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izzle13

- 4 months ago

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Why are we so afraid of bugs?

The majority of people I know are scared stiff by some type of insect. In my case : spiders. Considering the fact that they are so much smaller than us, and possibly just as scared, if not more, why do you think we have the reflex to swat and avoid them?

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Only afraid of bees and hornets because I'm very allergic to their stings. Would like to avoid mosquitos spreading malaria and other diseases. Should I take down spider webs or allow my home to look like a haunted house?

I can't really say that I'm "scared stiff" by inscets, but I'm not very fond of them. I don't like the fact that they are so tiny but can do damage to someone a million times their size. Can you imagine what they could do if they were our size?

Some people are allergic to bees and wasps. The strangest phone call I have ever received was from the neighbor man across the street who called to tell me he witnessed a green hornet on its way from his house to mine and was hoping I'd destroy its home. He told me to search my lawn for 1/2" wide holes and pour bug killer down them. He told me he has an allergy; however, I did not do what he asked because I don't poison my lawn and its environment, plus the plants around here need more pollinators, not less.

Ehp-ehp-ehp-ehp! "We" aren't afraid of bugs, youuuu are. If you think about it, almost NONE of them are harmful and there are a few that are a mild annoyance like fire ants and bees but that's ONLY if you freakout like some kind of an idiot because those bugs only sting threats.

But humans don't work that way, it's easier for us to avoid discriminating between bugs and just fear them all. A couple of spiders can kill you, so can that fly that gives you the sleeping sickness. That's why we're so afraid. And then there's that sense of being violated when these creatures crawl up your leg and cause that unwanted tickling (hence why people tend cite "hairiness" when speaking about their fear of spiders)... Sounds almost like a sexual thing, but I dunno. I'm not afraid of these things. However I AM afraid of black widows and hobo spiders because those things can potentially kill you or, in the very least, ruin your day. The other spiders and bugs in my state are pretty harmless. I'd rather be friends as opposed to impressing a horrible end on them by squishing'em 'till their insides are on their outsides

I don't know that we are "so afraid" of bugs, but I do think we evolved a natural tendency to avoid some insects, because many bite and spread disease or have poison stings. If I see a bee, I don't run screaming, but I do tend to give it a reasonable amount of leeway. I actively swat mosquitoes, and I am careful of spiders. I expect that we tend to avoid bugs because of the potential dangers. If there is any doubt in your mind if this is the case, ask yourself: "Am I afraid of butterflies or ladybugs? How about tiny black ants?"

If you have a phobia related to bugs, then most likely you experienced a bug-related incident in early life that led you to adopt a threat-avoidance tactic.

I know some people who were bitten early in their lives by dogs. Now, I don't think that in the world of human-dog interactions, dog bites are very common but for those who were bitten early in life by a dog, they FEEL as though the spectrum of human-dog interactions is primarily dog bites. This is an adaptive response to an early threat.

So for those of you who feel "so afraid" of bugs, it is most likely that you had an unfortunate early experience and we tend to maintain the defense mechanisms established early in life.

It's funny because I wonder this a lot. But I suppose different people just have different fears. I am afraid of sheep for some bizarre, unknown reason.

On a semi-related note, I found a bug in my house this morning and picked it up to let it out. I think I did more harm than good. I dropped the bug twice and as I got outside, the bug had a death grip on the paper towel. When I finally got it loose, it just layed on the ground. Yikes! At least I tried!

Some fears are learned but that doesn't explain the vast difference between my brother and me who grew up in the same environment. My family lived in the country when we were growing up there were bugs, reptiles, wildlife all around us and our parents never responded with fear to them. Bugs don't bother me but my younger brother has a phobic fear of spiders for some reason. I'm not sure why.

If you look at an insects movement, it looks so...unlifelike, like it's almost a robot put inside of a fleshy body. Just look at a spider weave its web and you'll see what I mean. It's creepy because they're crawly and filled with so many appendages and not to mention antennae. Just looking from left to right over and over again.

Bugs kill people.It's a fear we had since ancients times ,and it's a good fear ,for keeping us alive.

I'm terrified of spiders.. but whatever, I'm Australian. o.O
A few weeks ago though I saw some children trying to torture/kill a spider, which made me sad.. and I picked it up and carried it to safety to prove a point. shudder
I think as repulsive as I happen to find them, they are still a part of Gods creation, and deserve to be here just as much as we do!

Bugs = Hemiptera, a large order of insects having sucking or piercing mouthparts specialized as a beak (rostrum). The group is divided into the suborders Homoptera (aphids, cicadas, etc) and Heteroptera (water bugs, bedbugs, etc)

people like ladybugs but not wasps
and spiders (only very loosely definable as bugs) scare people because they remind them of hairy human p***y -
(Freud says so, so it must be true)

I think this may explain the modern hideous trend towards shaving pubic hair entirely...

bugs are f****n' cool....

