Spiders In The House

[arwalden]

Poll question: Spiders In The House

Do you squish them, flush them, or set them free? The little bastards give me the creeps. Just seeing the printed WORD "spider" makes my hairs stand on end and chill go down my back. --- I KILL THEM!

[Loonman]

1. Spiders serve a purpose

They kill flys and other flying pests.

[grannylib]

2. Holy crap, WARN somebody before you put that kind of pic on there

I was wearing clean undies...

[arwalden]

8. Sorry... but glad to know I'm not alone. It was difficult for me to Google

a picture of a spider. Ugh! I hate em.

-- Allen

[grannylib]

21. Me too, I used to be terrified to sweep for fear they would run up the

broom handle and get me.

[alwynsw]

3. Quick!

Call John Goodman. He'll get rid of 'em for ya!

[patdem]

4. Spiders much prefer other bugs to suck our their innards, to you.

Let them be and they will rid your house of other pests. I like spiders. I have heard that jumping spiders even rid a home of roaches?

[GainesT1958]

9. Jumping spiders are cute...

And they're not poisonous to us, either--they ARE dangerous to roaches, however! Also to silverfish and ticks...

The other ones inside, I'd squish in a heartbeat....even if they WEREN'T Black Widows or Brown Recluses!:scary:

P.S. Outside, those big, brown, hairy wolf spiders are beneficial in getting rid of some nasty pests...and they aren't poisonous, either. Same goes for Garter (or garden) spiders, with their elaborate webs.

B-)

[arwalden]

12. Most Outside Spiders I'll Leave Alone... EXCEPT

except the ones that build webs around our security lights and capture night-flying bugs... then eat them... the POOP their spider-shit all OVER our white siding. Which doesn't come out unless you spray BLEACH on it. Twice.

-- Allen

Who would have thought that little spiders made SO MUCH POOP!?

[kanrok]

38. Is that what that crunchy, slightly earthy tasting things are?

n/t

[Shakespeare]

33. JUMPING SPIDERS ARE NOT CUTE!!

Sweet Jesus on a pogo stick--any eight-legged monster that leaps AT you is not "cute!"

Going away to have a nervous breakdown now....

[chiburb]

5. They give me the creeps too, but...

If they're on the wall or ceiling I ignore them. If they're around the sink I turn on the water and they usually scurry away never to be seen 'till next time.
I just figure it's bad Karma to squish them, though I might flush one if he was in the bowl!

[patdem]

6. Spiders much prefer other bugs to suck out their innards, to you.

Let them be and they will rid your house of other pests. I like spiders. I have heard that jumping spiders even rid a home of roaches?

[eileen_d]

7. I have a split vote on this one

Usually I ignore them... but if push comes to shove (so to speak), I flush them.

[omshanti]

10. want me to loan you my cat? He's a spider-eating machine!

He will not rest until he has hunted down every spider in the house, and EATEN IT! (He doesn't get sick afterward either)

[trof]

11. WE got suckers can seriously HURT you.

Brown recluses and jumpers.
Inside, I don't ask for ID.
Squish City.
Outside it's live and let live.

[arwalden]

13. My Mother Uses The DUST-BUSTER To Vacuum Them...

... she doesn't want to touch, flush, capture or otherwise be NEAR them at all. That must be where I get my fear from. I learned it from my mom.

-- Allen

[KFC]

15. They make spider vacuums

Check it out:

http://www.smarthome.com/6118.html

[trof]

17. So, now you got a Dustbuster full of LIVE spiders?

I don't know.
That doesn't sound good.
A spider cannot bite while being squished.
I'm talking "grease spot".

[arwalden]

18. There's A Trap Door Thingy That Springs Closed...

when the Dustbuster is powered off. So he's trapped... we hope.

I suppose it's possible that he could feed off of the carcasses of the previously captured spiders.

-- Allen

[HEyHEY]

14. It depends on the species

A hobo spider I will kill, becuase if you are trying to free it and get bitten you can get sick...and a nasty legion. And if it's a black widow, I kill for obvious reasons. But if it's a slow moving harmless one, I'll let it go.

