Fear of bees

Exposure therapy is an effective treatment for fear of bees and other specific phobias.

Relative to other bees, they are more easily provoked and will chase humans over long distances.

[8] Fear of Africanized bees in the United States can play on xenophobia, as they embody the concept of a threat emerging from Africa and traveling through Latin America.

[16] People may be less likely to fear bumblebees relative to other bees, as they can be perceived as cuter and they are less likely to sting.

[17] Fearing an insect for its sting is learned behavior rather than instinctive,[9][18] and bee phobias most commonly develop in childhood.

[1] Fear of bees can affect a person's ability to enjoy time spent outdoors.

[5] Fear of bees also results in legal restrictions on beekeeping, especially in urban areas.

[27] In African folklore, swarms of bees are seen as punishments sent by an enemy with the assistance of a witch doctor.

[28] The Ancient Chinese similarly knew feng (bees and wasps) for their stings and considered them bad omens.

[30] The Breton, Cornish, and Welsh words for bee (gwenanenn, gwenenen, and gwenyen, respectively) refer to its sting.

[6] The spread of Africanized bees to the United States caused a panic in the country beginning in the late 1970s.