Spiders

Brad · Wed 15 Sep, 2004 10.21

I bloody bloody HATE these things! Three of them I've found in the last week! Huge sods as well! I really do have a bad phobia of them and I wondered who else here does? Heights, no problem, the worry of going into hospital for a heart op soon also not really bothering me, but give me an insect a thousandeth of my own body size and I go ape! I bought some spider stopper spray from a catalogue and it arrived yesterday so I gave all three floors especially the attic where the PC is a good coating. Lo and behold, what's above the TV in the bedroom, sitting there above Eamomn and Fie-ona this morning but a huge great spider! I run to the bathroom, run back again and the buggers gone. But there was no way I was going to get into that bed tonight knowing he's there! So it's time to poke all nooks and crannies (oh er missus!) with the mop handle. An HOUR later, having removed all the soft toys (not mine!) from the top of the wardrobe, shaken all clothes into the bath, I find him crawling on the bed. So, I push the pillow into him and suck up the dead body with the hoover. Cruel maybe. An nnecessary death perhaps, but who cares?!
So anyone else this bad with them and if not, what are you really afraid of...

Gavin Scott · Wed 15 Sep, 2004 10.35

Spiders and moths do me in. Not good with heights either actually.

mikejprz · Wed 15 Sep, 2004 11.42

Daft innt - you know they won't harm you.....but the way they move, jump and look bloody ugly really sends the shivers up me!

*shudder*

Not good with heights either.........

Katherine · Wed 15 Sep, 2004 14.31

I just club them to death with the heel of my hiking boot!

But snakes...... YEURRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous · Thu 16 Sep, 2004 19.59

Leave Fred alone, it eat them flys up!

marksi · Sat 18 Sep, 2004 09.37

Small ones don't bother me but for some reason the species Tegenaria gigantea (giant house spider) has become more common here in Northern Ireland having moved further north in the British Isles in the past few years. Was covered by BBC Newsline a while back. From what I've read online they can have a legspan of up to 15cm

though happily the one's I've seen haven't been quite that large! Though they scare the bloody daylights out of me. Have found about 4 of them in the house in the past few years. We're just coming into the season for them to want to move indoors now too...

DJGM · Sat 18 Sep, 2004 13.12

As unsightly as housespiders may be, they are totally harmless to us humans. They also have the use of
getting rid of those nasty, filthy houseflies and bothersome bluebottles that carry God only knows
all sorts of sh*te, germs, diseases and general gross unpleasantness around with them.

If you want to get rid of a housespider, don't be temtped to kill it, no matter how much it grosses
you out. Just get a paper/plastic cup (or some other suitable recepticle) and scoop Incey Wincey
off your wall or ceiling, and place a piece of card over the top of the cup. Then take it outside,
deposit the spider on the ground several metres away from your premises and let it scuttle off
elsewhere. Whatever you do at this point, don't be tempted to put your foot on it!

As for houseflies, bluebottles, wasps and other insects, feel free to massacre them all you like!

BTW . . . didn't we have another Spiders thread several months ago . . . ?

marksi · Sat 25 Sep, 2004 23.00

Erm, as I was saying, it's the time of year they start to come indoors... here's one I've just evacuated into the garden... that's a pint glass it's in by the way...

A.J.A. · Sun 26 Sep, 2004 00.08

Ewww....!

russnet · Sun 26 Sep, 2004 02.30

I had that size the other day. Luckily the bugger wasn't moving much until I also put in the pint glass and it was running around fast, so despite it being trapped, I was still on tender hooks! This spider was lucky as I freed it into the garden.

One other spider I had in the kitchen wasn't so lucky. I put the spider into an empty jam jar and put the lid on. So, I thought to myself what can I do with this spider. I know I will violently shake the jar so it confuses the spider! (as if!)

Then I thought, why do that. Let's give it a different surrounding. So I filled the jam jar up a little bit of water, probably only quarter of the way full. Within two days, it died from drowning. Silly bugger, shouldn't of gone near water!

Finally the most worrying statistic that I once heard was that at least 8 spiders will enter into your mouth whilst your asleep...per year!

Brad · Sun 26 Sep, 2004 10.41

You see, my phobia is so bad, I can't even get near them with a glass. I either have to throw some heavy book at them (the Argos catalogue usually does the trick, after all all you have to do is pick up another one from the shop!) or lately, I've been hoovering them up. Since I posted this thread, I've found about 4 more. This is the worst house I've ever been in for spiders. Having an attic room and wooden ceilings in the bathroom and kitchen doesn't help I suppose. I just hope *touch wood* I've seen the last of them this year as I'm going to be home alone this week. Oo-er...