I'm lucky in that I've never been bitten by a seriously poisonous spider. This isn't about that, either. So, there is that.
However, for the last few days my partner and I have been finding little spiders in our bed pretty regularly. Climbing on our laptops or even on us. Teeny, tiny little white spiders. So, we knew that, in all likelihood, an egg had hatched somewhere... maybe in the wall, we figured, or the ceiling. It was creepy, because neither of us are fond of spiders, but it was basically acceptable.
They weren't actually hurting us, and at that size, we could almost mentally pretend they were ants, which freak us out much less. Almost. Teeny little white ants that descend distances with webs and move like spi... okay, so yeah, it was a little creepy. But we were living with it. Gotta roll with the punches and all.
Tonight was especially bad. She found a spider crawling on her, and another on her computer, and two on our bedside lamp. A little creepy, again, but she kept her cool.
At this point I really wanted to know where they were coming from. The ceiling vent? Behind our bookshelf? Some unseen hole in the ceiling? Hah. I wish.
No, no, this evening, as I scoured the room with every light at its highest setting, I finally saw what must have been staring us both in the face for the last few nights. Not just staring us in the face. Blowing us in the face. See, I noticed something on our bedside fan. No, wait, was that two somethings? Huh, and there's a lot... more... somethings... all down the side...
Yeah. Just on the outside, I spotted at least twenty of the little buggers hanging out on the outside of our fan. Bear in mind, it is summer. We turn this fan on every night, and point it directly at our bed.
We took it outside and sprayed it down with an air canister. Mixed into the dust that blew out, there were dozens of fluttery little spiders.
So. There you have it. I think I'm going to go take a shower now. If any of you have spider stories that might make this event seem less utterly horrifying, please, share!
I can't decide which of these better fits. The first was probably when I spotted the fan, and the second is probably me right now. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
LOL...my wife has a phobia about spiders, so I can't even TELL her about this. Because we use a fan every night as well. Posted by The Reader (Member # 3636) on :
*whimper* That is the worst spider situation I have ever heard. Now I'm afraid to put on my shoes.
Posted by 0Megabyte (Member # 8624) on :
Oh God... I just... I think I'm going to freak out now. I'm shivering, actually shivering just thinking about it.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
I actually think spiders are pretty cool, but that would have freaked me out.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
I would have to call that the worst human related event in the spiders' lives.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
The worst spider-related event in the history of the world was Spiderman 3.
Sorry. I know you're freaked out, Dan, but your experience just doesn't hold a candle to the disappointment engendered by that movie.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
About two months after we moved into our current house, I was moving boxes in our basement when I noticed a door built directly into the foundation. Curious, I moved things out of the way and opened it, half-expecting some sort of Narnia to be on the other side.
Instead I found, well, a big hole. Someone had shored up the sides of the hole with beams and put plywood up as a "roof," but it was basically a squarish hole in the dirt with a few nooks cut for "shelves." As I moved the flashlight, though, I kept noticing that something was moving at the very edges of the circle of light. Finally I caught up to it -- and realized I was standing in a room literally swarming with ridiculously huge brown spiders about the size of my thumb.
I backed out, very slowly, obtained a bug bomb I'd bought on a whim about a week earlier, armed the bomb, and tossed it in.
I have not opened that door since. It's been six years.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: About two months after we moved into our current house, I was moving boxes in our basement when I noticed a door built directly into the foundation. Curious, I moved things out of the way and opened it, half-expecting some sort of Narnia to be on the other side.
Instead I found, well, a big hole. Someone had shored up the sides of the hole with beams and put plywood up as a "roof," but it was basically a squarish hole in the dirt with a few nooks cut for "shelves." As I moved the flashlight, though, I kept noticing that something was moving at the very edges of the circle of light. Finally I caught up to it -- and realized I was standing in a room literally swarming with ridiculously huge brown spiders about the size of my thumb.
I backed out, very slowly, obtained a bug bomb I'd bought on a whim about a week earlier, armed the bomb, and tossed it in.
I have not opened that door since. It's been six years.
Go back to the hole Tom, those were just the evil spider overlords of your personal Narnia. They've been waiting years to come back, and to crown you king of the realm. Of course they've got all sorts of hideous villains hiding in the shadows who will then be jonesing for you but them's the breaks right?
