The fear of bugs or fear of insects is known as Entomophobia or Acarophobia . The word Entomophobia comes from Greek entomos meaning insects and phobos which means deep dread or fear. Acarophobia is derived from Latin Acaro which means ‘mites’.
Do you have any phobias? I’m not a big fan of heights or water, but let me tell you what! I absolutely HATE bugs. They have too many legs, too many antennas, and they are just creepy and crawly EWW! Don’t ask me why I thought it was a good idea, but I compiled a list of 12 scary bugs that are absolutely terrifying. And these ones gave me the heebee-jeebeeis! I probably won’t be sleeping too much tonight after seeing these. Just remember, I warned you!
1. This is the Africanised Honey Bee. Bees aren’t always scary, but what makes these guys different is that they weren’t created in nature. No, they were created when a scientist (an evil one in my opinion) decided to cross a honey bee with African Bee. Who thought that was a good idea? Not only are they man-made, they will stalk you! There is no ‘out-running’ them.
2. These little guys are known as Army Ants. There are so many ants in the world that they actual outweigh humans! How’s that for something to think about! In some colonies, there can be so many Army Ants that they are able to eat snacks and other animals because they’ll swarm and overwhelm the animal. They’ll use their pincers to rip the animal apart and then dissolve them in acid.
3. And you thought the Africanised Honey Bee was scary, how about this Asian Giant Hornet? I don’t like the sound of Giant and Hornet being in the same description. These hornets can get up to 2 inches long with a wingspan of 3 inches. That is way too big for my liking! Not only are they HUGE, their venom is strong enough to disintegrate human flesh.
4. This Atlas Beetle looks like something you’d find in a dinosaur museum. They are one of the biggest beetles, sometimes measuring up to 6 inches long, with their horns making up 1/3 of their body. This bug isn’t necessarily the fastest or most deadly of the ones listed, but I would not want to see this anywhere near me!
5. But it’s so fluffy and cute! Don’t let these Bot Flies fool you! They like to lay their eggs in living flesh, and when they hatch they burrow out of your skin. How disgusting!
6. This is a Camel Spider which are found all over North Africa and the Middle East. Luckily these nasty looking spiders are not deadly, but their bite packs a punch! You probably have seen these spiders in some pictures taken with American military troops, as they were hiding in their boots while serving in the Middle East.
7. This one is HORRIBLE and will give me nightmares for many nights to come. This is the Goliath Spider, or as you can see in the picture, the Goliath Bird Eater Tarantula! They trap their prey by making a web over their burrow, so they can sense when an animal goes over it. These spiders can have a leg span of 12 inches! That’s right, the length of a 12-inch ruler! Not only are they long, they have fangs that can be up to 1 inch long. Rumor has it that their bite isn’t that bad though. I don’t think I want to find out.
8. This is the Cicada. They have incredibly long life cycles upwards of 17 years! A bug that lives for 17 years! CRAZY! While cicadas are harmless, they travel in swarms. They won’t bite you, but they’ll land on you using their spiky legs, then try to lay eggs in you because they mistake you for a tree. I guess if you see a swarm of cicadas, run!
9. I’m not really liking the looks of this Curved Spiny Spider. Their bodies are small but look at those horns! Luckily they are harmless and reside in Southeast Asia, but I would not want to see one of these hanging out in my backyard!
10. Hold up! Is this Giant Orb Weaver Spider eating a bird?!? No! No! And more no! These spiders are found in Australia and get to be as big as a human hand. These things are massive and poisonous. I hate everything about this spider!
11. I think it’s safe to say I hate anything with more than 4 legs. I’m okay with that. Even when I come across a small centipede I freak out, but I can’t imagine coming across the Amazonian Giant Centipede. They can get up to a foot long! They have venom in their front pincers, but luckily it’s not strong enough to kill a human. I’m sure it doesn’t feel good to get bitten by one though. Even though they can’t kill a human, do they enjoy eating birds, rodents, bats, and other small animals.
12. This can’t be real. The Saddleback Caterpillar looks like a little stuffed animal wearing a shirt that you’d have resting on a shelf. Don’t be fooled by all of their cuteness! Those little spiky hairs are covered in venom, and they will arch their back if touched to get even more hairs in contact with your skin. I think the closest I want to get to these guys is this picture!
After seeing these 12 scary bugs, hopefully you’ll understand my fear of bugs just a little bit more. It’s hard to believe that some of these 12 bugs aren’t necessarily harmful to humans, because they definitely look terrifying. I think with any of these, if I saw one, I’d go running the opposite way.