# Hostage of a spider **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 29, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501 "2011-08-29T15:49:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/61 "2011-09-01T14:46:10Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Plus you get the satisfying feeling of killing it with your own muscles. :dubious: I have muscles in my trigger finger. Bug spray, .45ACP, 12ga 00… ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/62 "2011-09-01T15:03:41Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > :dubious: I have muscles in my trigger finger. > > Bug spray, .45ACP, 12ga 00… I was thinking of the incident with a spray can and a lighter when I paged you upthread. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/63 "2011-09-01T15:31:57Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Tiny, yes - but remarkably effective, at least in some species of jumping spider: [http://www.rifters.com/real/articles/Sinclair%20ZX80%20spiders.pdf](http://www.rifters.com/real/articles/Sinclair%20ZX80%20spiders.pdf) > > These guys would make fine minions. Or [puppeteers](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2595/3816631929_986b4de166.jpg), apparently. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/64 "2011-09-01T15:40:54Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > I was thinking of the incident with a spray can and a lighter when I paged you upthread. [quote=“trupa, post:23, topic:594659”] Those were wasps. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/65 "2011-09-03T06:20:37Z")
I should not have read this thread. As I saw the title, a spider was climbing down the wall behind a bunch of containers I can’t move. And now I’m having the same feeling as the OP. Gah! ---
**Author:** ![VitrolicBump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@VitrolicBump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VitrolicBump)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/66 "2011-09-03T06:30:22Z")
I’ve been thinking about this thread and **Johnny L.A’s** thread for a week (may be a little exaggerated) but when I do, UGH. What a horrible thought! I see spiders everwhere now! They stalk me anyway but the idea that they are everywhere…EEEEK! ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/67 "2011-09-03T07:42:17Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Long, hairlike legs? Sounds like a house centipede. > > Don’t worry - their bites (well, technically, stings) are not fatal, merely painful. 😛 > > [Scutigera coleoptrata - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutigera_coleoptrata) > > I love this 1902 description: Gaaaaahhh! We have these occasionally in my apartment. Just reading the word “house centipede” has caused my pulse to skyrocket. They have so many damned legs and they move so fast. If you miss them with the first blow, you may not get another chance. I inspect my room for these things every night before I turn the lights off. No joke. One dropped onto my bed from the ceiling and crawled up my leg during a power outage last year and I’m still traumatized. I felt something tickling and reacted like I’d been shot and smacked it reflexively, then grabbed a flashlight to discover the smashed remains of a 2-inch house centipede in my bed. The other thing with them is that when you kill them, particularly with [one of these](http://www.amazon.com/Koolatron-Lentek-Biteshield-RZ02-Electronic/dp/B000H7CUSQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1315035634&sr=1-2), some or all of their legs fly off. So first you have to dispose of the corpse, then you have to find all the little legs. These things come straight from hell. Edit: Electric flyswatters are the best house centipede murder weapon. It allows you to make a surprise assault from a greater distance than a shoe or book, and you don’t need to nail the blow straight on because the voltage is high enough that just a touch will fry it. Catch it and put it outside? Not on your life. These things have to die. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/68 "2011-09-03T08:27:00Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > Gaaaaahhh! We have these occasionally in my apartment. Just reading the word “house centipede” has caused my pulse to skyrocket. They have so many damned legs and they move so fast. If you miss them with the first blow, you may not get another chance. > > I inspect my room for these things every night before I turn the lights off. No joke. One dropped onto my bed from the ceiling and crawled up my leg during a power outage last year and I’m still traumatized. I felt something tickling and reacted like I’d been shot and smacked it reflexively, then grabbed a flashlight to discover the smashed remains of a 2-inch house centipede in my bed. I can really empathize with this problem, and I have a solution for everyone who gets the willies about spiders and centipedes: This time of year where I live (the rainforest in Mexico) [these guys](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/alecran.jpg/) fall from the thatched roof into the house regularly. The familiar clunk of their hard shell hitting the tile floor from 20’ above rings out often through the night. Sometimes the soft thud of them hitting the bed can be a little bit unnerving, but there won’t be a spider or centipede in sight as long as you have a few of these guys around. