Americans Weigh In On Their Least Favorite Insects

Not many people say they love insects. If they do, they probably study them for a living and have a much different appreciation for bugs than the rest of us do. For the most part, people try to avoid creepy-crawly filth transmitters and flying stingers of doom.

A new SWNS Digital survey finds that people hate insects so much that 69% of people say they can’t sleep if they know one is in their house. Furthermore, 60% of people say they’d want to burn down their house if they saw a bug. That seems a bit extreme. Finally, 64% of respondants believe bugs only exist to cause folks itchiness and pain, and serve no positive purpose. Well, we know that's not true. We definitely need bees.

So, which bug bugs people the most? Not surprisingly, it’s the cockroach, with 39% of Americans saying they hate them. Cockroaches really don't seem to serve any purpose other than to make people jump out of their skin. Other hated bugs include:

I'd like to see this survey taken again at the end of June. I bet cicadas would be higher on the list.