Melissophobia: (n). An unreasonable fear of bees.
Melissophobia is one of the most common fears among people in the United States. How can such a widespread fear be spawned by one tiny insect? I mean, come on - those big, beady eyes... the bright yellow fuzz warding off enemies... that incessant, alarming buzzing sound... not to mention, the shiny stinger staring you in the face... Okay, I see your point.
Bees get a bad rap. Sure - they're annoying and scary and sting people. But let's get real: how would you feel if a giant maniac screamed and swatted at you while you're just buzzing about your daily business? And even when they try to protect themselves by stinging their enemies, they die instantly. And hello! Do humans realize that 80% of what they eat is pollinated by honey bees? Humans are pretty annoying and scary too - If I were a bee, I would probably forget about dying and sting the first human that gives me a hard time.
For this week's fear, I decided to brave the bees.
When I started doing my research on bee farms in northern Utah, I had five or so friends reach out to me with bee farm hook ups (who knew bees were a thing around here?). I decided to take a trip up to a hive in Sugarhouse, owned by a guy named Steve. Before I braved the bees, Steve told me his hive contained 30,000 bees. Thirty thousand swarming bees! Make one bad move, and you instantly go into anaphylactic shock.
In attempts to avoid a slightly serious situation, I decided to brush up on some tips of how to deal with bees and melissophobia. Here is a list of some of the great advice I came across (via internet):
- "Treat bees as beings very closely related to you; they can feel your love, respect, and unfortunately, your fear." - Fear, yes. Love? Nah.
- "Start to understand and feel their vibrations and tune in your inner self to the sounds they make; it is very calming and healing." - Is it calming... Really?
- Honey bees are not out to sting you. However, if they feel threatened, you may be stung." - I come in peace, bees.
- "Wear a bee suit." - Don't have to tell me twice.
So I obviously wasn't going to "treat them like a relative" or "feel their vibrations" or whatever that hippie junk is... But I definitely was down with the bee suit.
As we arrived at an adorable neighborhood in Sugarhouse, my anxiety intensified. My heart rate sky-rocketed, my breathing shallowed. With every step I took towards the backyard, the buzzing sound seemed to get louder in my head.
Beekeeper Steve lit the smoker to calm the bees down...
We walked over to the bee box....
And that's when I realized: there were no bee suits to protect us.
WHAT?
NO!!!!
I think I deserve the name "Queen Bee" after this.
And amazingly, we made it out alive. Not one sting!
Being surrounded by a swarm of bees was absolutely terrifying - I cannot even describe the buzz (pun intended) I felt from the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Such a surreal experience... and honestly? I would do this again in a heart beat.
I hope this helps a few people out there who suffer from melissophobia realize that bees really aren't out to get you. There is much to be learned about honey bees. They collectively work hard to bring about sweetness... Each seemingly small act of service contributes to as little as a drop of honey, and as big as 80% of the food on earth. So, who run the world? Bees.
Ya'll are bees knees. Until the next fear...
-Queen Bee.
http://www.raicesculturalcenter.org/blog/melissophobia-dealing-with-the-fear-of-bees/
No comments:
Post a Comment