It is the end of a long and tiring day. You settle yourself down for a well-deserved break with a nice cup of hot camomile tea at your side. You reach for your book and in the still silence of the deepening night, you start to read.
All Is Calm, All Is Bright
Afar off and out of the blue, you detect a faint buzzing sound. At first, you pay it no heed. There is too much going on at the page you are at. However, the buzzing persists and now it is followed by intermittent skittering thuds on the wall.
You try to ignore the distraction but the thuds get more frenetic and the buzzing, angrier. You look up and …. SCREAM!!!!
“COCKROACH! COCKROACH!”
You hightail out of there, grabbing your book, using it as shield to protect yourself.
Bolting up the stairs, you bang open the bedroom door to a very startled husband, dive into bed, throw the covers over your head all the while shouting at him to kill it.
Sounds familiar? Well, you are not alone.
Enter Entomophobia
Entomophobia or its more common equivalent, insectophobia, is the name given to those who fear of insects. This fear can cripple both adult and child alike. While some children grow out of their fear as they mature, others may not, carrying it well into adulthood.
According to MedicineNet,“Entomos” in Greek means insect and “Phobos” means phobia, or in local speak, fear.
Interestingly, the study of insects is called entomology. And yes, there are people who study insects – and love them!
While spiders, centipedes and millipedes, among others, are not insects per se, those who fear them the most tend to bundle them up together. In this article, for the sake of everyone, we will include them.
How Scared Is Scared?
It Has Degrees
Not all entomophobia is the same. It can envelope its victims both in degree and type. And it has a broad spectrum.
For some, the fear can be so paralysing that all rational thought flies out the window at the sight of a creepy crawly. Additionally, that fear can be so encompassing even images bring anxiety, if not downright terror.
On the other hand, others may experience fear towards some insects but are impervious to others. Most adults fall into this category. Hence, we may run screaming from a spider but not bat an eyelid at a cockroach.
The same does not necessarily relate to children though. When they are young and frightened of insects, one can be just as scary as the other.
For some, the thought of an insect can bring about such an aversion, they will pull all the stops to hunt and kill as many insects as they can. Whereas others may be so afraid, they may not be able to enter a messy room for fear of finding one.
It Has Its Own Branches
The pervasive fear against insects is so common that entomophobia has its own branches.
For instance, if you are afraid of spiders, you have arachnophobia. Bees not to your liking, then you have apiphobia. And here are two tongue twisters. Afraid of ants? You have myrmecophobia. What about butterflies and moths? Well then, you have lepidopterophobia. And the list goes on.
It Has A Place in DSM – 5
Entomophobia is so widespread that in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM – 5), it is listed under the general heading of “Anxiety” and placed at the subheading of “Phobia”.
While such fears can make the entomophobic a breeding ground for practical jokes, the fact remains that for those who fear insects, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not, no explanation is ever enough.
Fear or Phobia
There is a stark difference between fear and phobia although most of us tend to use the words interchangeably.
This diagram (see inset) may help you decipher the difference between the two.
Most of us fall into the fear rather than phobia category and thank goodness for that since phobias would probably need medical assistance to overcome.
The Fear Factor
But why do we fear them?
After all, logically speaking, the insect is tiny compared to us. Our reaction seems unbelievable, comic even. What gives?
Childhood Trauma
Upbringing and childhood experiences may hold a key.
If you were traumatised as a child by an insect, that innate fear could follow you well into adulthood. While it may have started out as a prank or a way to “toughen you up”, its effects would be quite the opposite, bringing that latent fear well into adulthood.
A Time And A Place
With rapid human development the world over, we have encroached land which was once home to them. All animals adapt and insects, no strangers to adaptation and evolution, have done the same. Some live alongside us while others, do not.
For insects who live with us, some form part of our environment, like butterflies, whilst others are considered pests, for example, cockroaches.
Those that do not live alongside us can be found in jungles. They are beautiful and are well adapted to their environment. Many are experts in the art of camouflage.
Consider this Giant Leaf Insect (see inset). Its camouflage is so perfect, we could walk by this beauty and not see it at all.
