Entomophobia, the Fear of Bugs or Insects

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsIs It an Insect Phobia, or Something Else?Fear of ContaminationFear of Being BittenFear of InfestationOvercoming a Fear of Insects

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Is It an Insect Phobia, or Something Else?

Fear of Contamination

Fear of Being Bitten

Fear of Infestation

Overcoming a Fear of Insects

Entomophobia, sometimes known as insectophobia, is the fear of insects. In general, feelings of fear or disgust around insects is relatively common in the US, particularly in urban areas where coming into contact with bugs is relatively infrequent because of the lack of interaction with nature.

When we are trying our best to keep our homes and ourselves clean, insects can feel like an invading force trying to ruin our attempts at a pristine life. It may feel like a reflection on our own inability to manage our personal space. And if you find yourself in nature and aren’t used to the outdoors, the prevalence of insects can truly come as a shock. All of these factors can contribute to a fear of insects.

Although they are not technically insects, thefear of spidersis one of the most prevalent forms of entomophobia.Other commonly feared bugs includebees, ants, cockroaches, flies, andbutterflies and moths. Many people fear “bugs” in general, reacting in panic to any insect or related creature that crosses their path.

The DSM-5-TR lays out specific criteria for diagnosing aspecific phobia. Prevalence of specific phobias in general is estimated to be around 10% of the adult population, so clinical diagnoses of something like entomophobia are quite rare.

At a Glance

With apologies to the insect-lovers out there, most of us do not like bugs. They sting, they bite, they sneak into our homes, touch our food, some of them smell, and a lot of them are objectively pretty disgusting. But that dislike only rises to the level of entomophobia when insects inspire feelings of excessive panic, disgust, and anxiety that drastically affect your daily life.

Like many phobias, a fear of insects may be tied to more specific aspects of the object—bugs, in this case—that we respond to negatively. For example, a fear of doctors may actually be a fear of needles. An insect phobia can work the same way. Honing in on the specific trigger of your fear can help overcome it.

Here are some examples of insect-adjacent triggers that may be at the root of some cases of entomophobia.

A variety of research has shown that we react more strongly to creatures that we find disgusting than we do to animals that may actually be more inherently dangerous.You’ve probably called a bear cute or cuddly at some point in your life—but it’s probably worse to have in your house than a fly, for example. That doesn’t mean you’ll respond any more positively to a fly, though.

The vast majority of insect bites or stings cause little more than an annoyance, and most fears of being bitten are out of proportion to the risks.

Some people worry about their homes or bodies becoming infested with bugs. According to an article in theCultural Entomology Digest, people with this fear often bring items that they believe to be bugs to pest control or medical professionals. These specimens, gathered around the house, often turn out to be bits of lint, scabs or dust, rather than the feared bugs.

Researcher Phillip Weinstein points out that infestation fears may be indicative ofdelusional thoughtsrather than a simple phobia. It is up to a mental health professional to carefully analyze the your thoughts and behaviors in order to accurately diagnose and treat the issue.

The fear of insects is relatively common but does not need to take over your life. The fear responds well to a variety of short-term behavioral treatment methods. With a bit of hard work, you can beat even the most stubborn entomophobia.

That was, essentially, a form of exposure therapy that helped me learn that the linguini salad was nothing to be scared of. In a true therapeutic setting, there are a number of different techniques to help expose you to the fear object in asafe spaceto help you learn strategies for facing and ultimately overcoming your fear.

If your fear of insects significantly impacts your daily life, a therapist can help put together a treatment plan that is comfortable for you. And if your phobia is connected to a different mental health condition such as anxiety or OCD, treating that condition with a mix of therapy and potentially medication can help reduce your fears.

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hoffman YSG, Pitcho-prelorentzos S, Ring L, Ben-ezra M.“Spidey Can”: Preliminary Evidence Showing Arachnophobia Symptom Reduction Due to Superhero Movie Exposure.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:354. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyt.2019.00354National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Lange I, Goossens L, Leibold N, et al.Brain and behavior changes following exposure therapy predict outcome at 8-year follow-up.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(4):238-240. doi:10.1159/000442292Polák J, Rádlová S, Janovcová M, Flegr J, Landová E, Frynta D.Scary and nasty beasts: Self-reported fear and disgust of common phobic animals.Br J Psychol. 2019. doi:10.1111/bjop.12409Weinstein, Phillip. “Insects in Psychiatry.“Cultural Entomology Digest. Issue 2.Additional ReadingUQ News Online. The University of Queensland. “Researchers Unlock Snake and Spider Mystery.” March 7, 2008.Davey, Graham. “Why I Study…Disgust.“The Psychologist. 17:6. June 2004.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hoffman YSG, Pitcho-prelorentzos S, Ring L, Ben-ezra M.“Spidey Can”: Preliminary Evidence Showing Arachnophobia Symptom Reduction Due to Superhero Movie Exposure.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:354. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyt.2019.00354National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Lange I, Goossens L, Leibold N, et al.Brain and behavior changes following exposure therapy predict outcome at 8-year follow-up.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(4):238-240. doi:10.1159/000442292Polák J, Rádlová S, Janovcová M, Flegr J, Landová E, Frynta D.Scary and nasty beasts: Self-reported fear and disgust of common phobic animals.Br J Psychol. 2019. doi:10.1111/bjop.12409Weinstein, Phillip. “Insects in Psychiatry.“Cultural Entomology Digest. Issue 2.Additional ReadingUQ News Online. The University of Queensland. “Researchers Unlock Snake and Spider Mystery.” March 7, 2008.Davey, Graham. “Why I Study…Disgust.“The Psychologist. 17:6. June 2004.

Hoffman YSG, Pitcho-prelorentzos S, Ring L, Ben-ezra M.“Spidey Can”: Preliminary Evidence Showing Arachnophobia Symptom Reduction Due to Superhero Movie Exposure.Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:354. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyt.2019.00354National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.Lange I, Goossens L, Leibold N, et al.Brain and behavior changes following exposure therapy predict outcome at 8-year follow-up.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(4):238-240. doi:10.1159/000442292Polák J, Rádlová S, Janovcová M, Flegr J, Landová E, Frynta D.Scary and nasty beasts: Self-reported fear and disgust of common phobic animals.Br J Psychol. 2019. doi:10.1111/bjop.12409Weinstein, Phillip. “Insects in Psychiatry.“Cultural Entomology Digest. Issue 2.

National Institute of Mental Health.Specific phobia.

Lange I, Goossens L, Leibold N, et al.Brain and behavior changes following exposure therapy predict outcome at 8-year follow-up.Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(4):238-240. doi:10.1159/000442292

Polák J, Rádlová S, Janovcová M, Flegr J, Landová E, Frynta D.Scary and nasty beasts: Self-reported fear and disgust of common phobic animals.Br J Psychol. 2019. doi:10.1111/bjop.12409

Weinstein, Phillip. “Insects in Psychiatry.“Cultural Entomology Digest. Issue 2.

UQ News Online. The University of Queensland. “Researchers Unlock Snake and Spider Mystery.” March 7, 2008.Davey, Graham. “Why I Study…Disgust.“The Psychologist. 17:6. June 2004.

UQ News Online. The University of Queensland. “Researchers Unlock Snake and Spider Mystery.” March 7, 2008.

Nick Ingalls, MA

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