I have an embarrassing phobia of wasps...help?

Ruana

Hey, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on how to get over this stupid phobia I have. It's getting near Summer again and I don't want to spend half of it being permanently on alert and/or running away from something only half the size of my little finger! Has anyone had a fear of wasps or bees and managed to get over it?

I've had this irrational fear ever since I was a little girl and I mean it is a proper phobia, I actually shiver and go and cold if I see one and tend to make a run for it if one comes too close (I mean it's a bit undignified for a 24 yr old ) I can't even look at pictures of a wasp! (For some reason bees are fine though, I can cope with bees )

Help!

jd83

im the same i run around like a little girl if a wasp, bee, anything that stings comes near me! It embarrising as im a big 27 year old guy and it really doesnt look well when i running away trying to evade some little wasp. especially when my 3 year old nephew is sitting there laughing at me!

potsy86 wrote: »

u mean one a these

Id have a heart attack if that came near me

dewy09

BUUUUUZZZZZZZZ off

shoelaceface

come to my house! we have 20 beehives in the back garden with 40,000-ish bees in each! lots of fun in the summer! however i have only been stung about 5 times in my life! its been 8 years since i was last stung!!

i will even run away, its a natural instinct!! but if you start waving something at them and attack back that they will get mad and sting! perfume and scents attract them! they can get tangled in hair and again panic and sting! oh and if a bee stings, it sends out a scent which alerts other bees and they all come to attack! so best not to get too dramatic! just walk away! weather also annoys them, they get really aggressive when bad weather is coming!

so once again the weather is to blame!!

missus cat

me too, I stood on a beehive when i was a kid. Had a swarm of them crawling all over my head stinging me. Im terrified of them.

Jesus Wept

I don't see why it's irrational, they attack and they sting.
Bees and wasps have become complete psychos over the years, people who say that they will leave you alone if you leave them alone are talking sh1te.

bringitdown

Same phobia here but not irrational ... was playing in the grass as a young lad, in shorts. Wasp managed to sting me where a young lad should never be stung.

Evil b'tards, I run away if I see them ... my mates think its hilarious ..

minister poxbottle

missus cat wrote: »

me too, I stood on a beehive when i was a kid. Had a swarm of them crawling all over my head stinging me. Im terrified of them.

maybe yer head looked like a hive ya know like de hairdo had a swarm of hornets attack when i was a kid :mad:

DOC09UNAM

A fear of Bee's is definitely not irrational...

Now my sister on the other hand, she is afraid of butterflies, that is an irrational fear.

as far as wasps go, meh, they're evil b*stards so I like to run away aswell.

oicherider

Hey.. Phobias are funny things.. they are an irrational response to a relatively harmless stimulus.. I hate (and I mean hate with a passion) wasps.. but I dont have a phobia of them.. I know this because I had a phobia of water - I made myself get over it.. It took me 3 years going to the pool before i conquered it.. But I managed it!

I think that phobias are all fairly the same.. water or wasps.. Your body for what ever reason responds to in an exagerated way to a percieved danger posed by wasps (as was the case with me with water).. It probably comes from something that happened or was said to you as a kid.. Your brain has built this in as a safety mechanism.. What you have to do is to re-train your subconscious so that it learns that the danger posed is very small..

The only way in my opinion that you can do this is to continuously expose yourself to the thing that causes your brain (and body) to react this way. You should start by making yourself look at the pics first of all.. With my water phobia this is the way that I approached it and it was mad because my body still reacted the same way but in my head I was dead calm - thinking logically.. Eventually (after a few weeks, months or years) your brain will learn that there is no danger and your body wont react.. then you move forward from there.. If you really want to, you will get over this but to be honest I dont think that there is any quick fix.. Small steps but keep pushing yourself and remembering that it is a case of mind over matter.. Re-train your subconsious and your body will react in they way that you will have thought it to.. Oh ya.. and I can swim and dive now!!.. It can be done if you are prepared for a little bit of hard work.. hope this helps.. The way the brain works is really interesting and you can do it if you decide and make yourself believe that you can!!

DOC09UNAM

I am afraid of heights, I think because i fell off a tree at a young age.


How do i solve this?!

LadyJ

DOC09UNAM wrote: »

I am afraid of heights, I think because i fell off a tree at a young age.


How do i solve this?!

Maybe open a new thread.... This one's about wasps. Thank you, come again!

worded

DOC09UNAM wrote: »

I am afraid of heights, I think because i fell off a tree at a young age.