Posted by Ecthalion (Member # 8825) on :
I think my worst spider story has to be something that many boys who don't grow up in cities experience.
One evening while playing manhunt in the woods, i ran straight into a big thick spider web. It took quite a bit to untangle me from it and it was all over me. I swatted around like crazy, jumped up and down and shook myself just to make sure. When i got to the light though i had 4 or 5 banana spiders on me. one of them particularly big and ugly.
We got em off and i've never been terribly afraid of spiders (there is something freaky about how fast they can charge at you when you startle them though...) I still doubt that i am afraid of spiders but i definitely get goosebumps when i walk through the woods and see their webs either on or just off the walking path.
Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :
I loves me some spiders.
Posted by paigereader (Member # 2274) on :
While working at a summer camp, I was bit by a spider on my leg. The welt was the diameter of a softball and as hard as one, too. However, I will still take 100 spiders over 1 snake any day!
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
This tells about why I don't go on early-morning walks in my neighborhood. I am too freaked out to do it. (Ok, really, I'm too lazy, too, but still. . . )
And a non-spider story: One time I was sitting in my room talking on my phone and looking over at a houseplant. As with Tom's story (shudder) something about it caught my eye -- and I suddenly realized that the soil was swarming. It was just alive and roiling with dark, slithery, crawling bugs. I dropped that call and hightailed it out of my room and got that plant outside quickly.
I had left it out over the summer and brought it back inside pre-frost. This was some weeks later, but long enough for whatever eggs had clearly been laid in the soil to hatch. I can't remember exactly what they looked like or what they were, but they were definitely shudder inducing, like centipedes or earwigs or something. Luckily, whatever they were apparently confined themselves to that pot because I never found any in my room, but I was looking around nervously for a few days afterwards.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
aaaaaaaaggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
When I lived in Arkansas we'd have big furry wolf spiders that would crawl in the house from outside. They seemed to particularly like the laundry room. One morning, I saw one and decided to be extra brave and execute it via shoe. I slammed down the shoe as hard as I could, only to find the area under the shoe suddenly swarming with tiny little spiders. Apparently, I had killed a mother who was carrying her babies. That was when I was in high school, but I've had serious jibblies relating to the experience ever since.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
It's kind of subtropical here at the moment, and they've been doing some maintenance work opening up the basement of my apartment building (which is pretty old).
Anyway, last week, there were three enormous roaches running around in the lobby (I'm not exaggerating when I say they were the size of field mice) and when I got upstairs, there was one which had got into our kitchen.
And, when I tried to get it, it ran under the door into my bedroom! It was 11 o'clock at night, and I spent the next two hours hitting everything I owned with a shoe until I heard a crunch. Disgusting.
Posted by Ecthalion (Member # 8825) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: It's kind of subtropical here at the moment, and they've been doing some maintenance work opening up the basement of my apartment building (which is pretty old).
Anyway, last week, there were three enormous roaches running around in the lobby (I'm not exaggerating when I say they were the size of field mice) and when I got upstairs, there was one which had got into our kitchen.
And, when I tried to get it, it ran under the door into my bedroom! It was 11 o'clock at night, and I spent the next two hours hitting everything I owned with a shoe until I heard a crunch. Disgusting.
One of the good/bad things about having wood floors and being a terribly light sleeper. The bad thing is i can hear them and they'll wake me up at night. The good thing is that i wake up and exact vengeance on all manner of bug-forms that dare to tread on my floors...
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
As a teen, I had a small parrot who lived in my room and would scream whenever he saw or heard anything large and bug shaped, day or night. It was like having an alarm system.
He'd be so useful about now.
Posted by Geraine (Member # 9913) on :
quote:Originally posted by Scott R: The worst spider-related event in the history of the world was Spiderman 3.
Sorry. I know you're freaked out, Dan, but your experience just doesn't hold a candle to the disappointment engendered by that movie.
Dang, you beat me to it Scott.
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
Some genius decided it would be a good idea to introduce brown huntsman spiders to Hawaii. Upon getting there, all the spiders got together, formed a committee, and decided to colonize my grandmother's shower.
Despite what Wikipedia says, these spiders do NOT fear humans.
In fact, they love us. And want to give us tackle-hugs.
