Arachnophobic

[JarethOmega]

Hey, I'm not sure if this is the right place to be posting this, it seems more like a spider lover type of forum, but I have some questions that I really need answered.

I'm taking care of someone elses house while they are on vacation, and they obviously don't spray for spiders. Now I'm not at liberty to go spraying their house down.

Just an hour ago I went down stairs into their basement to find a flash light. Their basement is quite cluttered with boxes, paint buckets, blankets, etc. all over the place. A perfect place for spiders. As I'm walking up stairs I see a huge spider on the wall, kind of hairy and looks like a miniature tarantula, but not THAT miniature. It's easily the biggest spider I've seen outside of a petstore. I live in Kansas, so it's probably some kind of wolf spider, I didn't get a picture of it.

I'm arachnophobic so I got terrified, all I was able to find to kill it was ant/roach killer and it said you have to spray on spiders directly to kill them. I sprayed it and it dropped on the ground and ran under some junk. (I actually heard it collide with the ground, freaked me out!)

Anyways, I'm sure it's going to die, I pulled some stuff out and saw it slowly crawling under some boxes, it didn't look to well.

I feel bad because I don't like killing anything, not even spiders, but when they are that big and inside my house, they have to go otherwise I can't sleep.

To my question, I have another week that I have to look over this house. So far I've found 3 spiders, 2 of them were small, this was as big as they get before they are tarantula sized. I can handle the small ones, but I'm wondering about the nature of these big spiders. Will they stay in the basement? Because if I wake up with one of those things near me or on me upstairs I won't be able to continue looking after this place. I'm too spooked by spiders, it's just not possible.

So I can't spray, I can't clean up their basement for them, and I'm wondering if these bigger spiders will stay in the basement? As long as they stay down there, I can manage another week here.

Also I've heard spiders like darkness, so I'm wondering would it be better for me to keep the lights in the basement off or on? I mean, if I turn them off, they will feel more at home. But if I turn them on they will most likely hide more, but at the same time I'm scared that might make them migrate upstairs, and I'd rather them stay downstairs. What would be the best thing for a spider wussy like me to do? If any of the experts here have any tips or info on these types of spiders I'd like to hear it.

 

[SandDeku]

Hey, I'm not sure if this is the right place to be posting this, it seems more like a spider lover type of forum, but I have some questions that I really need answered.

I'm taking care of someone elses house while they are on vacation, and they obviously don't spray for spiders. Now I'm not at liberty to go spraying their house down.

Just an hour ago I went down stairs into their basement to find a flash light. Their basement is quite cluttered with boxes, paint buckets, blankets, etc. all over the place. A perfect place for spiders. As I'm walking up stairs I see a huge spider on the wall, kind of hairy and looks like a miniature tarantula, but not THAT miniature. It's easily the biggest spider I've seen outside of a petstore. I live in Kansas, so it's probably some kind of wolf spider, I didn't get a picture of it.

I'm arachnophobic so I got terrified, all I was able to find to kill it was ant/roach killer and it said you have to spray on spiders directly to kill them. I sprayed it and it dropped on the ground and ran under some junk. (I actually heard it collide with the ground, freaked me out!)

Anyways, I'm sure it's going to die, I pulled some stuff out and saw it slowly crawling under some boxes, it didn't look to well.

I feel bad because I don't like killing anything, not even spiders, but when they are that big and inside my house, they have to go otherwise I can't sleep.

To my question, I have another week that I have to look over this house. So far I've found 3 spiders, 2 of them were small, this was as big as they get before they are tarantula sized. I can handle the small ones, but I'm wondering about the nature of these big spiders. Will they stay in the basement? Because if I wake up with one of those things near me or on me upstairs I won't be able to continue looking after this place. I'm too spooked by spiders, it's just not possible.

So I can't spray, I can't clean up their basement for them, and I'm wondering if these bigger spiders will stay in the basement? As long as they stay down there, I can manage another week here.

