What is melissophobia?

Melissophobia is specifically defined as an excessive or irrational fear of bees or wasp stings. This phobia can stem from a traumatic experience or an inherent fear of getting stung, causing individuals to avoid places where bees might be present, leading to significant anxiety. Understanding this specific phobia helps in identifying the psychological basis for the fear and the implications it can have on a person's daily life.

The other options represent different specific phobias: the fear of spiders is known as arachnophobia, the fear of heights is termed acrophobia, and the fear of water is classified as aquaphobia. Each of these phobias encompasses distinct objects or situations of fear, which highlights the specificity of melissophobia as it pertains to bees and wasps.