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/69 "2011-09-03T11:24:07Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > I can really empathize with this problem, and I have a solution for everyone who gets the willies about spiders and centipedes: > > This time of year where I live (the rainforest in Mexico) [these guys](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/alecran.jpg/) fall from the thatched roof into the house regularly. The familiar clunk of their hard shell hitting the tile floor from 20’ above rings out often through the night. > > Sometimes the soft thud of them hitting the bed can be a little bit unnerving, but there won’t be a spider or centipede in sight as long as you have a few of these guys around. :eek: _whimper_ Say, has anyone heard from **Ellen Cherry** lately? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/70 "2011-09-03T13:05:58Z")
Mmmgrrrrrfft! Donnnntttrrrrmtf! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/71 "2011-09-03T14:29:38Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Mmmgrrrrrfft! Donnnntttrrrrmtf! I’m going to take that as meaning “Guys! Come save my ass!” and send over a little old lady who will swallow the spider. She’s already swallowed a fly, and apparently it’s bothering her, so the spider should fix that. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/72 "2011-09-05T15:11:48Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > Gaaaaahhh! We have these occasionally in my apartment. Just reading the word “house centipede” has caused my pulse to skyrocket. They have so many damned legs and they move so fast. If you miss them with the first blow, you may not get another chance. > > I inspect my room for these things every night before I turn the lights off. No joke. One dropped onto my bed from the ceiling and crawled up my leg during a power outage last year and I’m still traumatized. I felt something tickling and reacted like I’d been shot and smacked it reflexively, then grabbed a flashlight to discover the smashed remains of a 2-inch house centipede in my bed. > The other thing with them is that when you kill them, particularly with [one of these](http://www.amazon.com/Koolatron-Lentek-Biteshield-RZ02-Electronic/dp/B000H7CUSQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1315035634&sr=1-2), some or all of their legs fly off. So first you have to dispose of the corpse, then you have to find all the little legs. These things come straight from hell. > > Edit: Electric flyswatters are the best house centipede murder weapon. It allows you to make a surprise assault from a greater distance than a shoe or book, and you don’t need to nail the blow straight on because the voltage is high enough that just a touch will fry it. Catch it and put it outside? Not on your life. These things have to die. What I hate is the way their cast-off legs quiver and twitch. Yuck. They seem to grow extra-large in my mother’s basement studeo - I once used a piece of wet clay as a projectile and beaned one 3 inches long. It was such a magnificent specimen that I left the clay on a drying shelf for future generations to admire - it was discovered by one of my mom’s pottery assistants a couple of years later. Sadly, she did not appreciate it, and (using tongs) tossed it in the trash. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/73 "2011-09-05T16:55:45Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Today I was called by some co-workers to deal with a wolf spider, with lots of shrieking and freaking out. Immediately after, I pointed them to a wee topical joke I’d hidden in the source code for [this page](http://www.ascentpm.com/index.php?page=our-team). 🆒 You misspelled ‘driveway’ on the [spiffy house](http://www.ascentpm.com/index.php?page=view-property&listing_id=100143) :dubious: And really,over a million:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/74 "2011-09-05T17:34:15Z")
We live out in the middle of nowhere in NE Arizona. Bugs and dirt are perpetual. I’ve SORTA become desensitized about bugs, but big, terrifying things (think Mothra) can still make me scream and flap. Bathroom spiders are neverending. They usually are the ones with teensy-tinsy bodies and very, very long spindly legs. I DON’T like them (I got the creeps just describing them!) and I make it a point to annihilate any within my reach. So, I had a washcloth draped on the tub faucet and I decided to use it for my morning ablutions. When I picked up the cloth to soap it, I saw a bit of “crud” drop into the sink. Again, the dust and crud are simply a point of life here. I scrubbed my face, and went to rinse out the washcloth. A large, seven-legged spider dropped to the sink, and the spider waved “Hi” with the seven remaining legs. Oh, so THAT was the “bit of crud” from the washcloth… All washcloths and towels get a vigorous shaking before use now. And washing your face with a seven-legged spider works better than the caffeine in a morning cup of coffee to get the ol’ blood circulating. