# Argh! Spiders! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 4, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107 "2011-02-04T02:50:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/62 "2011-02-09T12:45:16Z")
> [@lynne-42](#): > > I think you’re joking. Yes, I’m joking. I’m also joking about the cats. At least I think I am… ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/63 "2011-02-09T15:03:10Z")
No, you’ve pretty much got cats down. And don’t be fooled, lynne-42 is really a spider trying to put you off your guard. It’s the eyes they love to nibble. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/64 "2011-02-09T16:25:14Z")
HFS!!! :eek::eek::eek: and i thought wolf spiders here in the mid of west (indiana) were ginormous… even the famed maggie, one of the superkitties and my resident huntrix and defender of the realm against all things eight-legged and six-legged, probably wouldn’t take on a huntsman. fellow superkitty turk couldn’t be bothered to get off the couch, but i’ve seen her stalk and kill her fair share of beasties in the three years i’ve had her. our biggest pest and the more dangerous spider in the states is definitely the brown recluse, and maggie does a great job of keeping them under control. i’ve only had one black widow in the house that i can ever remember from years back, and that one i reduced to a greasy spot in a right big hurry, then tore the house apart looking for more. surprisingly, i didn’t find any. only occasionally do i have wolf spiders as house guests and i pretty much leave them alone because they’re shy, not poisonous and do a great job of keeping the bug population down in the summer. they don’t end up on my computer monitor, either. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/65 "2011-02-12T08:55:39Z")
The beast is back. He suddenly turned up on my TV cabinet and now he’s jockeying for a spot on my second couch, the one I thankfully don’t sit on too often. I don’t think he ever left, and has just been in dark corners out of view for the past week. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/66 "2011-02-12T08:59:00Z")
I would just burn down my house and find a new one that was free of spiders… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/67 "2011-02-12T11:08:38Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > The beast is back. He suddenly turned up on my TV cabinet and now he’s jockeying for a spot on my second couch, the one I thankfully don’t sit on too often. > > I don’t think he ever left, and has just been in dark corners out of view for the past week. Does he bring his own snacks or is he looking for munchies also? ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/68 "2011-02-12T11:30:10Z")
I’ve always noticed that when **Huntsmen** come into the house they are extremely lethargic and generally curl up and die pretty quickly…sort of like finding a cosy place to cease to be. **Lynne** , you being the spider-lady here, what’s your take on this? I love my spiders (at an arms-distance at least) but have found that once a huntsman comes inside, they’re not long for this world. I don’t do surface-spray thingies or anything nasty to deter them, but they wander around the walls for a day or too (veeeery sloooowly) and then drop off the radar, only to be found by the vacuum cleaner a week (or maybe three) later. Now **redbacks** on the other hand…😃 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2011, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/69 "2011-02-12T11:47:13Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Does he bring his own snacks or is he looking for munchies also? Well, he’s now in my kitchen. That’s certainly where I find food. Presumably he’s indoors to get out of this ridiculous weather we’ve been having. But I suspect he’s also hoping to locate a source of creepy-crawly-type food to satiate his hunger. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/70 "2011-02-13T00:17:09Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > I don’t do surface-spray thingies or anything nasty to deter them, but they wander around the walls for a day or too (veeeery sloooowly) and then drop off the radar, only to be found by the vacuum cleaner a week (or maybe three) later. So he was very active last night, exploring the kitchen quite vigorously, and then found a wall corner to sit in when I finally went to bed. This morning, can’t see him anywhere. Until after a little bit of searching I have found a desiccated husk next to the window. Its legs are all folded up, so I can’t make a positive ID, but judging by the scale of its body it may be him. Why would he be dead so suddenly? Is it a moulted exoskeleton, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/71 "2011-02-13T01:17:04Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Is it a moulted exoskeleton, perhaps? Possibly. Now there’s a larger, more disagreeable spider stalking around your house. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/72 "2011-02-13T02:00:36Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Possibly. Now there’s a larger, more disagreeable spider stalking around your house. Why more disagreeable, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/73 "2011-02-13T02:01:55Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Why more disagreeable, exactly? There’s more of him, for one. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/74 "2011-02-13T02:28:34Z")
It’s not a moult, he moved. Just a twitch, but I’m confident it was the last vestiges of his life. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/75 "2011-02-13T03:33:54Z")
For handling spiders, if you want an approach that balances decisiveness with moderation, I suggest [ratshot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratshot). ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/76 "2011-02-13T08:52:51Z")
> [@Cosmic Relief](#): > > For handling spiders, if you want an approach that balances decisiveness with moderation, I suggest [ratshot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratshot). My spiders aren’t big enough to warrant it, but I will keep that in mind… ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/77 "2011-02-13T09:58:27Z")
KILL. IT. WITH. FIRE. Jesus, what is wrong with you people!? I have been living in Australia for approaching 2 years now and fortunately i’ve only ever seen 1 huntsman in the basement of the apartment building during the heavy rain. If one of those badboys ever made its way into the apartment it would certainly not be long for this world, death to all who enter here!! ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/78 "2011-02-13T10:25:13Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > KILL. IT. WITH. FIRE. > > Jesus, what is wrong with you people!? I have been living in Australia for approaching 2 years now and fortunately i’ve only ever seen 1 huntsman in the basement of the apartment building during the heavy rain. If one of those badboys ever made its way into the apartment it would certainly not be long for this world, death to all who enter here!! > [@TravisFromOR](#): > > I would just burn down my house and find a new one that was free of spiders… Isn’t that what I said? ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/79 "2011-02-13T10:41:51Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Isn’t that what I said? My comment was directed towards those people who are happy to co-habit with such a legged demon. You are sane, and I congratulate you for it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/80 "2011-02-13T10:51:36Z")
Well, I thought he was dead. He was only sleeping. I took advantage of his dormant state, and his being on the floor, to cover him with a tub, slide some card under, and drop him outside. He is now at the mercy of nature again. A part of me hopes an opportunistic bird gobbles him up. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2011, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107/81 "2011-02-13T11:00:00Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > My spiders aren’t big enough to warrant it, but I will keep that in mind… Any spider is big enough to warrant it. Ratshot is my entry-level spider load. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argh-spiders/570107.md?page=5)