'Cause they're f****n' gross lol.

Im scared of some of them, but I find alot of them interesting. I remember when I was a kid instead of playing in the swings during recess, I would go out into the tall grass fields and pick up lady bugs, I would count their dots and guess their age then let them fly away. I liked how they climbed up to the tip of my finger to fly away..Good times...Good times.

Eek! They sneak up on you and are usually extremely quiet! I was taking a nap this Fall and felt a tickle on my arm and must have bent my arm reflexively and then was stung by a Paper Wasp! Man that hurt and months later, I still have a scar the size of a pea.

I don't mess with pollinating critters and try not to mess with any of them, but spiders, well, if they leave me alone or are removed to about a mile away, I am okay, otherwise... I can not promise what my response will be... argh

I am not afraid of any type of bug, insect, or spider. I find them fascinating and will help them find their way outdoors. The only ones I kill are cockroaches, fleas, mosquitoes, and flies if I find them in my house. I leave spiders be but remove their indoor webs.

Also, spiders aren't insects, they're arachnids.

I should add that I also find insects fascinating and the other things I said should not be taken as a call to wantonly kill them. While mosquitoes may hunt you down to suck your blood, bees, spiders, and most others are perfectly content to leave people well enough alone. If you respect their boundaries, they pose a minimal threat.

Many species of arthropods are perfectly capable of killing a person, so the fear isn't entirely irrational. We probably have the reflex to swat and avoid them because many of the species that stick close to humans are potentially dangerous: ants, bees, wasps, and hornets are all potentially lethal if someone is allergic, and even if you aren't allergic, they hurt like hell. At least two species of spiders have bites that are potentially fatal to people. Mosquitoes, ticks, and tsetse flies are parasitic on humans, and all are potential carriers of very dangerous microorganisms that can kill you. Even regular house flies and cockroaches are breeding grounds of bacteria.

People seem to be afraid of things they do not understand. A honey bee is the big reason we have food but it dies in defense of it's world. It won't die if you respect it. A bumble bee stings you and lives, but it will not sting you without reason. When my daughter at toddler age walked from deep in the back yard to me and held out her closed hand, she asked me what was wrong with ''it'' She opened her hand and we both watched in amazement as a bumble bee quietly flew away,

Do you want to feel like a god. let them live. They want to live too. Read about them. You'll be amazed.

@izzle13

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SoulPancake

izzle13

Why are we so afraid of bugs?

onkey

Only afraid of bees and hornets because I'm very allergic to their stings. Would like to avoid mosquitos spreading malaria and other diseases. Should I take down spider webs or allow my home to look like a haunted house?

britnee

I can't really say that I'm "scared stiff" by inscets, but I'm not very fond of them. I don't like the fact that they are so tiny but can do damage to someone a million times their size. Can you imagine what they could do if they were our size?

4Laine

NotNuerotypical

zamfir

superbill27

Novelist65

DanielPotashov

DanNova

Bugs kill people.It's a fear we had since ancients times ,and it's a good fear ,for keeping us alive.

givepeasachance

flashbanding

Auroleus_Bombastus

bugs are f****n' cool....

Pequena

'Cause they're f****n' gross lol.

robitie_recall

RosieFullyRiveted

4Laine

I am not afraid of any type of bug, insect, or spider. I find them fascinating and will help them find their way outdoors. The only ones I kill are cockroaches, fleas, mosquitoes, and flies if I find them in my house. I leave spiders be but remove their indoor webs.

theknowledgeninja

Also, spiders aren't insects, they're arachnids.

theknowledgeninja

theknowledgeninja

watching

Why are we so afraid of bugs?

Only afraid of bees and hornets because I'm very allergic to their stings. Would like to avoid mosquitos spreading malaria and other diseases. Should I take down spider webs or allow my home to look like a haunted house?

I can't really say that I'm "scared stiff" by inscets, but I'm not very fond of them. I don't like the fact that they are so tiny but can do damage to someone a million times their size. Can you imagine what they could do if they were our size?

Bugs kill people.It's a fear we had since ancients times ,and it's a good fear ,for keeping us alive.

bugs are f****n' cool....

'Cause they're f****n' gross lol.

I am not afraid of any type of bug, insect, or spider. I find them fascinating and will help them find their way outdoors. The only ones I kill are cockroaches, fleas, mosquitoes, and flies if I find them in my house. I leave spiders be but remove their indoor webs.

Also, spiders aren't insects, they're arachnids.

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