Why do we fear insects?

It makes sense to avoid insects which bite or sting, and to be careful not to let other insects like cockroaches and house flies walk all over the food we eat. We have an innate fear of some insects – especially the venomous ones. Some researchers suggest it is a defense mechanism, similar to our avoidance of snakes and large predators.

There is no need to be wary of all insects. As you will see in this video, pest insects and other insect species we should be wary of are in a minority. Most other insects are either beneficial insects, important in the environment, or harmless benign insects.

To save time, I have left out lots of insects that are beneficial. There are many species of beneficial flies such as hover flies, robber flies and tachinid flies. There are thousands of wasps which are beneficial as predators or parasites of other insects. I’ll have to make videos about some of these insects in the future!

I hope you enjoy the video! Please let me know in the comments.