Is anyone else house being taken over by spiders??
Discussion
One unforeseen advantage on moving to California is the complete lack of house spiders here. Granted, the fly screens mean you can have windows open and nothing can get in, but it is such a relief. We get the occassional tiny ones, but don't even bother with those. There was a Black Widow in the garage when I moved in, had to get rid of that. Probably the distinct lack of flies helps as there's nothing for them to eat!
This time of year they do tend to enter houses and outbuildings. Yes, large ones too. Some lurking in my double garage are quite large. Correction, very large and quick. Even the relatively harmless garden spiders with their large orb webs are mostly large well fed females now loaded with ova ready for masses of minute spiderlings to appear come next spring. Their egg sacks tucked away in nooks and crannies on fences etc. over winter. Sparrows hover searching my fences for the egg sacks.
False widows :~
According to news media reports following problems with bites affecting some folks, I did a search and came up with some information. Apparently a recent 'immigrant' spider species is spreading across southern England quite quickly. Known as the "False Widow" I'd never seen one until a couple of summers ago. Now they're everywhere in the neighbourhood. I dismantled a large greenhouse in the garden last summer and spotted about a dozen False Widows including this large egg laden female. I used to be "live and let live" where spiders are concerned. Not now as some folks react seriously to False Widow bites. My better half is allergic to most insect bites and so the False Widows have to be disposed of. Over one hundred in our house and garden the past year or two. Mostly small males in the house.
SPOILER ~ Look away NOW if you do not like to see these things... A Female False Widow in my garden last summer :~
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False widows :~
According to news media reports following problems with bites affecting some folks, I did a search and came up with some information. Apparently a recent 'immigrant' spider species is spreading across southern England quite quickly. Known as the "False Widow" I'd never seen one until a couple of summers ago. Now they're everywhere in the neighbourhood. I dismantled a large greenhouse in the garden last summer and spotted about a dozen False Widows including this large egg laden female. I used to be "live and let live" where spiders are concerned. Not now as some folks react seriously to False Widow bites. My better half is allergic to most insect bites and so the False Widows have to be disposed of. Over one hundred in our house and garden the past year or two. Mostly small males in the house.
SPOILER ~ Look away NOW if you do not like to see these things... A Female False Widow in my garden last summer :~
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MGJohn said:
This time of year they do tend to enter houses and outbuildings. Yes, large ones too. Some lurking in my double garage are quite large. Correction, very large and quick. Even the relatively harmless garden spiders with their large orb webs are mostly large well fed females now loaded with ova ready for masses of minute spiderlings to appear come next spring. Their egg sacks tucked away in nooks and crannies on fences etc. over winter. Sparrows hover searching my fences for the egg sacks.
False widows :~
According to news media reports following problems with bites affecting some folks, I did a search and came up with some information. Apparently a recent 'immigrant' spider species is spreading across southern England quite quickly. Known as the "False Widow" I'd never seen one until a couple of summers ago. Now they're everywhere in the neighbourhood. I dismantled a large greenhouse in the garden last summer and spotted about a dozen False Widows including this large egg laden female. I used to be "live and let live" where spiders are concerned. Not now as some folks react seriously to False Widow bites. My better half is allergic to most insect bites and so the False Widows have to be disposed of. Over one hundred in our house and garden the past year or two. Mostly small males in the house.
SPOILER ~ Look away NOW if you do not like to see these things... A Female False Widow in my garden last summer :~
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We've got a few of these outside. Bit worried as we have small pets, plus they'll give is a nasty bite. You can tell if you've got them by the web, its a sort of blue coloured scraggly/messy web, but all I've seen are hiding in nooks & crannies in the fence/shed or under drains next to the web. I don't mess around with these....they get sent to spidy heaven pretty quick.False widows :~
According to news media reports following problems with bites affecting some folks, I did a search and came up with some information. Apparently a recent 'immigrant' spider species is spreading across southern England quite quickly. Known as the "False Widow" I'd never seen one until a couple of summers ago. Now they're everywhere in the neighbourhood. I dismantled a large greenhouse in the garden last summer and spotted about a dozen False Widows including this large egg laden female. I used to be "live and let live" where spiders are concerned. Not now as some folks react seriously to False Widow bites. My better half is allergic to most insect bites and so the False Widows have to be disposed of. Over one hundred in our house and garden the past year or two. Mostly small males in the house.
