What Is The Fear of Bees? (2024)

Fear of bees, also known as apiphobia or melissophobia, is a common phobia. It is characterized by an intense and irrational fear of bees that can affect your quality of life. This fear can be triggered by seeing a bee or simply thinking about them.

Bee phobia is a type of specific phobia. Read on to learn more about how bee phobia presents, why it occurs, and what you can do about it.

What Is a Bee Phobia?

Bee phobia is categorized as an animal phobia, which is a type of specific phobia.

For example, although bees can sting, they usually only sting when threatened. Unless you're allergic to bees, the injury is typically minor—a small area of pain, redness, and swelling that resolves within a day.

Many people develop a normal fear of bees. After all, no one wants to get stung. However, people who have a phobia of bees have a fear level that's higher than the actual threat warrants. They may know the fear is irrational, but they feel the fear anyway.

For people with a specific phobia, anxiety symptoms can occur even if they're not around the source of their fear. Thinking about it, anticipating encountering it, or seeing a representation of it such as a photo or video can cause severe anxiety symptoms.

Symptoms of a Bee Phobia

An encounter with a bee can cause people with a bee phobia to experience symptoms similar to a panic attack, such as:

• Fast heart rate
• Dizziness
• Hot flashes or chills
• Chest pain or tightness
• Feeling like they're losing control
• Feeling like they're choking
• Difficulty distinguishing what is real
• Trembling
• Sweating
• Thoughts of death
• Nausea or other gastrointestinal issues
• A sensation of butterflies in the stomach
• Headaches
• Numbness or having a pins and needles (tingling) feeling
• Dry mouth
• Ringing in the ears
• Confusion or disorientation

People with a bee phobia are likely to avoid situations in which they may encounter a bee. The fear may even influence larger decisions, such as choosing to live in a big city instead of a rural area.

What Causes Fear of Bees

Specific phobias can be caused by a number of factors, including:

• Direct learning experiences: A traumatic experience with the feared object or situation, such as having been stung by a bee
• Observational learning experiences: Seeing others experience the feared object or situation, or living with the phobia, for instance, seeing another person be stung by a bee, or growing up in a household in which an adult of significance, such as a parent, had a fear of bees
• Informational learning: Learning about the source of fear through avenues like the news, books, or on television, where bees are often portrayed as more dangerous or aggressive than they are
• Evolutionary trait: Negative attitudes toward animals that may stem from a biological predisposition by humans to be prepared for encounters with a potentially dangerous species

Diagnosing a Bee Phobia

Apiphobia isn't a diagnosis in and of itself. It falls under the category of specific phobia, which does have an official diagnosis.

Based on the criteria outlined in the fifth edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM-5), people with a specific phobia:

• Experience intense, excessive, and persistent fear of a specific object or situation
• Have feelings of anxiety, fear, or panic when they encounter the source of their fear
• Have a fear that is out of proportion to the actual risk posed by the object or situation
• Avoid the feared object or situation, or experience intense anxiety or discomfort when they encounter it
• Have a fear, anxiety, or avoidance that causes significant distress (it bothers them that they have the fear) or significant interference in their day-to-day life, such as difficulty performing important tasks at work, meeting new friends, attending classes, or interacting with others
• Have persistent fear, anxiety, or avoidance (usually lasting at least six months)
• Have fear, panic, and avoidance that are not better explained by another disorder or cause
  

When to See a Healthcare Provider

People who have phobias are usually aware that they have them. If you think you may have a phobia, talking with a healthcare professional (usually a primary healthcare provider) can help lead to a diagnosis. Your provider can suggest treatment or make a referral to a mental health professional.

Treating a Bee Phobia

There are several treatments available for specific phobias.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a treatment that encompasses many types of talk therapy.

Exposure therapy is a first-line treatment for phobias. It involves gradually introducing a person to the source of the phobia and increasing the closeness gradually.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that is commonly used to treat phobias. CBT involves identifying unhealthy or harmful thoughts and behavioral patterns, examining them, and transforming them into healthy ones.

Medication

Medication is usually not prescribed for a bee phobia, but antianxiety medications may be prescribed if you and your healthcare provider feel they're right for you.

Coping With a Fear of Bees

While professional treatment is effective, there are some measures you can take on your own to help with your bee phobia, including:

• Learn about bees: Learn facts about bees, how to safely be around bees, and how to foster an environment that helps bees and you. Not only can learning about bees reduce your fear, but it may also prompt you to support conservation efforts.
• Use relaxation techniques: Mindfulness exercises, such as deep breathing, meditation, and yoga, can help you manage anxiety.
• Use visualization: While using relaxation and breathing techniques, imagine how you would handle an encounter with a bee.
• Join a support group: Talking with—and learning from—other people who have phobias can help.
• Take care of your overall health: Adopting healthy lifestyle practices can keep you healthy, which helps you manage anxiety. People who exercise regularly may become less sensitive to the physical feelings of a panic attack, which can reduce fear.

Helping Children Deal With a Fear of Bees

The following are things you can do to help your child deal with a bee phobia:

• Acknowledge their fear and be supportive.
• Educate them about bees to dispel any myths they may have.
• Commit to working on the fear together.

Do not excessively avoid bees. Increase exposure in a healthy, reasonable, and supportive way. For example if a child is avoiding going outside altogether due to fear of bees, you want to encourage healthy/safe exposure to the outside with support and reassurance.

There are many tactics you can use to help your child overcome a fear of bees. When your child becomes stressed or anxious, try one of the following distraction techniques to help them take their focus off the fear:

• Perform deep breathing exercises.
• Do grounding exercises (to focus on the present moment).
• Play an energetic or soothing soundtrack.
• Give them a small fidget toy to play with.
• Use lotion and aromatherapy.

Summary

A bee phobia can also be called apiphobia or melissophobia. It's a specific phobia, which means it involves an intense, irrational fear of an object or situation that's unlikely to be harmful or dangerous. An encounter with a bee may cause symptoms similar to a panic attack.

CBT is a type of psychotherapy often used to treat phobias. In most cases, medication isn't prescribed for a bee phobia. Antianxiety medications may be prescribed, if necessary.