How do i solve this?!

Were you stung by a wasp to make you fall off the tree?

If no, then > new thread required.

DOC09UNAM

worded wrote: »

Were you stung by a wasp to make you fall off the tree?

If no, then > new thread required.

Would have been funny if it was anyway original, you basically just read the post above you and changed some words.

Quite a shít and very unoriginal reply.

I was simply asking a question in a thread about phobias while there was someone who seemed to know about them, it's not against the law. sheeeesh.

bringitdown

Ladies please, mind your handbags.

....

Unless your handbags are full of wasps.

Mr Trade In

I kill every one of the flying bastards that I can,I am terrified of them and the moment I can they get a dose of Bleach or what ever I can get to destroy everyone of them.

terlywerly

I am absolutely terrified of wasps, they scare the sh1te out of me!! Am fine with bees as well. I think its when you see bees they are usually just sitting on flowers doing their thing, whereas wasps are just out to sting you, the fcukers!!
Have never been stung, but I'm always afraid that if I am, I'll be allergic or something (my mother is very allergic).
Did you never wonder why when you see cartoon drawings of bees they are always happy and smiling.
Can you imagine what a cartoon wasp would look like? Teeth like razor blades I tell you... :mad:

dlofnep

I used to be scared of wasps. Rightfully so - I got stung 3 times in the same day about 10 years ago. Now I'm not too bothered. Don't go at them and they'll not bother you. If they do, just trap them in a jam-jar and make them fight spiders.

OxfordComma

I'm pretty scared of wasps as well I've had a few bad experiences with them over the years. I got stung repeatedly one day when I was 4, stood on a wasp when I was 9 (it was really painful!), got trapped in a room with several wasps once when I was working, and recently found a wasp IN MY SHOE one morning. (Presumably it flew in the window or something, I don't know...)

I generally get pretty anxious whenever there's a wasp around and try to get away ASAP. I'm not as bad as I was as a youngster though. I don't mind bees at all, and I'm not scared of any other type of insect, I just don't like wasps! It's probably something I have to work on...

Ruana

Haven't checked this for a while but you guys have definitely made me feel better! I'm not alone! lol.

Anyway I made some progress today, I actually managed to stay still while a wasp buzzed around my legs (God knows why they do that?!?), go me! (Deep breaths!)

Thanks guys!

Ruana

dlofnep wrote: »

Don't go at them and they'll not bother you. If they do, just trap them in a jam-jar and make them fight spiders.

LOL (I'm not sure if that's inspired genius or animal cruelty though :eek:)

Ruana

The-Rigger wrote: »

people who say that they will leave you alone if you leave them alone are talking sh1te.

So true!:D

dlofnep

Ruana wrote: »

LOL (I'm not sure if that's inspired genius or animal cruelty though :eek:)

Just claim self defense

bullets

I stumbled across this thread by accident.

I'm 34 year old Male, Always terrified of Wasps
as a Kid and Teenager and even now I tend to freak out a little. I've no problem with Bees, Bumble Bee's etc, its specifically Wasps as they are far more agressive in following ya about the place and also the fact they can sting and not die afterwards unlike bees.

Bit embarrssing when your with friends outdoors and there are wasps about and I tend to move away or start walking in a circle away
from one, but the buddies would just bat it away with their hands (and there I am in the background thinking crap they are aggrivating it)

Also the worst must be if your on a Bus and you cant get away and there is a wasp or more than one wasp going up along the inside
of the windows of the bus and you cant avoid the thing.


Also have a phobia of needles, getting injections etc
I feel my blood run cold and inwardly panic and outwardly
stay calm emotionally but my body tenses up.

Somewhat related to the wasp as its more of I cant stand the thoughts of anything piercing my skin.
And its specifically Piercing rather than a cut or tear etc.
(Yet I've no issues getting a nettle sting and used to collect cactus plants and dont mind getting a jab off them)

I tend to remember events in my life where I've been stung or got jabbed.
I actually remember getting some sort of booster injection as a child in the arm.
I remember getting blood taken when I was about 7-8
a Tetnis shot after a bike accident at 15
19-20 getting two stings by a wasps in the one day, one on the hand and one in the back of the neck (it did not hurt)
in my 20's getting an injection to knock me out to remove my wisdom teeth
2 years ago getting a local anastetic in my big toe for an operation (that was pure hell for me)
Last week was in Hospital for a foot infection (The other Toe!) and had a bloody IV strapped to me for
most of the weekend.