In the face.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
A few months ago I was picking up my daughter's room. About a month before that, she had been given a little "chinese food basket" of fake rubber creepy-crawlies- lizards, snakes, beetles, and, yes, spiders.
So... As toys are going in their various places, I spot a large spider on the floor. Given its size, I presume it's a toy, and scoop it up with my bare hand.
The realization that I'm not holding a rubber spider takes about a second.
AGHHH! Jibbly jibbly jibbly! I drop the thing and leave the room in a hurry.
A few minutes later I manage to calm down, come back with a cup, scoop the thing up and take it outside. I'm not a big arachnophobe, but the sudden realization that I was holding something alive (not to mention that I'd just given it good reason to bite me) was a shock. The thing probably had a good inch-and-a-half-plus leg span. I don't see a lot of spiders that big in our house.
Posted by Cookie Crisp (Member # 12312) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: whydidiopenthisthreadwhydidiopenthisthreadwhydidiopenthisthreadwhydidiopenthisthread
aaaaaaaaggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
QFT
Posted by Emreecheek (Member # 12082) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sterling: So... As toys are going in their various places, I spot a large spider on the floor. Given its size, I presume it's a toy, and scoop it up with my bare hand.
The realization that I'm not holding a rubber spider takes about a second.
My mouth just dropped and I shivered in unmitigated horror. In work. People stared.
That was horrifying. I feel like giving you chocolate, or a hug... Hell, I feel like giving myself chocolate or a hug after that.
Worst spider story of my life:
We lived in a previously owned trailor, and out back was a little, cheap, wood shed where we stored things and later forgot they existed. The only thing we took out on a regular basis was a gasoline-powered lawn-mower, of the pushing type. One Saturday morning, I pulled it out (It was about as wide as a shopping cart, this lawnmower), and where the blade section of the lawn mower was, there was a spider that, with its leg span, was bigger than a mousepad. It looked as though it only just fit inside the place where the lawn mower was covering it. I was frozen with fear, and went to put the lawn mower back and give up on mowing the lawn this morning, when it moved. I didn't see it move, and I was watching it without blinking. No, it just appeared on the other side of the shed floor, as though it transported there. And then it came at me.
I ran to the house screaming, and waited an hour before trying again. I never saw it again, but it was the hugest spider I ever saw... If it was indeed, a spider.
Posted by Ecthalion (Member # 8825) on :
quote:Originally posted by Emreecheek:
quote:Originally posted by Sterling: So... As toys are going in their various places, I spot a large spider on the floor. Given its size, I presume it's a toy, and scoop it up with my bare hand.
The realization that I'm not holding a rubber spider takes about a second.
My mouth just dropped and I shivered in unmitigated horror. In work. People stared.
That was horrifying. I feel like giving you chocolate, or a hug... Hell, I feel like giving myself chocolate or a hug after that.
Worst spider story of my life:
We lived in a previously owned trailor, and out back was a little, cheap, wood shed where we stored things and later forgot they existed. The only thing we took out on a regular basis was a gasoline-powered lawn-mower, of the pushing type. One Saturday morning, I pulled it out (It was about as wide as a shopping cart, this lawnmower), and where the blade section of the lawn mower was, there was a spider that, with its leg span, was bigger than a mousepad. It looked as though it only just fit inside the place where the lawn mower was covering it. I was frozen with fear, and went to put the lawn mower back and give up on mowing the lawn this morning, when it moved. I didn't see it move, and I was watching it without blinking. No, it just appeared on the other side of the shed floor, as though it transported there. And then it came at me.
I ran to the house screaming, and waited an hour before trying again. I never saw it again, but it was the hugest spider I ever saw... If it was indeed, a spider.
We have those around here. Was it big and furry and brown or thin-spindally brown? We get some of them on the trees at the lake, their bodies are small but their leg span looks to be 4+ inches in diameter. They are freakishly fast and have chased us in the boat (dunno if its to get in the boat to avoid water or to attack an intruding object.)
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Oh, the nightmares . . .
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
Wow. Thanks guys. This definitely... helps? I think? I'm not sure exactly, but we've both gotten a lot of laughs and shudders reading through. Just a couple comments...
