How to Overcome a Fear of Bees

Bees fulfill an important role in ecosystems that contain flowering plants. Not only do bees help enable fertilization and sexual reproduction in plants through a process called pollination, but they also produce honey and beeswax. To be fearful of this generally passive insect is for the most part unwarranted, as misinformation and erroneous hearsay oftentimes lead people to come to false conclusions.

Facts

• Learning important facts about bees can alleviate fears rooted in misinformation or erroneous hearsay. Most of the roughly 20,000 known bee species are non-aggressive in nature when undisturbed. Many bee species cannot even sting. For example, the drone honeybee is born without a stinger and cannot cause humans any harm. Although worker bees are equipped with stingers, they usually do not resort to using them unless they feel agitated or disturbed. Therefore, if a bee is flying in your vicinity, try your best to remain calm. Attacking the bee and trying to kill it may be what ends up getting you stung. A single bee sting can be painful but is generally not a threat to your life. It can be deadly, however, for those with allergies to Apitoxin (honey bee venom). Getting checked for an allergy to Apitoxin is the best preventative measure and most reassuring way to reduce fear when around a bee.

Myths

• Bees do not hunt in packs. Some live solitary lives while others live in beehive communities. In a community, bees are usually assigned different roles and are too busy to hunt in teams. In fact, bees do not hunt humans at all. They only sting when they, or their beehive, is in direct harm's way. Africanized bees, also known as Killer Bees, do not actually kill people. Their sting is no worse than a regular honeybee's. What lands them in a separate category is their behavior. They are generally more aggressive than honeybees. In order to alleviate fear of such bees, you should become acquainted with their appearance. Knowledge is pivotal when knowing how to prepare or even confront a bee that happens to be flying in the vicinity.

Face Your Fear

• The best way to beat your fear is to confront it. Try going to a park and seeing if your new knowledge can make it easier for you to co-exist with bees without feeling fearful. Take a blanket and sit in the grass. You will most likely notice bees diligently working to pollinate flowers within a couple of minutes. You will also notice that they will not pay much attention to you unless you provoke them in some way. Remain calm and watch them closely. You will notice that after they leave a flower, they will simply fly to the next. If you can manage doing this and keeping your cool, your fear of bees will have been conquered.