i used to have major arachnophobia, but i dislike having a fear that's both irrational and debilitating, so i ended up getting a pet tarantula to try to cure myself. worked for a while, but after a few years the fear seemed to return, and then abated... right now i don't mind spiders too much, i don't care if they're in the house or even nearby, but if one appears out of nowhere it can make me jump pretty hard, which i hate, because it feels totally unjustifiable: in the uk we have no venomous insects or spiders. there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to jump at a small, frightened creature deciding to scuttle across the floor. i don't like killing them... the last time i killed one i felt pretty guilty about it, like i assumed i had the right to destroy a living thing just because i don't like the way it looks. though i can appreciate killing dangerous ones inside for safety's sake.
otherwise, i quite like bugs, apart from ants... but i've been attacked about three times by ants, once pretty badly- sat on a red ants nest around a campfire and found myself covered in several thousand biting insects... ->-bleeped-<-, i can't even talk about it without itching all over. still, they're interesting creatures and it's not an ignorant fear, i know quite a lot about them, i just can't deal with seeing pictures of them or being anywhere near them without getting agitated.
indiana jones and the crystal skull was difficult...