Fear of bees
Encyclopedia
Fear of bees or bee sting
s is one of common fears among people. Apiphobia (from Latin apis for "honey bee
"), melissophobia (from Greek melissa
for "honeybee" and occasionally misspelt as melissaphobia), is a fear of bee
s and a kind of specific phobia
.
Ordinary (non-phobic) fear of bees in adults is generally associated with lack of knowledge. The general public is not aware that bees attack in defense of their hive
, or when accidentally squashed, and an occasional bee in a field presents no danger. Moreover, the majority of insect stings in the United States are attributed to yellowjacket
wasps, which are often mistaken for a honeybee.
Unreasonable fear of bees in humans may also have a detrimental effect on ecology
. Bees are important pollinator
s, and when in their fear people destroy wild colonies of bees, they contribute to environmental damage. What is more, many bee farms are actually rented for pollination of crops, and as the fears of bees spread, it becomes hard to find a location for the colony because of the growing objections of local population.
A widespread fear of bees was triggered by rumors about "killer bee
s". In particular, the Africanized bee is widely feared by the American public, a reaction that has been amplified by sensationalist movies and some of the media reports. Stings from Africanized bees kill one to two people per year in the United States, a rate that makes them less dangerous than venom
ous snake
s, particularly since, unlike snakes, they are found only in a small portion of the country.
As the bee spreads through Florida
, a densely populated state, officials worry that public fear may force misguided efforts to combat them. The Florida African Bee Action Plan states, "News reports of mass stinging attacks will promote concern and in some cases panic and anxiety, and cause citizens to demand responsible agencies and organizations to take action to help insure their safety. We anticipate increased pressure from the public to ban beekeeping in urban and suburban areas. This action would be counter-productive. Beekeepers maintaining managed colonies of domestic European bees are our best defense against an area becoming saturated with AHB. These managed bees are filling an ecological niche that would soon be occupied by less desirable colonies if it were vacant.
"
s prevalent in young children and may prevent them from taking part in any outdoor activities. Older people control the natural fear of bees more easily.
A recommended way of overcoming child's apiphobia is to train them to face their fears (a common approach for treating specific phobias). Programs vary.
Bee sting
A bee sting is strictly a sting from a bee . In the vernacular it can mean a sting of a bee, wasp, hornet, or yellow jacket. Some people may even call the bite of a horse-fly a bee sting...
s is one of common fears among people. Apiphobia (from Latin apis for "honey bee
Honey bee
Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis...
"), melissophobia (from Greek melissa
Melissa
Melissa is a given name for a female child. The name comes from the Greek word μέλισσα , "honey bee" and from μέλι , "honey". Compare Hittite melit, "honey"....
for "honeybee" and occasionally misspelt as melissaphobia), is a fear of bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s and a kind of specific phobia
Specific phobia
A specific phobia is a generic term for any kind of anxiety disorder that amounts to an unreasonable or irrational fear related to exposure to specific objects or situations...
.
Cause and effects
Most people have been stung by a bee or had friends or family members stung. A child may fall victim by treading on a bee while playing outside. The sting is quite painful and can often result in swelling which stays for several days, so the development of loathsome fear of bees is quite natural.Ordinary (non-phobic) fear of bees in adults is generally associated with lack of knowledge. The general public is not aware that bees attack in defense of their hive
Beehive
A beehive is a structure in which bees live and raise their young.Beehive may also refer to:Buildings and locations:* Bee Hive, Alabama, a neighborhood in Alabama* Beehive , a wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings...
, or when accidentally squashed, and an occasional bee in a field presents no danger. Moreover, the majority of insect stings in the United States are attributed to yellowjacket
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries...
wasps, which are often mistaken for a honeybee.
Unreasonable fear of bees in humans may also have a detrimental effect on ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
. Bees are important pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
s, and when in their fear people destroy wild colonies of bees, they contribute to environmental damage. What is more, many bee farms are actually rented for pollination of crops, and as the fears of bees spread, it becomes hard to find a location for the colony because of the growing objections of local population.
A widespread fear of bees was triggered by rumors about "killer bee
Africanized bee
Africanized honey bees, known colloquially as "killer bees", are a hybrid variety of the European honeybee , generated by a man-made breeding of the African honey bee, A. m. scutellata, with various European honey bees such as the Italian bee A. m. ligustica and A. m. iberiensis. These bees are far...
s". In particular, the Africanized bee is widely feared by the American public, a reaction that has been amplified by sensationalist movies and some of the media reports. Stings from Africanized bees kill one to two people per year in the United States, a rate that makes them less dangerous than venom
Venom
Venom is the general term referring to any variety of toxins used by certain types of animals that inject it into their victims by the means of a bite or a sting...
ous snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, particularly since, unlike snakes, they are found only in a small portion of the country.
As the bee spreads through Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, a densely populated state, officials worry that public fear may force misguided efforts to combat them. The Florida African Bee Action Plan states, "News reports of mass stinging attacks will promote concern and in some cases panic and anxiety, and cause citizens to demand responsible agencies and organizations to take action to help insure their safety. We anticipate increased pressure from the public to ban beekeeping in urban and suburban areas. This action would be counter-productive. Beekeepers maintaining managed colonies of domestic European bees are our best defense against an area becoming saturated with AHB. These managed bees are filling an ecological niche that would soon be occupied by less desirable colonies if it were vacant.
"
Apiphobia
Apiphobia is one of zoophobiaZoophobia
Zoophobia or animal phobia may have one of two closely related meanings: a generic term for the class of specific phobias to particular animals, or an irrational fear or even simply dislike of any non-human animals....
s prevalent in young children and may prevent them from taking part in any outdoor activities. Older people control the natural fear of bees more easily.
A recommended way of overcoming child's apiphobia is to train them to face their fears (a common approach for treating specific phobias). Programs vary.
In popular culture
- On the reality show MythbustersMythBustersMythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
, Grant ImaharaGrant ImaharaGrant Masaru Imahara is a Japanese American electronics and radio control expert, best known for his work on the American television show MythBusters.-Education and early work:...
, Tory Belleci, and Kari ByronKari ByronKari Elizabeth Byron is a San Francisco-based television host and artist, best known for her featured role on the Discovery Channel show MythBusters.-MythBusters:...
attempted to cure Adam SavageAdam SavageAdam Whitney Savage is an American industrial design and special effects designer/fabricator, actor, educator, and co-host of the Discovery Channel television series MythBusters. His model work has appeared in major films, including Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and The Matrix...
's fear of bees with self-helpSelf-helpSelf-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
CDs, but it proved unsuccessful, thus proving the myth "Busted". - In the show Shameless, Sheila Jackson (portrayed by Joan CusackJoan CusackJoan Mary Cusack is an American film, stage and television actress. Throughout her career, Cusack has appeared in many films as well as appearing in stage productions....
) has an extreme fear of the outdoors. It is described in the show as melissapiphobia, though the legitimacy of the term used is unknown.