# Spiders. Hundreds of spiders. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 4, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328 "2011-06-04T20:10:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [June 4, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/1 "2011-06-04T20:10:00Z")
I went out to water the strawberries, and I saw a ‘ball’ in a spider’s web on the bar/counter thing on the patio. It looked like a big collection of pollen off of one of the cedars. Thinking that couldn’t be the case, I blew on it. Yep, baby spiders started moving about. They’re yellow and about 1 mm across, and the ball was 20 - 25 mm in diameter. I called roomie out, and she asked if I had any spray. I told her they weren’t hurting anything. She said, ‘Yet.’ I said they were nifty. She said she’ll have nightmares. She did catch the GHS in the bathroom though, so she’s getting better. I caught another GHS in the kitchen sink and put the ‘penalty jar’ back in the bathroom until I got round to letting her out. Roomie saw it and thought, ‘Didn’t I let you out earlier?’ (I let the new one out after I finished the dishes.) Sorry about not having a pic of the spider ball. My camera isn’t up to the task. . ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/2 "2011-06-04T21:04:45Z")
I just want to say: I’m not reading this thread, I barely glanced at the mouseover text, and my skin is in no way attempting to crawl right out of the room right now. _::shudder::_ ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/3 "2011-06-04T21:12:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Sorry about not having a pic of the spider ball. My camera isn’t up to the task. Your camera is arachnophobic? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/4 "2011-06-04T21:16:40Z")
The spiders would destroy you in a milisecond if they had the chance, no mercy. ---
**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:** [June 4, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/5 "2011-06-04T21:31:23Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Your camera is arachnophobic? No, it’s just a Nikon CoolPix L1. I’m in a position where I can buy a new camera (currently looking at the D7000 based on a link I followed in the DSLR thread), but I need to work myself up to pulling the trigger on that amount. [Here’s a pic](http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m305/llaaksonen/?action=view¤t=Babyspiders.jpg) captured with the L1. Sorry for the quality. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/6 "2011-06-04T22:18:39Z")
Spiders are a gardener’s pals. Glad to hear you’re open minded to them being around. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/7 "2011-06-04T22:21:27Z")
_Spiders! Why did it have to be spiders???_ 😉 Your pal Q ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/8 "2011-06-04T22:27:11Z")
I find the ball of baby spiders to be cute and interesting. I like lightly blowing on it and watching them all start to scatter. Then they all huddle back together once they know the threat is gone. The only drag with the ball of baby spiders is when they decide to leave and hundreds of them float off with little webs trailing them and land all over you. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/9 "2011-06-04T23:17:48Z")
I found and removed a golf ball sized blob of baby spiders next to the front door this morning. I hate spiders, but the babies are cute enough while they’re outdoors. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/10 "2011-06-04T23:45:04Z")
I can’t figure out what GHS means… ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/11 "2011-06-04T23:47:30Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I can’t figure out what GHS means… Hmm. Giant hairy spider? ---
**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:** [June 4, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/12 "2011-06-04T23:48:29Z")
GHS = [Giant house spider](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_house_spider). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/13 "2011-06-04T23:48:34Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I can’t figure out what GHS means… Great Hulking Spider? It’s a visual illusion where the spider appears to be the size of a Buick. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/14 "2011-06-05T03:19:37Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > GHS = [Giant house spider](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_house_spider). Fuck. Right as I opened that link, a flower fell down off my dresser next to me right in my peripheral vision and just about gave me a heart attack! :eek: If a spider must have the word “giant” in it’s name, it’s certainly not allowed it my house! ---
**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:** [June 5, 2011, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/15 "2011-06-05T04:10:05Z")
They’re really not all that giant, as you can see by the pic with one on the dollar bill. I’d call it a ‘moderately large house spider’. They’ve all been fairly puny this year. We won’t see the bigger ones until September or so. Of course, they’re larger than the baby spiders on the patio. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/16 "2011-06-05T04:54:14Z")
Those are this year’s batch of garden spiders. The ones that will be spinning webs that you walk into everywhere next fall. But most of them are just food for other things, they are destined to get eaten. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/17 "2011-06-06T20:16:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > They’re really not all that giant, as you can see by the pic with one on the dollar bill. I’d call it a ‘moderately large house spider’. They’ve all been fairly puny this year. We won’t see the bigger ones until September or so. The hell they aren’t. I’m never moving to the PNW. Ever. Kill it! Kill it with fire! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/18 "2011-06-06T20:37:05Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > I’m never moving to the PNW. Ever. Kill it! Kill it with fire! That’s my vote. A lighter and a can of Pledge…what could go wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/19 "2011-06-06T20:54:15Z")
Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328/20 "2011-06-06T21:38:08Z")
Did Charlotte leave a message for her babies? So over this weekend we happened upon a teeming ball of baby spiders in the irises, we left them alone and the next day they were all gone… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spiders-hundreds-of-spiders/584328.md?page=2)