Wasp phobia, slightly odd. Help

[dinoice]

So, I need help.

I can deal with most things I dislike. Spiders. Frogs. Move a snake. Blah blah.

but. I am absolutely terrified of wasps. Twice as a child I was stung and ended up in hospital. However they are unclear if the collapse was fear or shock. I am 40 odd now.

j have four wee ones. Wasps appear and I absolutely freak. They are doing the same. I threw up yesterday and kept them all in.

the stupid part. I love bees. I have hives. I make honey. Bees have a purpose. And won’t sting me unless I upset them.

to me wasps are just like mini psychopaths.

how on earth do I get by this. Without making four children scream louder than me. Any tips?

No advice I'm afraid but I feel the same. I don't have children yet but I need to sort it out as I'm pretty sure I'd sacrifice my own child in order to get away from a wasp 😬

You could use insect killer spray. Wasps do have a purpose, they are pollinators. I agree bees are much nicer!

Wasps are pollinators. I think they also eat dead insects? So that's another helpful thing they do.
Nothing is without a purpose, it all fits together
Wasps are a massive pain in the arse, though

Sounds mad, but have you got a bit of fruit you can throw out? If you've got a shed roof or a garage roof close by to your house, chuck a few sultanas on top. of the roof, or maybe a few bits of chopped up apple. (A bag of mixed fruit or sultanas will be cheaper and there's 100s in there!) Basically throw it where no-one will walk past or pass!

I actually dropped a bit of fruit on the driveway accidentally the other week, and within about 10 minutes there were about 25 wasps all around the 10 or so bits of sultana. BINGO. The wasps weren't bothering anybody in the garden now. They were too focused on munching on this fruit.

So now, I just chuck 7 or 8 bits of fruit (sultanas or mixed fruit,) every dau in July and August, in a safe part of the garden where nobody goes, and the wasps keep them away from us! Not 100% of the wasps in your garden will be there munching the fruit, but most will be.

Every DAY not every 'dau!'

I feed them with a saucer of jam. They don't bother anyone and don't even come into the kitchen. Never had any problems with them, even when we had a nest underneath the shed.

Can't help I'm afraid but I feel exactly the same. I am absolutely petrified of the buzzy little fuckers!

Not a scared of bees although they do make me a little nervous but wasps.... no just no.

When my DS was a baby I once left him in his high chair in the kitchen, covered in ice cream with a wasp buzzing around him. I just scarpered....

I wish I could help but I feel exactly the same. I've only recently stopped panicking about bees too, but I'm ok with them now. Wasps scare the absolute shit out of me, always have. Unfortunately I've passed my phobia down to my son (although he's scared of spiders and I love them, so who knows), and I hate it.
They ruin Summer. As soon as I see one I freak out, run about flapping, while everyone tells me to calm down and stop panicking.
I'm seriously considering hypnotherapy.

I agree with the putting some fruit out it's a great idea.
I also don't like wasps they are so aggressive. My absolute erational fear is moths , can't even sting or harm me but I'm petrified. I karate kicked my husband out of the way to get away from one a few weeks ago .Anything with more than 4 legs basically freaks me out !😲

Thanks @Wiccan and yeah it does work. The little blighters are so busy chomping away on the fruit that they leave you be - most of the time!

Also, 'karate chopping you husband out of the way!' LOL!!!! 😂 Hope you were both OK!!!!!!

Wasps are pollinators, they prey on a number of pests and they are good at clearing up dead stuff.
At this time of year they seem more active and are seeking out sugars to sustain them.
I used to be really terrified of them, and whilst I don't love them, I can cope with them now, having learned about their role in ecosystems, and their life cycles.
Last week we were out and one kept buzzing around my plate. Instead of swatting it, I moved a bit of cake to one side and it sat there eating the icing, not bothering me.

As I said, the mixed fruit is good, as you get loads and it's cheap. £1.00 to £1.25 a bag. Lasts a few weeks.

Like this one from Morrisons pictured here.

Just throw 10 pieces or so somewhere safe, (where people don't go much, like especially a shed roof or garage roof,) and the wasps will be kept busy and should pretty much leave you be @dinoice

Awww. 😆 That's too cute! Just picturing a little wasp munching a piece of icing now!

CBT helped me massively with this. I’m still frightened of wasps but I can cope. I no longer run straight back inside / keep all the windows shut always no matter the weather / avoid going upstairs for days if there has been a wasp inside. If I have to, I can usher out a wasp or kill it (sorry, all god’s creatures and that). And I see a mild anxiety about wasps in the DC rather than a full-on phobia.

So that’s my top tip, OP. CBT.

And wasp spray obviously.

Definatly putting some fruit out tomorrow 👍 . Yeah we were fine , greenhouse acrylic door didn't come off to well though I almost dived straight through it 🤣🤣

😆

Didn't you have any testing as a child to see whether it was indeed an anaphylactic allergic reaction or just fear? Do you carry an epi pen? Have you had CBT, hyno, other counselling etc if its not an actual allergy?

I am the same. Twice in my life I've been stung, minding my own business.

Once one landed on my knee on a train and stung me. I swelled up and required an over nighter in hospital!

The second time I was equally unlucky as I was walking along and one fell from a tree, down my top and stung my chest!
There was swelling and I took antihystemine.

Worried I am allergic to stings and it makes me very nervous.

Hornets though are even scarier. Had one buzzing around in my car. I was petrified, nearly crashed and pulled over, fleeing my car.

Love bees though!

Doesn't leaving out fruit simply attract even more wasps?

It is completely irrational and ridiculous level.

they honestly make me feel faint. I just lose control. Can emphasise with the karate kick.

Shall try the dried fruit.

harder in public. I don’t think they are as bad at home. No people maybe.

things like summer events are torture just now.

I think you need therapy op. It's clearly having a massive impact on your life so you do sound like you need professional help.

Feeding them is also a good idea, I put a pot of jam on the floor when I was eating outside the other day and it distracted them.

Won't help with this summer but next spring, get yourself a Waspinator and put it up in your back garden. It's just a bag you fill with plastic bags and hang up. It looks like a wasp nest and so wasps won't build a nest nearby. We do it every year and hardly any wasps.

I used to have a terrible phobia and I did a form of therapy and it did help. I don't like them and if they fly near my head, I still freak out a little but nowhere near as bad as I was. With young children, get help so you don't pass your fear onto your kids.

Another on here who is the same!

I am petrified of anything with a yellow and black stripey jacket irrespective of how useful/necessary they are.