[jpgray]

16. In that case, did you know that on average

Every person swallows about eight spiders during their sleep over their lifespan?

:D

[arwalden]

19. One every ten years... that's too much for me.

-- Allen

[GregW]

20. Did you know there are no brown recluse spiders in California?

Lived there for 16 years ... people swore up and down that we had to watch out for these nasty critters (true) ... guess what ... there's none in Cali ... it's just an urban legend.

Go figure :shrug:

[Cleita]

26. But we have plenty of black widows to make up

for the lack of brown recluse spiders. I did find those guys up in Idaho though. In Texas there were loads of furry tarantula types.

[scarlet_owl]

22. I have horrible arachniphobia, and I almost jumped out

of my skin when I saw that picture. My husband saves me from them and puts them outside. All the while, I'm having an involuntary nervous fit.

[geniph]

23. "Little" bastards? We have monsters.

I call them baby tarantulas - what they actually are is Giant European House Spiders. I have yet to see one alive more than three feet from the door - the cats kill them almost instantly, they LOVE those toys - but holy crap, the sight of one of those, even with half the legs missing from the cats tossing it around, is unnerving. They are HUGE. Luckily, I'm not even remotely spider-phobic, but one of my stepsons, who is, refused to come back into the kitchen for an hour after spotting one of the carcasses in there.

The good thing about this species is that they prey heavily on hobo spiders and recluse spiders - they compete for habitat - so if you have the Giant European House Spiders, you don't have to worry about getting bitten by the more poisonous species.

It's amazing to watch the cats go after them. They obviously know they can bite, as they grab them and WING them violently across the room until their legs come off - then they eat whatever parts they feel like eating. They kill them so fast the spiders never make it more than about 15 seconds once they're in the house.

Here's a picture of one about to prey on a more normally-sized house spider:

[arwalden]

25. Where Do You Live? It Must Be Nice...

... or there must be SOMETHING compelling that makes you stay. How can you sleep?

Eek! I'd have to move out.

-- Allen

[geniph]

40. Near Seattle. They're pretty common here

They like the mild climate. I have no problem with them so long as they stay off my person. I don't have a problem in the house, as the cats are murderous spider-killers. When I go into the crawlspace, though, I wear a tyvek coverall with a hood and elastic leg and wrist openings! I don't like spider bites.

[Cleita]

24. They're just as afraid of you as you are of them.

If you have spiders that means there are other bugs that interest them in your house. I scoop them into paper cups with a stick and cover it with a piece of cardboard or something similar, until I get outside to set them free in a dark place like a leafy shrub. They are good for the garden because they eat destructive bugs on your plants.

I had a friend who let them be because they ate all the cockroaches in his place, but I don't recommend this for roach control.

[Piperay]

27. I like spiders...

I set them free. :-)

[Shakespeare]

28. Thanks, I'm going to have bad dreams now!

NOTHING scares me more than spiders. NOTHING. And I don't scare easily (and I happen to be rather fond of other bugs, snakes, frogs, etc.).

And any kind of spider with the word "giant" in its name is a bad, bad thing.

[VermontDem2004]

29. I rarely see Spiders in Arizona

I never seen one inside my own house.

[ProudGerman]

30. Arrrgggghhhhh

Don't post pics of spiders without warning!!!!!!!!!!

Somebody else did it too, I can't stand the sight of them. Takes me back to when I was a very very tired 9 year old, just waking up at 6 in the morning. While half asleep I grabbed something I felt on my neck, thinking it was a mosquito. When I opened my hand, it was full of hair, legs and eyes. I screamed and jumped, I landed around the corner and all the way down the hall from the kitchen, wouldn't go back in there for 2 days. Most horrifying experience in my life, and the sight of them takes me right back. *shivers*

I was even scrolling slowly through the thread on the off chance that someone decided to post a pic.

