Arachnophobia

[graham58]

Just thought this needed a new thread after 10 years

Mine's fairly mild, but all the same with the autumn season approaching I'm thinking of investing in a spider catcher. Has anyone got one of these, and if so, what type and did it work?

Thanks in advance,

Graham .

[AbyssalStars]

I don't have spider catchers, but where I work does. It's the gel/goop kind where the spider gets caught when it walks across it. Based on the number of spiders and other creepy crawlies I have found in these, I think that they work quite well, but may not completely solve the issue if you have a larger spider infestation. That's how it is where I work. Yes, the trap catches spiders, but they keep coming back.

[NoraB]

I had a spider phobia for decades. I think it started when I found one crawling about in my nightie when I was a little girl? This coincided with those Saturday night films about killer bees, spiders and whatnot..

By a bizarre twist of fate, both husbands kept tarantulas. My ex had one and my husband had several. Alcohol (and some heavy books on top of the tanks) kept me semi-sane..:scared15:

My worst fear was that there would be a 'great escape' one day, and guess what? Yep. It happened...

My husband (the div) failed to close the slide-along tank lid properly one night and one of the buggers climbed out at about 8.30am the next morning. Last I saw it was legging it across a bookcase, and those b@stards can't half shift! :ohmy:

Whist in captivity they just sat there under the heat lamp. The highlight of the week was seeing them cock a leg in the air as they moved in on a cricket? Dude turns into Usain Bolt once it senses freedom! :whistles:

In my imagined arachnid escapee scenario, I'd had a coronary episode and was found with the spider on my face (Home Alone style) but in reality the spider came no where near me and my heart held up really well?

I shut 'Steve McQueen' in the room and placed a towel by the door. Then I called my husband for assistance, and the phone call went something like this..

One of the (effing) spiders has (effin) escaped. Get your (effing) @rse home nooooooowwwwwww!

Cutting the story a bit shorter..

It took a while to locate 'Steve' on account of him being the exact same shade as the carpet but eventually he was found shivering in a corner and I actually felt sorry for the blighter..:weep:

Since that day my phobia has weakened considerably so it would seem that exposure helped in my case?

Last week I surprised my husband by picking a spider up and putting it out the door. It was only a diddy one but there was a time that even the diddy ones would see me shrieking like Marv from Home Alone! :ohmy:

My worst fear actually happened and I coped a lot better than I thought I would, and that tends to be the way doesn't it?

Plus, the creature was obviously scared. :shrug:

'Steve' sadly died not long after and it was actually an upsetting sight to see his body all hunched up?

You're free now Steve. No more tanks. Be free. Be you. RIP mate.

[Fishmanpa]

My wife has a deathly fear of spiders. Our Pixie Bob cat is the ultimate spider catcher/killer.... And he's a great cuddler too ;)

FMP

[graham58]

Thanks to everyone who's replied. Just want to answer this one;


My wife has a deathly fear of spiders. Our Pixie Bob cat is the ultimate spider catcher/killer.... And he's a great cuddler too ;) FMP

Tried that (well, sort of). I used to share a house with a cat and the first time he was set in front of a spider, he chased it, swatted it with his paw and ate it. That was as far as it got, however, because the second and third time he saw one he showed no interest in chasing it - perhaps he didn't like the taste the first time?

[graham58]

Good story Nora, reminds me of this song;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vudA72hibg

[WiredIncorrectly]

Nora is the same as my partner, and to an extent the same as me.

Do you want to cure this once and for all? The solution is simple. Buy a tarantula. They're cheap (less than £10 here), and easy to look after. For example you can get one as a baby (called slings) and it will live in a small vial for quite a while. It will be the size of a money spider and you will grow with it.

I used to hate spiders, and any creepy crawly. But one day, I seen a tarantula for sale with the setup. I though to heck with it, why not.

And that was my first spider. I rarely had to open it's tank and it was secure. She was very interesting to watch.

I was warned that once you own 1 spider you will quickly own more. And it's true. I'm sure Nora can back this up.

I then went on to own all sorts of tarantulas. Many were the defensive species, which means they had more toxic venom and were ready to attack without question. It also meant they were very fast. So fast they look like they teleport. But I never got "tagged" (i.e. bitten).

Putting the spiders into their homes after buying, or rehousing, is the fun part. With the defensive species it's scary, but you hold yourself together. While putting them into their homes they are more likely to escape, or teleport up your arm and bite you. Oddly this never had any affect on my anxiety. Maybe because I wasn't scared.

I never had a spider escape. I had a few close calls but thankfully never had one run up the wall.

I have also never handled a spider. They're not pets and handling them is more dangerous to them than it is for you. Even a fall from a small height can damage their sacks and kill them. They're very very delicate creatures. You also risk a bite.

Now, onto the bite. There's very few tarantulas that will kill you, and if somebody does die it's more than likely due to an allergic reaction, or an existing health problem like a weak heart. A tarantula is not in the same family as a brown recluse, black widow, Brazilian wandering spider etc. I'd be more scared of a dog bite, than a tarantula bite. The former will be far worse.

