I always used to play with bugs when I was a kid, including bees and wasps, but I was stung in the eye twice, once when I was about 5 and once when I was in high school, and they did a number on me. I am purely terrified of bees and wasps, but all other bugs I still like, although I am rather grossed out by cockroaches.

I think my fear of bees may be classified as a phobia. I do know that I have a true phobia of needles, but that's not animal related.

I don't think I am too fearful of any animal that I can think of, although some make me nervous like bears! Whenever I go backpacking in the U.P. of Michigan I always sleep with a pot and a pan to scare the bears that get too close. I remember going camping with my mom shortly before leaving for college and it was at this very remote place in a heavily forrested area. I remember hearing something strange outside of the tent and it got louder and louder. As soon as I realized what it was, it was scary! Mom and baby bears were calling back and forth to each other and they were so close that I could have reached out and touched them, I could hear them breathing, and I could hear the leaves under their feet crackle. I was afraid to pound the pans together because if I spooked those babies, I was unsure of the reaction I would get from mom bear...I didn't know if she would lash out at us for scaring her kids? So my mom and I just lay there as quiet as we could until mom and baby bears were far enough away that we could breath