  Optical anapoles are intriguing charge-current distributions characterized by
a strong suppression of electromagnetic radiation. They originate from the
destructive interference of the radiation produced by electric and toroidal
multipoles. Although anapoles in dielectric structures have been probed and
mapped with a combination of near- and far-field optical techniques, their
excitation using fast electron beams has not been explored so far. Here, we
theoretically and experimentally analyze the excitation of optical anapoles in
tungsten disulfide (WS$_2$) nanodisks using Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy
(EELS) in Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM). We observe
prominent dips in the electron energy loss spectra and associate them with the
excitation of optical anapoles and anapole-exciton hybrids. We are able to map
the anapoles excited in the WS$_2$ nanodisks with subnanometer resolution and
find that their excitation can be controlled by placing the electron beam at
different positions on the nanodisk. Considering current research on the
anapole phenomenon, we envision EELS in STEM to become a useful tool for
accessing optical anapoles appearing in a variety of dielectric nanoresonators.
