Spheksophobia (from spheco, meaning "wasp" in Greek) is the fear of wasps, a branch of entomophobia, fear of insects. The fear is commonly triggered when a loved one got stung by a wasp, seeing somebody getting stung by wasps on news media or TV, or through learning experience, like telling there are wasps in the garden, or getting stung repeatedly. People suffering spheksophobia would refuse to go outdoors, especially on sunny days while avoiding gardens, parks, florists’ shops, or places with trees, flowers and bushes where wasps are more likely to be present. People may tend to fear wasps more intensely than fear of bees, since unlike bees that leave stinger on the victim after stinging it once, a single wasp can repeatedly sting them.
Sufferers seeing wasps may get into flight or fight mode and have adrenaline rush. People may suffer following symptoms at the sight of wasps, including urging to flee but most may freeze, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, nausea, faintness, and feeling detached from reality when thinking that wasps can kill them. Spheksophobia is commonly treated using hypnosis, psychotherapy, and Neuro Lingusitic programming.