Seen in its natural jungle setting, it has the ability to enchant and entrance. But if it ever made its way into our homes, pandemonium might just ensue.
It has to do with time and place. In its natural environs, its beauty shines. In our homes, it shocks us because it does not belong there and our natural inclination is to just to get rid of it.
Aliens in our World
Insects look out of place in our world.
With their huge compound eyes, many wriggling legs and segmented bodies, they look like something from outer space.
Because they look odd, we are naturally wary of them.
Shudder at the Touch
If you have ever had a cockroach land on your arm, squashed one underfoot, or handled them accidentally in any way, you know how geli (disgusting) it can feel.
Insects have hair on their legs to aid movement. These hairs called setae and are not like the hair on our heads. Rather they are akin to bristles. Having an insect run up your arm or leg is horrible as these setae scratch at your skin lightly as they go. Ughhh!
The exoskeleton presents a double whammy for us.
Hard on the outside, these shell-like skeletons squish horribly when stepped on.
Insect-speak Is Noisy
Insects make a lot of noise. They buzz, chirp or squeak. Insects also stridulate, which means they produce sounds by rubbing their body parts together, like crickets, for example.
In the jungle, these sounds are a natural symphony. If you are at home, they may be a distracting nuisance.
They Have Too Many Things About Them
As mentioned earlier, insects have 6 legs. Spiders, on the other hand, have 8. Centipedes and Millipedes are not insects per se, but their close cousins. And they have many legs!
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the scientific classification of insects refers to those who have 3 pairs of legs. However, most people group all bugs and other creepy crawlies as insects hence the word, insectophobia.
In addition to their many legs and antennae, some come with a lot of hair. The Malaysian Earth Tiger Tarantula, found in Peninsula Malaysia has a body covered with hair. As adults, they can grow between 6 – 9 inches!
They Are Pests
Most of the insects we fear are pests and some, like ticks, are disease bearing.
Other insects, like this aphid (see inset below) are garden pests. To protect our garden greens, we have to get tough and get rid of them before they cause damage.
They Can be Poisonous
Some insects and spiders are venomous. Hence the root of our fear is self-preservation. In Malaysia, our household spiders are not generally venomous but those in Australia can be deadly.
Expecting The Worst
Someone once said that for every cockroach you see, there are thousands you don’t.
Pretty scary stuff!
While some insects live in controlled numbers, there are others which can explode into an infestation, like cockroaches. When facing an infestation, our primary fears include contamination and bites. That may explain why we also have this deep seated desire to exterminate them at the outset. Better to play safe than to be sorry.
As such, if you surf over to the websites of pest control companies like Rentokil Initial, you will see that many offer a plethora of pest control services to keep us safe from harm.
Knowing Is Half The Battle
In the throes of fear, rationality flies out the window. This is even more so with children as their rationality develops only as they mature. To have them control their fear when unprepared is nothing short of impossible.
Since knowing is half the battle, perhaps these tips may assist you and your children to live with insects and perhaps, in time, even enjoy them.
A Fun Test
The activity proposed (see inset) is interesting.
If you substitute spider to whatever you fear the most, you can gauge how fearful you would be and how you would react to the given situation.
Between Fear and Phobia
For some, fear does turn into phobia.
As an adult, do not consign yourself to suffer in silence. Seek medical assistance. There are many therapies out there which may help and do not involve medication. In time, with the right help, you may be able to put your phobia to rest. To know more, this resource may be helpful.
If you do not have a phobia but fear, then it is easier to work around.
For children, parents can help their little ones overcome their fear and in most cases, medical assistance would not be required. If you have concerns though, speak to your doctor for more advice.
Express Yourself
Whether an adult or child, expressing yourself is cathartic.
Make the effort to talk about your fears.
For your children, encourage them to express themselves.
If your little one was really frightened at his experience, draw him out slowly but surely and listen rather than speak to him. You might need to wait for him to calm down before you broach the subject. This could take a few hours or even days. Moms, you know best.
Socrates Was Right
When in doubt about how to get your children to express themselves, use pedagogy.