I still hate attic spiders. They're ugly. I think most British spiders are ugly to be honest.

Owning spiders taught me a lot about them. They're fascinating and beautiful. They're also very clever. Some like to web a lot, others burrow, others hide in holes.

I owned a six eyed sand spider. You probably seen one from an old meme. They bury themselves under sand. Their venom will kill you and there is no anti venom. But, they bite rarely and don't climb glass. They're relatively safe to own.

For many spider owners their spiders live behind the glass and rehousing day is an exciting experience.

There isn't really a tarantula I recommend as a beginner. There's old world, and new world, species. New world tarantulas have other defensive mechanisms which means they rarely bite, and their venom isn't as potent. For example, new world species will flick hairs at you from their back legs. Old world species don't have any other defensive mechanism except to bite. Their venom is stronger.

Asian species are awesome. I had a few. They are definitely up there with the most defensive though.

Some people say a Chilean Rose is a good tarantula as a beginner, but I think there's more beautiful species out there.

If you're going with a baby spider ignore the above and get any spider you like. By the time it's big enough to bite you, you'll have already built a respect and a love for your spider and you will no longer fear it. You'll learn it's temperament as it grows.

I respect all creatures big and small. I don't kill or trap anything. Not even flies. If you have flies in the house generally there's trash, or dog mess, somewhere. It's not their fault our lifestyles provide a breeding ground for them.

The good thing with spiders is they're cheap, and you can order them online.

But, there are some very expensive tarantulas too such as the Poecilotheria metallica, which are a lovely blue color. They got for $200+.

I'm getting into snakes at the moment. Would really like a Boa or a Python. In the future I would most definitely love a King Cobra. Or even a False Water Cobra.

[graham58]

Nora is the same as my partner, and to an extent the same as me.

Do you want to cure this once and for all? The solution is simple. Buy a tarantula. They're cheap (less than £10 here), and easy to look after. For example you can get one as a baby (called slings) and it will live in a small vial for quite a while. It will be the size of a money spider and you will grow with it.

I used to hate spiders, and any creepy crawly. But one day, I seen a tarantula for sale with the setup. I though to heck with it, why not.

And that was my first spider. I rarely had to open it's tank and it was secure. She was very interesting to watch.

I was warned that once you own 1 spider you will quickly own more. And it's true. I'm sure Nora can back this up.

I then went on to own all sorts of tarantulas. Many were the defensive species, which means they had more toxic venom and were ready to attack without question. It also meant they were very fast. So fast they look like they teleport. But I never got "tagged" (i.e. bitten).

Putting the spiders into their homes after buying, or rehousing, is the fun part. With the defensive species it's scary, but you hold yourself together. While putting them into their homes they are more likely to escape, or teleport up your arm and bite you. Oddly this never had any affect on my anxiety. Maybe because I wasn't scared.

I never had a spider escape. I had a few close calls but thankfully never had one run up the wall.

I have also never handled a spider. They're not pets and handling them is more dangerous to them than it is for you. Even a fall from a small height can damage their sacks and kill them. They're very very delicate creatures. You also risk a bite.

Now, onto the bite. There's very few tarantulas that will kill you, and if somebody does die it's more than likely due to an allergic reaction, or an existing health problem like a weak heart. A tarantula is not in the same family as a brown recluse, black widow, Brazilian wandering spider etc. I'd be more scared of a dog bite, than a tarantula bite. The former will be far worse.

I still hate attic spiders. They're ugly. I think most British spiders are ugly to be honest.

Owning spiders taught me a lot about them. They're fascinating and beautiful. They're also very clever. Some like to web a lot, others burrow, others hide in holes.

I owned a six eyed sand spider. You probably seen one from an old meme. They bury themselves under sand. Their venom will kill you and there is no anti venom. But, they bite rarely and don't climb glass. They're relatively safe to own.

For many spider owners their spiders live behind the glass and rehousing day is an exciting experience.

There isn't really a tarantula I recommend as a beginner. There's old world, and new world, species. New world tarantulas have other defensive mechanisms which means they rarely bite, and their venom isn't as potent. For example, new world species will flick hairs at you from their back legs. Old world species don't have any other defensive mechanism except to bite. Their venom is stronger.

Asian species are awesome. I had a few. They are definitely up there with the most defensive though.

Some people say a Chilean Rose is a good tarantula as a beginner, but I think there's more beautiful species out there.

If you're going with a baby spider ignore the above and get any spider you like. By the time it's big enough to bite you, you'll have already built a respect and a love for your spider and you will no longer fear it. You'll learn it's temperament as it grows.

I respect all creatures big and small. I don't kill or trap anything. Not even flies. If you have flies in the house generally there's trash, or dog mess, somewhere. It's not their fault our lifestyles provide a breeding ground for them.

The good thing with spiders is they're cheap, and you can order them online.

But, there are some very expensive tarantulas too such as the Poecilotheria metallica, which are a lovely blue color. They got for $200+.

I'm getting into snakes at the moment. Would really like a Boa or a Python. In the future I would most definitely love a King Cobra. Or even a False Water Cobra.