I was once bitten by a spider in my sleep, right in the center of my chest. Was sick for a week, threw up alot the firt few days. Luckily no skin died. The bite both burned and itched like crazy.

In answer to the question, I usually stomp the things so hard that nothing is left on the floor. The whole spider becomes a permanent part of the sole of the shoe, a place where I can't see them. Which is how I like it.

[Shakespeare]

31. my theory about killing spiders in the house

First, I look for a means to kill them that allows me to maintain the maximum possible distance from said spider. And I don't let a lack of bug spray discourage me--I once shellacked a gigantic garden spider because there was no bug spray. I use whatever I can get my hands on that'll do the job.

And here's the theory: if you spot a spider in your house and do not kill it, it will stalk you and get in the bed with you that night. This is a theory I've advanced since I was four years old (and woke to find a large spider in my bed). Yes, I've been permanently scarred by the experience.

[pmbryant]

34. LOL.!

And here's the theory: if you spot a spider in your house and do not kill it, it will stalk you and get in the bed with you that night.

I think my S.O. has the same theory. ;-)

Myself, I prefer to just let them be. They eat the other bugs, after all. And we live out in the 'country' (sort of), so it is a losing battle trying to keep every single bug out of the house.

:-)

--Peter

[Kamika]

32. I SCREEAM

And wait for Dad.

[arwalden]

45. I Don't "Scream" But I Do Emote A Loud "Aaahh" or "Whoooh"

whenever I see one unexpectedly. My partner teases me about making girl-sounds. Oh well.

He doesn't like them either and will kill them on sight... it's just that they don't creep him out enough to warrant making instinctive and uncontrollable vocalizations. (Apparently he's further up the evolutionary ladder than I am.)

-- Allen

[BrotherBuzz]

35. The ones in the corners of the bathroom...

are my friends and have watched them for years (wifey says they are daddy long-legs or harvestmen?). Really cool when a new batch hatches and watch the wee ones grow till they leave the nest web, then the parents start again...Spiders are mostly good.

The one spider that really bugs me is the one my wife keeps in a jar in the kitchen - it is a black widow and gives me the willies! She was captured from the backyard about four months ago, and is fed one fly a week. I say release her!

[Kamika]

37. You are a sick man

sick sick man :)

[BrotherBuzz]

39. Maybe....

but my wife definitely is the sick one for harboring an evil creature in the kitchen.

[rasputin1952]

36. Any spider I see...

has a destiny with the bottom of my shoe.

:evilgrin:

BTW arwalden: thanks for the graphic, after I tried to stomp my monitor.........I now realize i won't be able to crap for a week! My asshole slammed shut, and it took me 5 minutes to put my eyes back in my head! It hurts when they pop out!

:bounce:

[geniph]

41. What, didn't you like MY picture?

the one of the Giant European House Spider chasing the (much smaller) ordinary house spider? I can post it again if you like...

:evilgrin:

[arwalden]

46. I Thought MY Picture Was Pretty Clinical...

more like something you'd see in a middle-school biology book. Sorry it spooked ya.

Geniph's picture was just TOO CREEPY because it was in a REAL LIFE setting and you could see the SCALE of exactly how HUGE those things are. (Looked like it could suck the life out of a mouse or a small bird.)

-- Allen

[rasputin1952]

48. Oh Geniph!...I'm sorry it took me awhile to get back to you...

It is MUCH harder to get my eyes back into my head the SECOND time!!!!

To make it worse, those little fanged demons were in your house! If that were me, there would have been a shattered camera after I tossed it at those freaks!!!!!!!

NOW, I'm thinking about spiders mating; and realizing that as a male, I might never have sex again! I don't want to die after procreation!!!!!

OH Crap......no sleep tonight!!!!

:bounce:

[arwalden]

50. I'm So Glad Other Men Feel This Way

I doubt I'd wreck a camera over trying to kill a spider... but I've been known to bruise myself as I'm bumping into tables and chairs trying to get a safe distance OUT OF THEIR WAY.