Pedagogy was a teaching method developed by Socrates, where the teacher asks the right questions to draw out the required answers from the students.
Walk The Line
Everyone needs to feel understood and accepted. Our children, even more so. It helps when you empathize with them, even if you may not have the same fears.
Assure them that they are not alone in facing this fear and that you are with them all the way.
Honesty Is The Best Policy
It is tempting to shadow the truth when faced with a distraught child. But this course only backfires. If children catch you in a lie, it could create bigger problems, for instance, trust issues. Speak plainly and kindly. Also avoid making them promises that you cannot keep, for e.g. that you will take away all cockroaches from the world.
Projection Hurts
Some of us carry our fears from childhood, either by trauma or by projection from our parents. Fears, like prejudices can be generational faults.
Our children are clean slates. When young, they have no fear. As parents, we are entrusted to teach them right and wrong, good and bad.
It can happen that our fears get projected onto our children. Kids have an amazing ability to tap into our emotional state and they do this when we are unaware. For instance, babies start crying when they sense their mothers are upset or angry. On the same vein, they can also sense our fears.
It helps if we control our fears while being upfront about them.
Time Heals All Wounds
Knowing you are fearful is half the battle. Working out that fear can take a long time though. So be prepared to wait it out.
Be patient with yourself when failures come. Allow yourself as many chances as you need. There is no quick fix solution to this.
If these fears terrorise your child, it is important t0 be cool and calm. If you ever experienced this fear when younger, you can imagine how gripping it is for them. Children, like adults, need time. Keep persevering though.
If you are the one also battling fears, the very presence of your crying child can bring about great change. Protective maternal instincts will kick in and you may find yourself killing cockroaches instead of running from them.
Getting To Know Them
It helps if you get to know a little about insects.
For some, the lives of insects are a total mystery. Enshrouded mystery works only to deepen fear. The more we know, the more the mystery unveils, perhaps the less we fear.
Make learning fun.
Some options would be to watch documentaries on insects or perhaps surf the Web to pick up on the more harmless and less frightening ones.
To help your kids, share your plan with them and help them temper their fear before getting onto the thick of the topic. Keep assuring them when they express fear and generously cheer them on as they make progress in controlling that fear.
Some activities could include reading them stories with insects in them. Watchings movies, like A Bug’s Life or Antz could also be helpful. Take some time to discuss the movie with them afterwards and listen to what they have to say.
Buy some insect sticker books or colouring books and let them have a go at it.
Venturing Forth
After the fun teaching games and talking, it would be time for the next step.
Start small though and work your way up.
Insects Up Close
Consider a trip to an insectarium.
There are quite a few choices available for those who reside in KL. Once the Movement Control Order is uplifted, you can consider a trip there.
If you like your jaunt to include other exciting highlights, consider Aquaria KLCC.
While its main feature is aquatic life, they have a small section on insects, which you can ease your children into. After that, you can pop over to KLCC for some food, a little shopping, catch a movie or even play in the KLCC Park.
Other notable mentions are the Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park and the Happy Bee Farm & Insect World. The Happy Bee Farm is located over in Genting Highlands, Pahang, a short drive from KL.
A Walk In The Park
Going for a walkabout is also a fun way to acclimatise children to insects. Insects are everywhere. You can start in your own backyard before venturing further outwards into local parks.
On swathes of grass, ants can be found scuttling about. Venture nearer bushes and trees and you will find more variety, like ladybugs, butterflies and grasshoppers.
Insects, when seen in their natural environment are not as terrifying as when seen at home. Some are beautiful.
Ramp It Up
If you would like to notch up your experiential learning, consider a hike.
Tailor the activity according to your child’s ability and schedule. Hiking is a great way to see nature as it is. Before hitting jungle greens, brush up your knowledge on the flora and fauna and you are set.
Insects abound in jungles and are fascinating to see. Some insects species can only be found in the jungle.
Don’t forget the photos for your scrapbook.
Insects live among us.
Love them or fear them, they are here to stay. Childhood fears can erode with time, maturity and understanding. Hopefully these tips will go some way in allaying the fear of insects for one and all at home.
Until next time, stay safe.