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![VitrolicBump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@VitrolicBump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VitrolicBump)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/75 "2011-09-05T17:58:31Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > I can really empathize with this problem, and I have a solution for everyone who gets the willies about spiders and centipedes: > > This time of year where I live (the rainforest in Mexico) [these guys](http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/221/alecran.jpg/) fall from the thatched roof into the house regularly. The familiar clunk of their hard shell hitting the tile floor from 20’ above rings out often through the night. > > Sometimes the soft thud of them hitting the bed can be a little bit unnerving, but there won’t be a spider or centipede in sight as long as you have a few of these guys around. :eek: We get these a lot here in the desert. They do help with the spiders and anything else but I would rather deal with spiders…_shudders_ **VOW** , I totally know what you mean. I live in the outer reaches of the metro area of Phoenix (read as rural) and any bug you want will be there. In it’s monstrosity and vileness. Just the thought of the huge and small things that try to get into the living areas makes my skin crawl. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/76 "2011-09-05T19:13:25Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Bathroom spiders are neverending. They usually are the ones with teensy-tinsy bodies and very, very long spindly legs. I DON’T like them (I got the creeps just describing them!) and I make it a point to annihilate any within my reach. [Daddy long-legs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcidae). I caught a big one last week. Unfortunately I was busy and didn’t take it outside and forgot about it. I noticed it a few days later. There was a smaller spider in the bathtub one night, but the penalty jar was already occupied. Oh, well. Into the jar. But I’m getting ready for bed. I’ll take them out in the morning. Too bad for the new guy Daddy Long-Legs had ben cooped up for a while and was hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/77 "2011-09-06T13:50:21Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Mmmgrrrrrfft! Donnnntttrrrrmtf! A captive audience! Might I share a recent spider story with you? 😉 Friday night I took the entire family to the Wildwood Boardwalk. After doing boardwalk-things (all except salt water taffy, which as a rule I find more disgusting than spiders), we returned to the car to find a 2 inch spider had made a significantly strong web between the driver’s side door & the next car over. My wife freaked. My youngest laughed & yelled ‘kill it!’. My oldest said calmly, “Thats a crab spider. Its not venomous. Poisonous only comes into play if your planning on eating it.” Me? I know they eat bugs (Spiders, not my kids. Although this spider was happily munching on a smaller white spider) so I just wanted to get it to abandon its web & head back to where it was before 2PM. Searching the hatch of the car, I found a can of spray-on sun block and a newspaper. I sprayed Mr. Spider first and while it contracted into a ball, it didn’t drop off the web & on to the ground. I then used the rolled up paper to move it and the web away from the car. (…and there was much rejoicing) I explained to my youngest, however that we needed to leave as soon as possible because quite soon that spider would be very angry. “Why, Daddy…?” “Well, its Labor Day Weekend at Wildwood at the Jersey Shore. And as it stands right now, there’s no way in Hell that spider’s catching a tan. Matter of fact, by this time tomorrow, I expect he’ll be shaking 8 tiny fists in the air at us.” ---
**Author:** ![grumpygramma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/779978/32.png) [@grumpygramma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grumpygramma)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/78 "2011-09-08T05:48:25Z")
As I lay in my backyard in the sun I felt someone ‘looking’ at me.I kept sitting up and looking around and finally resorted to keeping one eye slightly open and lay back down.I’ll never forget what I saw next- a giant spider was opening a trapdoor in the grass and spying on me every time I closed my eyes! I was so creeped out I called my husband at work!Our friends came running home with him, and before I knew what happened they dug up half the back yard! We were all basically city slickers who were assigned to this small town in the middle of Kansas…and were very afraid of all the new ‘threats’ we came across, hence the frantic digging. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501/79 "2011-09-08T13:13:36Z")
Aw, it was just playing peek-a-boo! Like a little baby! So cute. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostage-of-a-spider/594501.md?page=3)