Question on pesticides and T's

[Gail]

Hi everyone, I haven't been on the boards much at all due to so many things going on. As many may know I have reduced my collection considerably. During this "reduction" as I was moving a 3" H. maculata that had just shed 6 days before, it went totally ape$hit, leapt at me, ran down onto the floor of the bathroom and headed for the corner where the sink cabinet meets the wall - so much for the bathtub containing it...
Any way, I figured I'd have it cornered, but lo and behold, it found a hole in the baseboard which I didn't know was there, and got under the cabinet. I pulled off the front facing under one of the doors and checked with a flashlight - couldn't see it, but could see that there weren't many exits for it - either up into the cabinet itself, or, possibly behind the back and into the block wall IF it could find the small hole for the pipes (they are pretty tight fit).
So, to cut this story short - I couldn't get it to come out. My husband was freaking out since he almost died from a black widow bite (allergic reaction) and so the only choice I had was a mass fumigation under the cabinet and in it. That was at the beginning of the week and my husband still won't let me leave the bathroom door open and he has a towel rolled against the bottom of the door. I've tried to assure him that it is dead but he wants "a body" and there is no way to find that unless I rip out the entire cabinet. I thought that perhaps it might set his mind at ease if I posed the question here "do you think that the H. maculata is dead?" and he could read your thoughts on it. Keep in mind, I used so much insecticide that I was afraid it would get into the room with my remaining T's and I had to keep that door closed and venilate the rest of the house. There was so much pesticide it made ME sick. But my husband insists that it is alive and waiting to get him or kill one of the cats. Please give me a hand here folks and give your opinions and insights on this. And please... no joking around about giant mutant spiders or man-stalking H. maculatas - I am already dealing with a husband who carries a flashlight with him everywhere (sleeps with it too) and who keeps chanting "you owe me so bad you have no idea..." and "if it kills one of my cats I can't even begin to discribe how angry I will be..."

Gail

<edit: bold black gives people headaches -MI>

 

[Aboreal Rayne]

Rampant Maculata!!

Gail,

Firstly I'ed like to say that SUX!! No really, if you bombed it with pesticides, like the ones used to kill ants then it's probably dead. All T's are sensitive to the stuff. I personally wouldn't want a H. Maculata running rampant in my house, but that's just me... I accually wouldn't mind seeing a body either. Are you sure you had to kill it? That's a nice T too......:?

<edit: she asked you not to make stupid jokes -MI>

 

[Gail]

I used the only insecticide I had on hand - one designed to kill fleas that has a residual effect for up to one month so it will kill any hatching fleas. It had a directional fogging action. (I had it because a friend of ours whose dog was INFESTED with the damn things brought them over to our place over a year ago and infested us!)
And, yes, unfortunately, I HAD to kill it - my husband would have moved out if I had suggested any other course of action (like let's wait and see if it comes out on it's own).

Gail

PS The only good thing that has come from this is that my husband doesn't leave piles of books on the sink or spend hours sitting on the toilet reading anymore

 

[Wade]

You can tell your husband that:

1: There has never been a recorded instance of a person dying from a tarantula bite. Allergic reactions to arachnid venom is freakishly rare.

2: Predatory arthropods almost never build up any resistance to insectacides, even very mild toxins that a cockroach could take a bath in without effect will kill a tarantula in a heartbeat.

3: The likleyhood of seeing this animal again is real slim, even if it is alive. As an aboreal, it's going to be adebt at slipping through small openings. Chances are it's long gone.

I take it you got involved with the tarantula hobby after you were married. When I met my wife, I already had over a hundred T's and other inverts as well as several dozen herps. She understands that there will never be any sort of spraying anywhere in our house!

Wade