Good post, but you don't sound to me like an arachnophobe or someone who has been one. You say this;

"Oddly this never had any affect on my anxiety. Maybe because I wasn't scared."

An arachnophobe would have been (very). My cousin (who is a big strapping bloke who used to play rugby for his town) is a full blown arachnophobe, and when he came to stay with me once I had to check the house top and bottom to see if there were any spiders because he wouldn't have been able to cope with it. He called his brother once to get rid of a spider scuttling around the skirting boards of his house because he couldn't handle it.

I'm probably borderline spider phobic, but I have seen a tarantula in a zoo and also (unintentionally!) picked up a black widow spider - one of the few interesting stories I have to tell in my life. (I was wearing protective gear and it wasn't very lively so I was in no danger.)

I think the best way of dealing with a full-blown spider phobia is a "friendly spider" course. London Zoo used to run one a few years ago (it cost about £90 for the day) and I think Clifton Zoo in Bristol did as well.

[graham58]

Can I go back to what I asked, please?

"Mine's fairly mild, but all the same with the autumn season approaching I'm thinking of investing in a spider catcher. Has anyone got one of these, and if so, what type and did it work?"

These are the sorts of things I'm referring to;

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/KEPLIN-Spider-Catcher-Longlegs-Original/dp/B089B4W7G8

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Katcha-Spider-Catcher/dp/B003E6Z85E

[NoraB]

I was warned that once you own 1 spider you will quickly own more. And it's true. I'm sure Nora can back this up.

OOH NO!

My ex husband's father passed away and he wanted a tarantula. As phobic as I was I couldn't object because he'd just lost his dad :shrug: (plus, he'd have done it anyway)

Husband number deux had the spiders when I met him and I did my best to ignore them. Alcohol helped (for me, not the spiders) but my arachnid nightmares were constant. :scared15:

When 'Steve' escaped that morning - I'd imagined I would die of fear? My heart was going like the clappers and I broke out into a cold, cold sweat - the works - but I came to feel sorry for the fella because I don't like to see any creature in tanks or cages. No offence to you James, it's just how I personally feel. But this wasn't the kind of spider that you could put a glass over and put out the window, right? So he had to go back into his tank and once there I swear the dude looked depressed?

I still freak out when I see one of those massive spiders with the exceptionally long legs shimming up the walls but I keep meaning to get a spider catcher (like Graham is on about) in the event that my husband isn't around to aid me. But I'm definitely nowhere near as bad as I was before The Great Escape..

Husband keeps on about snakes but this time I have expressed myself..

It's the snake or me cocker.

The snake will give him less shit but it won't wipe the bog seat down, wash his underpants, or make his packed lunch. :yesyes:

[Fishmanpa]

Can I go back to what I asked, please?

"Mine's fairly mild, but all the same with the autumn season approaching I'm thinking of investing in a spider catcher. Has anyone got one of these, and if so, what type and did it work?"

These are the sorts of things I'm referring to;

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/KEPLIN-Spider-Catcher-Longlegs-Original/dp/B089B4W7G8

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Katcha-Spider-Catcher/dp/B003E6Z85E

Why not read the reviews, make a choice and just try it out? There are also spider/insect traps you can place about as well as good 'ol insect killer sprays.

FMP

[WiredIncorrectly]

I was an arachnophobe. I'd be the first to jump on the bed to get away from a spider screaming for somebody to catch it. Before I owned a spider I did spend over a year watching videos on them. Initially I couldn't even watch a video on spiders, but one of the youtubers I watched had one and my interest started from there. That film back in the day put the willies up me and would haunt me.

When you have to rehouse a spider, you have no choice, arachnophobe or not. If you don't it will die, and that's cruel. The first time I rehoused one it was a bit of an ordeal and my partner helped me (who at this point was also an arachnopobe and couldn't even be in the same room as the spider). The experience of rehousing my first spider most definitely helped me overcome my fear of spiders. The experience of owning a spider will do that.

As for your original question, I do not condone the killing of insects. We share this world with all sorts, and as this time of the year is common for spiders I'd just ride it out. You're in the UK, we don't have dangerous spiders. Trapping them, and putting them outside is like somebody picking you up and plonking you in the middle of nowhere :roflmao:

[graham58]

I think we're probably going to end up having to agree to disagree about this. I used to be very tolerant of Pholcidae (skull spiders) in my home on the basis that they kept everything else down, until one day I counted five of the blighters in the shower when I was taking one. Have to say that for me that was too much, and ever since I've been much more insistent on getting rid of their webs (though I still tolerate a few around).

It was one of these;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcus_phalangioides

My very Cornish Gran used to say that she operated a no-tolerance policy towards spiders in her home because if you don't, "they increase like a doous!" (the English dialect equivalent would be "like billy-o"!).

Similarly, I was making an entry in my diary a few minutes ago when I saw an ant walking across it. Having memories of a fruit cake in a tin my Gran gave me which turned into a full-scale ant's nest some years ago, I have a policy of no tolerance for ants in my home now and took the diary and ant outside where the ant crawled off the pages of my diary and onto a blade of grass. No one was hurt, including the ant.