Also I've heard spiders like darkness, so I'm wondering would it be better for me to keep the lights in the basement off or on? I mean, if I turn them off, they will feel more at home. But if I turn them on they will most likely hide more, but at the same time I'm scared that might make them migrate upstairs, and I'd rather them stay downstairs. What would be the best thing for a spider wussy like me to do? If any of the experts here have any tips or info on these types of spiders I'd like to hear it.

pretty sure this is going to tick alot of people off but... Spiders won't really go out of their way to attack you to begin with. They like dark areas, that are undisturbed. If you really want to avoid spiders.... Umm... how about just using a can of pressurized air can? Like turn it upside down(against label instruction). This will cause it to make like a mini blizzard and most likely kill the spider without other chems. Someone did that to me once as a joke and it hurt like heck. So I'm sure itll kill them. If anything... just clean out the room you're sleeping it. Make sure you keep it clean and clutter free. This will most likely make the spiders not want to go in there. That's all I really know from experience.

But you shouldn't be afraid that much of a spider. If it gets really bad grab a mini tent and sleep in it-- nothing can get in there. LOL.

 

[Balkastalkman]

I used to be afraid of spiders. Basically the best thing for you to do is get used to them. Wherever you go there will be spiders around, you can't try to find ways to avoid them.

The good news is that most cant even hurt you. AND out of the very few that can only a small handful can kill you.

I would suggest handling small slow moving spiders, and just let them crawl on you. Force yourself to look at it and keep it in your hands for as long as possible. You might just need to get a little more comfortable with them, give it a try it worked for me.

 

[JarethOmega]

But you shouldn't be afraid that much of a spider. If it gets really bad grab a mini tent and sleep in it-- nothing can get in there. LOL.

I was expecting a couple replies with a sort of "Man up dude" subtelly thrown in. And I completely understand, I mean, so many people are terrified of harmless breeds of snakes, rats and mice and I've owned all 3 of those as pets, hell I've even pet a fully grown python while it was on my lap, I don't understand why people are phobic of those but I respect and sympathize with it because of my fear of spiders.

Something that should be noted is this is the largest wild spider I've seen in my life, and it happened to be INSIDE. It would hardly bother me at all if it was outside. And just to re-assure everyone on this board, I hate killing things. Period, even spiders, so don't think I'm some sicko who gets pleasure out of killing things just because I don't like the way they look.

And my fear is not getting bitten. I know the only 2 real dangerous spiders that are in Kansas are Black widows (rare) and Brown Recluse (quite rare as well). It's just a phobia, I don't want to be in the same room as them, just like someone with claustrophobia doesn't want to be in a tiny cramped room with no way out. It's uncomfortable and nerve wracking :/

This experience is definitely going to spark my interest in studying spiders, and maybe one day I'll get over it, but I'm not going to get over my fear overnight .

I just want to know if these bigger ones are likely to come creeping upstairs and if I should leave the basement alone (I guarantee it's got at least one more big spider down there) or if I should leave lights on and/or pull out boxes to make them leave... Or whatever I can do to keep my interaction with them a minimal over the next week... (Aside from spraying I can't do that)

Thanks

 

[The Spider Faery]

Alot of arachnolovers used to be arachnophobes. The key is to be taken off guard by a spider at some point that you find 'cute' or not scary. That might prompt you to take the initial step of demystifying them and reading about them. All it takes is one spider to win over your heart and soon you'll be seeing that one spider reflected in all of them.

As for being afraid of them at the present time...I would suggest trying to catch them in jars or something instead of spraying them. There's a chance they'll get away if you're spraying, plus do you really want to kill them? If you capture them, you know they're not going to get up into your space and maybe you could even take the time to observe them and start changing your outlook on them?

 

[super-pede]

catch the biggest of all the spiders in the house and keep it as a pet. After a couple of weeks you'll start to get over your fear.

 

[chris_vegas]

I started out arachnophobic...but I was intrigued by them. I read all I could find, and watched all I could watch...it wasn't enough, I wanted to see them and touch them. I've had widows, trapdoors, scorpions and many different tarantulas since. I handle them all regularly (except the scorpions and dangerous true-spiders)...however I have handled a blackwidow by accident during a cage transfer and it was quite the life-affriming experience I assure you....the scorpions I only handle when absolutely neccesary due to the affect it has on them.

