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I read that the fear of insects and other arthropods arises in humans from the fact that they are too much like us physically. All these numerous legs, wings, eyes, horns-the subconscious simply does not know what to expect from them, so it gives us fear. For the same reason, even monkeys are often afraid of arthropods. But monkeys do not know that ” the fly is a source of infection.” Although, here I could argue to myself: insects and spiders bite, and monkeys can be afraid of this.
I dare say that insects are most often not afraid, this is an aversion. And disgust in us (people) is a defense mechanism. Thus, the aversion (or fear) of insects helped us avoid the diseases that many of them carry. The same can be said about rats, for example.
Like many fears, fear of insects and thunderstorms can be explained from an evolutionary point of view. It probably just so happened that those of our distant ancestors who were afraid of insects and loud sounds left more offspring and protected them better. This helped spread and perpetuate these fears in the population. Some of these fears can be transmitted at the genetic level, and some can be transmitted as “cultural baggage”. As an example, an interesting fact about our chimpanzee cousins: their cubs are not afraid of snakes from birth, but once they see how another individual is frightened at the sight of a snake, the cubs acquire this fear for life.
You've probably never been allergic to bites and have never ventured out to the tropics. Anyway, you were lucky. Insects are creatures that can quickly and imperceptibly introduce deadly diseases, parasites, and cause severe allergies and pain. They are so numerous and diverse that it is impossible to remember all of them and distinguish dangerous from non-dangerous for sure. And they are so small that it is often impossible to see and determine their identity before they bite. So it is very reasonable to be afraid of everyone just in case.