~B

Rebel Boy

I'm scared ****less of wasps. Call me a wimp if you want, but I'm not ashamed to be scared of um. Only got stung twice, once was when I was about 10 r 11 cycling on my bike and got stung by my chest. The pain was vicious. Ever since then I tend to panic when I see a wasp near me

raveni

Always been scared to death of them meself, bees too though. The buzzing never fails to freak me out, and if one comes near me I'll run a mile:o Never been stung but like another poster said, I'd be worried if I was allergic and didn't know it...

trustno1

Rebel Boy wrote: »

cycling on my bus

You cycled a bus?!.. impressive..

I have an extreme phobia of wasps, I got stung in the ear on my way to school and I am still not over it. I don't wear perfume, don't have any flowers in the garden and I generally tend not to eat out doors if at all possible as I just keep running back in again!!.. horrible nasty little critters..

Rebel Boy

trustno1 wrote: »

You cycled a bus?!.. impressive..

I have an extreme phobia of wasps, I got stung in the ear on my way to school and I am still not over it. I don't wear perfume, don't have any flowers in the garden and I generally tend not to eat out doors if at all possible as I just keep running back in again!!.. horrible nasty little critters..

I ment to say bike

Ruana

bullets wrote: »

Also the worst must be if your on a Bus and you cant get away and there is a wasp or more than one wasp going up along the inside
of the windows of the bus and you cant avoid the thing.

~B

I remember years ago my old school bus once drove through a swarm of them at a roundabout. They were high enough up for the cars to drive under them but of course the bus was just the right height and all the windows on the roof were open as it was a warm day. Cue lots of screaming teenagers and files being used as weapons for the next 5 mins to kill the little brutes that had managed to get in. That was not a good day...:(:D

Jeboa Safari

Have the same thing, make a holy show of myself sometimes when any come near me!

deise go deo

I used to be terrified by wasps, bees thoes freackish evil looking horseflies etc. I got stung on the chin when I was 6, Not pleasent. For about 10 years after that I couldent stand being near them, going to amusment parks became a chore because all tne bins would have wasps around them and where I lived there was a nest of bees only 50 yards from the front door, At least once every summer they would go mental and they'd be everywhere. I just had to stay inside on those days:mad:.

However when I was 16 I started working on a bulding site driving a roler. Every now and then a wasp would wander into the cab. My whole body would tence up and Because I couldent stop and get out(even though I really wanted to) I would just do every thing I could to get them out without getting stung. One day I realised I was just being stupid. When one came into the cap I forced my self to stay calm. I made myself look at the wasp who was just sitting on the dash minding his own buisness and he eventually flew off out the window. I was sooo prowed of myself for not panicing. From then on it just became easier and now I largly just ignore them.:)

raveni

deise go deo wrote: »

From then on it just became easier and now I largly just ignore them.:)

Ah cool, there's hope for us all:D

Bottle_of_Smoke

The-Rigger wrote: »

I don't see why it's irrational, they attack and they sting.
Bees and wasps have become complete psychos over the years, people who say that they will leave you alone if you leave them alone are talking sh1te.

They panic me a bit but the only time I've ever been stung by one was when I was three and I closed my fist around it(god knows why I reacted that way really)

Reality is if you don't aggravate them they won't sting. I know this is easier said than done but if they fly near you you're best off just keeping still

davidhealion

Ruana wrote: »

Hey, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on how to get over this stupid phobia I have. It's getting near Summer again and I don't want to spend half of it being permanently on alert and/or running away from something only half the size of my little finger! Has anyone had a fear of wasps or bees and managed to get over it?

I've had this irrational fear ever since I was a little girl and I mean it is a proper phobia, I actually shiver and go and cold if I see one and tend to make a run for it if one comes too close (I mean it's a bit undignified for a 24 yr old ) I can't even look at pictures of a wasp! (For some reason bees are fine though, I can cope with bees )

Help!

hey..i have the same phobia..its called sphecksaphobia..only i have a rational fear..i was stung in my rite ear drum and mouth at the same time wen i was a kid..i have similar symptoms (cold and sweaty) so i can sympathise...i dont have ne remedies tho..