-- Allen

[Ediacara]

42. Spiders are great!

Very cool animals, closely related to Mites and Ticks


Which are all in turn closely related to Scorpions, Pseudoscorpions and Sea Scorpions


All of those are in turn related to Horseshoe Crabs


And they all make up the group Chelicerata, the closest relatives of chelicerates were Trilobites


The group trilobites and chelicerates forms is called Archanomorpha, which is the sister group to the Crustaceans


The crustacean - arachnomorph group is called the Schyzoramia, and it is the sister group to the Uniramia


Aren't creepy crawly arthropods great? :-)

[geniph]

43. Ah hell, DinoBoy, you trumped me!

I was just going to post more hobo spider pictures, and then you dig up all the arthropoda! I think we're mean people. ;-)

[Ediacara]

44. Hehehe

I was watching TV the other day flipping through the channels and a show on horseshoe crabs came on and I stopped. My friend who was there totally freaked out screaming and hid behind the couch screaming about a horseshoe crab ON TELEVISION!

[rasputin1952]

49. I'm not even going to reply to Dinoboy....q

I am on my way to Menards to buy 20 cases of Raid, bombs and a suit of armor! :wtf:

That's it....I better pick up some more spoons too; those I have are being worn out replacing my eyeballs into their sockets. Then again, I can see the keyboard easier while they dangle!


:crazy:

[Lizz612]

47. Wowza!

I don't like ticks at all. Yipes!
And that last bug has too many legs for my tastes.
But the Trilobites and others are cool.

[Ediacara]

51. well, all bugs are WAY cooler as fossils

[arwalden]

53. So where do crab lice and head lice come in?

Certainly they are in that chain of cousins somewhere.

-- Allen

[Interrobang]

52. Squish, flush, ignore, depends on context

I hate spiders. Most of the time, I squish them, either with my shoe, another handy implement, or a big ball of kleenex/toilet paper. One time I remember waking up to find a spider spooling down from the ceiling of my bedroom and dangling about a foot away from my face. Now if I see a spider on my bedroom ceiling, I go after it with a broom. If I find a spider near my sink or bathtub (happens a lot for some reason), I rinse it down the drain.

Otherwise, most of the time I just let them be.

[bikebloke]

54. I prefer a house spider

They eat the peskier bugs.

Anyway, as a kid I was told that's it's bad luck to kill a spider. Later, a Swede told me if you kill a spider, it'll rain. At least in Sweden.

[sam sarrha]

55. You had better check out "RECLUSE SPIDERS" on the Internet.. their

bite causes a red 'BULL's EYE' rash, that turns into gang green and a softball size piece of meat falls out... If you get the bulls eye rash get help immediately...do not wait..!! the recluse spiders will spread really fast when you get an infestation.

They look like wolf spiders like the one posted. most bites are aquired from clothes left on the floor.. or rolling on them in bed at nite....sorry

But, the wolf type spiders have a breeding season in the fall where the males are out hunting 'spinnet's'...we had one here in texas just a while back..kept finding two or three the size of a Buick in the bath tub every day.

[ComerPerro]

56. Depends on what they look like

If it looks like the one you posted a picture of, you bet your ass I kill it!

But if it looks harmless or if I know its harmless, I keep it around.

Unless my cat kills it...

[Scott Lee]

57. I have this contract with spiders.

And amazingly enough, they understand it and it works.

I don't squash them, and let them keep their little web homes in the corners unharrased. In return they dine on all the other critters I'd rather not find in my bed or in my food.

If the house spider, though, wonders around and is found in my bed, or on my person, they are expelled to the outside immediately. Banished. All attendant privileges revoked.

[Denver Bear]

58. I used to squish them....

....but then I realized that they have a right to live too, so I started capturing them and putting them outside.

But then I learned that most spiders you find in your house are, amazingly enough, "house spiders" and will die if you put them outside.

So now I just ignore them.

Unless they are on me, and then I scream like a girl and wig out.

:P