....anyway...regardless of all this, I still jump a little when I see a spider in the shower lol...then I collect my self, catch it and ID it

 

[Embers To Ashes]

catch all of them and ship them to me. its better than killing idosint creatures. there not going to kill you, or even hurt you for that mater.

 

[schnautzr]

Most spiders that are living in this person's house won't cause any problems. If there are brown recluses in the house, though, which is highly probable, the last thing you want to do is spray those. Recluses usually withstand most legal chemicals, though their nervous system breaks down from it. With a broken-down nervous system, recluses become unreasonably aggressive. Normally, a recluse is nothing to worry about unless you leave your clothes on the floor for days at a time, but the chemically-altered recluse is not one you want to be around.

If the spiders bother you, stomp on them with a shoe on, and then clean up the mess with a tissue so the other spiders won't come clean it up for you.

The really big spider is a wolf spider. It won't bother you. In fact, it eats smaller spiders for breakfast. Some people tie one to their bedpost to eat the other spiders.

 

[JarethOmega]

Most spiders that are living in this person's house won't cause any problems. If there are brown recluses in the house, though, which is highly probable, the last thing you want to do is spray those. Recluses usually withstand most legal chemicals, though their nervous system breaks down from it. With a broken-down nervous system, recluses become unreasonably aggressive. Normally, a recluse is nothing to worry about unless you leave your clothes on the floor for days at a time, but the chemically-altered recluse is not one you want to be around.

If the spiders bother you, stomp on them with a shoe on, and then clean up the mess with a tissue so the other spiders won't come clean it up for you.

The really big spider is a wolf spider. It won't bother you. In fact, it eats smaller spiders for breakfast. Some people tie one to their bedpost to eat the other spiders.

I found the poor wolf spider dead, I must of nailed him enough with the spray. I feel really bad Hopefully he hate some other spiders before I found him, he looked healthy when I first spotted him.

Thanks schnautzr for actually giving me some advice rather than just telling me to get over my fear, although that is what I should probably do.

So spiders will actually eat other dead spiders? I didn't know that, I thought they only fed apoun living things. Interesting. I went and cleaned the body up right after I saw your post.

Also since I am just temporarily staying here all of my clothes are setting on an easy chair in a bag but some of them we're kind of sprawled out, and there was a shirt on the ground so I picked that up right away. Thanks a bunch.

You know if leaving the basement lights on would encourage them to come up stairs or make them leave the house/hide away? Kind of a weird question but if it helps I don't mind buying them a new lightbulb if it burns out.

 

[schnautzr]

Heh, forcing yourself to face a fear won't help overcome it-- that can often times make it worse. The only way to overcome a fear is to learn about it and learn why you have nothing to fear. In many cases, it's good to be afraid of things-- spiders, for instance, can produce deadly bites, so it's good to be extra cautious around them if you don't know them very well. To be honest, I don't expose my skin to very many spiders, even though there's usually no danger. The only spiders I typically actually let crawl on my bare hands are harvestmen (daddy longlegs).

There are two main types of spiders that typically live in a domestic environment-- cobweb spiders and hunters. Cobweb spiders typically stay in their webs off in a random darkened corner. Hunters (like the wolf spiders and the recluses, as well as several small harmless spiders) are for the most part nocturnal. You'll find most of them on the floor, though they are capable of climbing. If I'm hunting for a spider, I can usually count on finding them after midnight in areas that are low-traffic, like against the walls in the basement, behind junk that's stored away. Hunting spiders will roam around these rooms looking for food, including other spiders of their own species.

If you're like me, you're up extremely late at night on the computer. Sometimes, I'll watch a wolf spider sneak past on the other side of the room. It's definitely not out to get people-- it's just cleaning up any living or dead bugs it can find. The other evening, a parson's spider freaked me out when it crawled up my sleeve. It's completely harmless to humans, and once it realized I was a human, it ran...fast. Spiders will stay away from you once you start moving around.

As for sleeping arrangements, I don't let my sheets touch the floor. I've never seen spiders in my room, but I don't want to take a chance, since I know there is a healthy colony of recluses in my home. But in the 15 years my family has lived here, there have been zero spider bites.