BloodRedRose

When I was younger, in first class i think. It was a really warm summers day. My class was standing in line waiting to go inside when a wasp came over. There was pandamoniem(I don't think that's spelt right), everyone started screaming and flailing their arms. I stepped out of the line but the wasp followed me and started flying around my face. I froze. My grandfather had told me time and time again ''If you don't hurt them they won't hurt you'' and ''stay still and they just fly away''.
Then it landed. I think I went into shock. I couldn't move. My whole class gasped and i saw looks of shock and horror on there faces which scared me even more.
The wasp walked around my face for what felt like hours but must have been a few minutes before the teacher started waving something at my face and it flew off.
I didn't like wasps before then and was petrified after. I think the best thing is to stay still and get them to go away with some that won't panic them like wind.
Sorry it's so long...:p

sopick

just stay still and it will buzz off

anthonymax

Sorry but just staying still and minding your own business doesn't mean they won't sting you! I am petrified of them and have been known to run from my car and leave my own kids in it if a wasp comes in (yes I am ashamed of myself!).

I was standing in a queue for ice cream with said kids this summer,and a wasp landed on the back of my leg and stung me. I didn't even know it was there,so it certainly can't be said that they won't sting you if you leave them alone! Pandemonium ensued needless to say. The lady in front of me actually asked me if I wanted an ambulance,I made that much of a fuss. She thought I was allergic (I'm not). Come to think of it she was a very nice lady,considering I almost kicked over her baby's buggy!

deise go deo

anthonymax wrote: »

Sorry but just staying still and minding your own business doesn't mean they won't sting you! I am petrified of them and have been known to run from my car and leave my own kids in it if a wasp comes in (yes I am ashamed of myself!).

A wasp wont sting you unless it feels threatned, You may not have realised it but you probably did something the scare the wasp, If you see a wasp then just ignore it and it will go away, Iv never heard of a wasp just going and stinging someone for no reason, it dosent make sence for them to do that as it leaves them temporarily defenceless while they build up more venom

Wild Rover

deise go deo wrote: »

A wasp wont sting you unless it feels threatned, You may not have realised it but you probably did something the scare the wasp, If you see a wasp then just ignore it and it will go away, Iv never heard of a wasp just going and stinging someone for no reason, it dosent make sence for them to do that as it leaves them temporarily defenceless while they build up more venom

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you on this one - I've got stung once before in my neck by a wasp while driving my car and I didnt even know he was in it, so there's no way I could have threatened him. He must have been on the back window or something when I got in and I didnt see him. So they do sting without being threatened, i just dont know why!!

anthonymax

deise go deo wrote: »

A wasp wont sting you unless it feels threatned, You may not have realised it but you probably did something the scare the wasp, If you see a wasp then just ignore it and it will go away, Iv never heard of a wasp just going and stinging someone for no reason, it dosent make sence for them to do that as it leaves them temporarily defenceless while they build up more venom

Well you've heard of it happening now!!:D

No seriously,even if you're right and I unintentionally threatened it,doesn't that undermine all the normal advice given to people scared of wasps? I was literally standing still in a queue and it stung the back of my leg,what I did to scare it I don't know,therefore anyone can be standing anywhere at any time doing nothing and this can scare a wasp enough for it to sting you??

Bottle_of_Smoke

Wild Rover wrote: »

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you on this one - I've got stung once before in my neck by a wasp while driving my car and I didnt even know he was in it, so there's no way I could have threatened him. He must have been on the back window or something when I got in and I didnt see him. So they do sting without being threatened, i just dont know why!!

You didn't intentionally threaten it but you may have moved your neck and put it in an uncomfortable position which the wasp perceived as a threat and stung you.

Why on earth would a wasp attack something far bigger than itself which is not a food source?

funkyjebus

Im male, 27 and 6.5" and im afria do the fecker too. so either your fine or im f**ked.

anthonymax

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

You didn't intentionally threaten it but you may have moved your neck and put it in an uncomfortable position which the wasp perceived as a threat and stung you.

Why on earth would a wasp attack something far bigger than itself which is not a food source?

EXACTLY!!!

No matter what we do we scare wasps unintentionally so. Therefore,it is no good saying to someone who is scared, "just stand still,they won't go near ya". Because,as in my case and some of the other posters,standing still minding your own business can still make a wasp feel threatened and it will STING you.

Sponge Bob

They are dirty dirty feckers but most times they don't sting any worse than a nettle does. However some people get allergic reactions. Best thing to do is allow yourself to get stung and you know there is no problem.

Ruana

anthonymax wrote: »

EXACTLY!!!

