early human ancestors had a genuine reason to fear insects as bites or stings caused injuries or disease, while other insects like Locusts could wipe out their crops. Avoiding bugs meant surviving, so fear was passed on through genes.
This inherited fear can be irrational, especially when an insect is no threat to us. They can turn us into gibbering wrecks, our blood runs cold, our heart rate quickens, we sweat, and we feel sick and dizzy to the point of fainting.
Today we have evolved an innate wariness of insects so when coming face-to-face with a Cockroach or a Daddy Longlegs our fight or flight mode is triggered, releasing adrenaline and cortisol to make our escape.
Our fears are not helped by how the media portrays insects. Films like Starship Troopers and The Fly can trigger a fear we didn’t know we had, especially when the insect is depicted as dangerous or a threat to human life. The news also doesn’t help with sensationalised headlines like “Asian hornets survive UK winter for the first time” and “New insect lab to tackle deadly diseases” rather than focusing on the devastating decline of insect numbers through habitat loss and pesticides worldwide.
Do these remind you of the film The Fly?
Being bug-phobic could massively impact your life and make you hesitant to enjoy the outdoors. The good news is that you could be cured by gradual exposure or education of the important role of insects. Become a member of our Facebook Group to see amazing images of the massive variety of insects in our borough; over time by viewing these images your fears may subside.
While I don’t have entomophobia, I have cured myself of arachnophobia. I learned my fear through my mother who was terrified of spiders. Knowing this I realised I could pass the fear on to my daughter. So now I pick them up with my hand or a damp cloth if small enough and take them outside, that is unless they are so massive you can hear them walking on the floor! Then I resort to the glass and card technique to remove the beastie.
So rather than fear insects, learn to celebrate them in all their glory! They are amazing, varied and essential for our ecosystems and our survival.
Emma Chard-Cumming
EWG Secretary (and former arachnophobic)