Most domestic spiders don't do so well outdoors. They'll stay in the house no matter what you do.

 

[JarethOmega]

Okay, I was just in the kitchen and saw a brown spider. It wasn't a jumping spider, I suspect it of being a brown recluse or a hobo spider. It was on the fridge, I grabbed the fly swatter out of instinct and swatted at it, it didn't get smashed it just ran into the crevice of the fridge door and hid from me.

I now realize that swatting at it was probably a mistake especially if it was a brown recluse, you said they are mainly aggressive when sprayed right? What if I just swatted it and then I leave it alone for a few hours, it won't be super aggressive and get some kind of revenge bite if it sees me will it? I lost it and can't find it now.

It was kind of light brown, I didn't notice any violin markings on it but it moved at a moderate speed and didn't jump and seemed pretty scared of me, I don't see any webs nearby. It's legs were the same color as its torso.

I'm going to sleep in the living room which is pretty close to where I spotted it, do you think it's going to be more agressive since I recklessly swatted at it or do you think it will carry on hunting and avoid me?

(Eh I'm so spooked... I'm also beginning to realize that if it weren't for my phobia, that wolf spider was my best friend in this pest ridden house, and I killed it!)

 

[Embers To Ashes]

The spider is not going to go looking for your blood because you tryed to kill it. Spiders do not have the complex brains humans do. They are just programed to eat, drink, breed, and build. Revenge is something no spider has any brain capasity to comprehend.

 

[Michiel]

You' re scared of them, yet you go looking for the one you just sprayed with bug spray, to see " if it is fine" . Btw "it didn't look too well" LOL....you in somehwat of a predicament here, because you can't stand the spiders, but you feel bad killing them...so either try to feel fine around them, or accept that you have to kill a spider every now and then....

Either stop looking after the house or do something about your fear of spiders...Fear and phobia's are very well treatable...
It doesn't matter if you leave the lights in the basement on or off. They will stay there anyway because they seem to like it there...

when I see a large spider in the house, I'll catch it with a glass and piece of cardboard or a coaster and I'll drop it in the yard....

 

[schnautzr]

Recluses are only aggressive when they feel threatened. It's probably scared to death of you and is avoiding you. You'd have to pin it up against something to make it bite you. The only reason chemically-treated recluses are more dangerous is because their nervous system is partially broken down by the chemicals, so they basically function like a madman.

If you're interested in trying to catch spiders like Michiel mentioned, here's a video on how to catch them with a jar and a piece of paper. It's pretty simple to do once you get the hang of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catching_a_brown_recluse_with_a_jar_and_paper.ogv

 

[Michiel]

Recluses are only aggressive when they feel threatened. It's probably scared to death of you and is avoiding you. You'd have to pin it up against something to make it bite you. The only reason chemically-treated recluses are more dangerous is because their nervous system is partially broken down by the chemicals, so they basically function like a madman.

If you're interested in trying to catch spiders like Michiel mentioned, here's a video on how to catch them with a jar and a piece of paper. It's pretty simple to do once you get the hang of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catching_a_brown_recluse_with_a_jar_and_paper.ogv

Yeah, and you don't have to feel bad killing them, because you release them back into their habitat....

 

[schnautzr]

Actually, most of them you find indoors are domestic, so you're putting them in danger if you release them outside.

But, you'll never see them again, hopefully, so you can just forget about them once you kick them out.

 

[llamastick]

Just remember that spiders only live where they can find food. For every spider you see, there are dozens if not hundreds of insects you don't see.

Also, to get over your fear, stare at pictures of sad-looking jumping spiders for a couple of minutes per day.

 

[PhobeToPhile]

Just remember that spiders only live where they can find food. For every spider you see, there are dozens if not hundreds of insects you don't see.

Also, to get over your fear, stare at pictures of sad-looking jumping spiders for a couple of minutes per day.

Why not pictures of some Avic slings? Though jumpers do look nice. Had a chance to catch one recently, but the first time I didn't think to nab it. Second time, I didn't have time to get a container and it jumped.