No matter what we do we scare wasps unintentionally so. Therefore,it is no good saying to someone who is scared, "just stand still,they won't go near ya". Because,as in my case and some of the other posters,standing still minding your own business can still make a wasp feel threatened and it will STING you.

Am really starting to think that some wasps are just grumply little b*uggers and will just sting you regardless if you move a miniscule amount (as opposed to swatting them etc).

James Jones

Ruana wrote: »

Hey, I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on how to get over this stupid phobia I have. It's getting near Summer again and I don't want to spend half of it being permanently on alert and/or running away from something only half the size of my little finger! Has anyone had a fear of wasps or bees and managed to get over it?

I've had this irrational fear ever since I was a little girl and I mean it is a proper phobia, I actually shiver and go and cold if I see one and tend to make a run for it if one comes too close (I mean it's a bit undignified for a 24 yr old ) I can't even look at pictures of a wasp! (For some reason bees are fine though, I can cope with bees )

Help!

Carry a can of flykiller in your handbag and use it like Mace. Once you've killed a few of them, you'lll become more confident knowing the flykiller is in your bag. In fact, you'll probably begin to enjoy killing them cos its so easy and you'll end up looking for them:D

My daughter was petrified of spiders and really scared of wasps until I showed her on caught in a web. The spider killed it by wrapping it continuously in silk for about 2 minutes. She now thinks spiders are her friends and that wasps aren't so scary after all!

lmaopml

Agree with posters who say that wasps can sometimes sting for no reason. We were on holidays last year ( In Ireland ) and there was a particularly bad outbreak of wasps where we stayed......One night we were sitting there minding our own business when one just flew in and stung by brother in law for no reason, he didn't even see it, it just landed on him and decided to sink some venom in......bleugh. He 'screamed' ( high pitched ) hehe, which was funny afterwards, but not at the time...

I hate them, I actually kept the patio doors locked lastyear in the piping heat during the summer because we had so many wasps that came indoors - more than usual..I couldn't open anything 'sweet' without one coming in to dart around, and then I'd have to evacuate the kids from the room and wait till the feckers left....

I don't mind the bees so much, but wasps freak me out - not to mention it's embarrassing for the whole family when I sprint 20yards mid conversation waving my hands like a maniac out of the blue I spent my whole holidays acting like a freak last year...One minute my hubby and I would be chatting away and the next I'd be down the road 'saving myself'...

There are dumb wasps that just buzz around something sweet or whatever and have no interest in you - but there are definitely 'brainy' :eek:wasps too...brainy and aggressive darting types that follow you when you run, or just land on you to 'test' you and see if you'll run - They're the ones that scare me...

I just want them to eff off, and I don't want to be tested at all....

Somebody suggested a 'Jam Jar' with water in it and some jam around the edges down the end of the back garden last year - but I was too afraid it would draw billions of them to my garden

James Jones

Then try the fly-killer.
Sit back, relax, take aim and SPRAY.
Just a little dart is enough.

scopper

I have always feared wasps (and bees for that matter - amazed most people can differentiate them most of the time) and I'm not sure why. I can't recall any major episode as a kid where I was stung although I do remember even fearing them as a small kid. When I moved to Germany I simply had to stop being so scared because where I live (sunny South) they are a constant presence - there are even hornets :eek:

Anyway I have never lost the fear just because they are so common and I did finally get stung as an adult recently. It really fuggin' hurts. I was walking across the road, didn't even notice/feel any wasps, and then in the back of my neck a sharp pain like someone had stabbed me. Not sure how it happened but I had to wear a plaster to cover the swolleness for about 2 weeks. I hate 'em but I sort of know now that if they do get you it is a second or two of pain and then just a small bit of swollen skin. Worse things can happen.

nesbitt

I have a fear of wasps and control it mostly now. I was stung on the mouth when having a picnic as a small child and my parents think this was the trigger.

There has in my view been a decline in the wasp population where I live so that is great for me.

My eldest child when about 4 went absolutely nuts when a wasp started buzzing around when we were out for lunch. Some other adults thought this was hilarious.... I had to take charge, calm her down and over come my own fear all in that moment. Afterward the episode I gave them a dressing down for being so heartless and mean to a frightened little girl.

However after getting a fright with a wasp in the car while driving, very dangerous and nearly crashed. In summer I use the AC and never leave the windows down.

You may not overcome a phobia but sometimes when you have another person to help too you have to be brave and pretend that all is okay and you can then 'get over your fear'.