SPOILER ~ Look away NOW if you do not like to see these things... A Female False Widow in my garden last summer :~
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The one I killed around 5 months ago was HUGE. Took an old shed apart and it scared the piss out of me when it pounced through the door frame! Never seen a false widow that big before, almost size of my palm! Most I've seen are pretty small with a shiny pea sized body with shiny long legs....(this must have been the big bertha version......think the Queen in Aliens!!!) Hard b
d as well! Took 4 swings at it with a crow bar and didn't even flinch, just sat there giving me the finger until I finally landed a shot on her swede. Must have looked a right prick swinging a crowbar screaming at the shed! The more I dismantled the more I found, easily 25-30, none as big but a couple of right nasty looking ones! Army training kicked in & just got on with the killing
....then got inside and started shaking! Also found a couple wolf spiders in the garage which are pretty big, black & hairy! And these can proper shift....must be remapped they're so fast!
The house I work at has some massive spiders too, just lurking and waiting to get me, mostly house spiders though and a couple monsters in the garden! BIG ones!
I find September & October brings them out. I'm usually a gibbering wreck until November!
Not sure what they are, but this year, the house seems to have been infested with spindly pallid things with thin, cigar-shaped bodies. They weave straggly webs all over and hang upside down in them. The kitchen, hallway and stairs are full of them.
Some cracking Garden Orb spiders outside although they don't listen to me when I tell them to stop eating the bees.
Some cracking Garden Orb spiders outside although they don't listen to me when I tell them to stop eating the bees.
AnimalMkIV said:
Not sure what they are, but this year, the house seems to have been infested with spindly pallid things with thin, cigar-shaped bodies. They weave straggly webs all over and hang upside down in them. The kitchen, hallway and stairs are full of them.
Some cracking Garden Orb spiders outside although they don't listen to me when I tell them to stop eating the bees.
Yes, that's another species which has increased in recent years. Lots of them in my garage too. When I go into the garage late at night, they are much more visible and active then than when they hide and lurk in the daylight. They have uncanny skills when they think there is danger or maybe a meal approaching their hammock webs from which they usually hang underneath. If they sense danger, they drop like a stone and disappear. If they sense a meal, the wood louse appears a favourite meal, they use their skinny legs and oscillate at ever increasing speed agitating the web. Much like say someone working a Hula-hoop around their waist. The speed increases so much that they become invisible to my naked eyes and I still have good eyesight. How can they do that disappearing trick? Some cracking Garden Orb spiders outside although they don't listen to me when I tell them to stop eating the bees.
Yes, Wolf spiders about now too. BIG 'Ns!.
SWMBO said:
John there's a huge spider in the bath can you remove it? Please dont kill it... OK
Apparently I'm the official house spider removal operative ...
It was a Wolf Spider. Wolf Spiders use a different technique with their prey. Ambush! I observed this quite by chance a few nights ago. Sitting on the patio in the dark cooling off with a drink, one of the security lights came on just as a large Wolf Spider emerged from the nearby Rockery, raced across the patio to a luckless Wood Louse and gave it the fangs treatment. Now they are fast! Probably Wolf Merc-GP turbocharged ..
Must have excellent eyesight too with some of those eight eyes! Yes, eight... now that's greedy... 
Then just as quickly, raced back to the rockery hideaway to allow time for its venom to turn the poor wood louse's insides into a soup to be consumed later. The ambush lasted less than five seconds ...Well, helps to pass the time when you get to my age. Meantime, the Sun has come out. Good! I've a refurbished Turbocharger to install in the MG ZT. That also helps to pass the time.
I had 2 under my settee that were so big that I couldn't fit them fully under the drinking glass which has a diameter of 3 inches!! Whilst I got them outside, they went with a limp as a couple of legs were involuntarily shortened in the catching process!!
To add, 1 of them made a runner as I went to catch it the first time and I have never seen an insect crawl that fast - must be the 8 long hairy legs....
David
To add, 1 of them made a runner as I went to catch it the first time and I have never seen an insect crawl that fast - must be the 8 long hairy legs....
David
Triumph Man said:
Yes I get them too. The cat is crap at eating them for me. Useless prick.
Actually made me chuckleHad it a few times this year i have got out of bed, to have my wife scream!
I know not unusual.
But its usually as some big spider decides its also time to make a move, and runs across the pillow.
I then have the pleasure of catching it and throwing it out of the window.
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