Scott, that is a good point. I guess this was the SECOND worst spider related event in my life. Very little in this world is worse than Peter Parker rockin' that emo haircut, and watching the emo haircut take over his soul. Or whatever it was supposed to be depicting.
Samp, your link is 403ing me. Not sure if that's a good thing... was it a horrible nightmare fuel picture?
Everybody sharing your own stories... wow. Just... wow. Some of those are strictly worse than ours. I mean, intellectually I suspect baby spiders have been fanned all over us the past several nights, but we were mostly oblivious. But.. picking [i]up a huge spider... floors writhing with spiders... face-leapers... teleporting mega-spiders... yeah. I think I'm gonna count us lucky.
I am simultaneously terrified by and extremely happy with this thread. Posted by FoolishTook (Member # 5358) on :
I hate spiders. I'd rather hang out with a snake than a spider any day.
Phobias are weird. I hate spiders, heights, and unattached hair.
And it's true that spiders DO want to hang out. They follow me all over the place. You think if they were afraid they wouldn't run straight at you like they do.
Wolf spiders are the worst. I'm too scared of them to pick them up and take them outside. (No matter the receptacle, if it means getting within 4 feet of it, I'm not having it.) I usually stand a good distance away, on a chair, ladder, or footstool and launch a heavy object at them in order to squash them. Then I feel bad about it afterwards, of course. Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
When my dad opened up the door to a basement in a house he was renting...and found a similar situation to what Tom described. It took more than one bug bomb.
*shudder*
But otherwise, I'm currently living the worst spider-related event of my life. I'm convinced that this area of the country is simply infested with Brown Recluses. They're endemic here, and they seem to be thriving in a rather horrifying way. I've simply quit counting how many I've killed in this apartment, at work, and even...on my clothing I'm wearing.
And for those naysayers and doubters...I'm comfortable in my ability to identify them. If you need proof, just ask the entomologist at work, who appreciates the specimens I occasionally bring him. Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
I used to be phobic of spiders but now if one walks across my desk at home I'll catch the guy with my hand and toss him outside. Or blow him into a cup. Or whatever.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Samprimary: I used to be phobic of spiders but now if one walks across my desk at home I'll catch the guy with my hand and toss him outside. Or blow him into a cup. Or whatever.
Trust me, when it's a huge colorful specimen, you have every inclination to stay away or kill it from a distance. Colors=poison, and spiders=you get bitten just for existing.
Posted by Ecthalion (Member # 8825) on :
I think the biggest problem wiht most bugs isn't that they are attacking you per se but rather since they have some of the worst eyesight of all animals they see a large shady area to run and hide in. There are some that i do suspect of harboring ill intentions towards humans though.
I personally enjoy when i see wolf spiders because they are only present as long as there's food and then they are gone. That and they dont make webs. They typically get a bad rep though, namely because everyone thinks they are brown recluses and also because they will infest basements or barns and such ( i would venture to guess that Tom and Tstorm's Narnia spiders were probably wolf spiders).
Posted by Emreecheek (Member # 12082) on :
quote:Originally posted by Ecthalion:
quote:Originally posted by Emreecheek: [QUOTE]Originally posted by Sterling: [qb]
Worst spider story of my life:
We lived in a previously owned trailor, and out back was a little, cheap, wood shed where we stored things and later forgot they existed. The only thing we took out on a regular basis was a gasoline-powered lawn-mower, of the pushing type. One Saturday morning, I pulled it out (It was about as wide as a shopping cart, this lawnmower), and where the blade section of the lawn mower was, there was a spider that, with its leg span, was bigger than a mousepad. It looked as though it only just fit inside the place where the lawn mower was covering it. I was frozen with fear, and went to put the lawn mower back and give up on mowing the lawn this morning, when it moved. I didn't see it move, and I was watching it without blinking. No, it just appeared on the other side of the shed floor, as though it transported there. And then it came at me.
I ran to the house screaming, and waited an hour before trying again. I never saw it again, but it was the hugest spider I ever saw... If it was indeed, a spider.
We have those around here. Was it big and furry and brown or thin-spindally brown?
Big and furry and brown.
Wolf spiders have never been that bad for me personally... I've always been freaked out by the big orb spiders who are *everywhere* outside come late summer and fall.
They're colorful and scary.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
This thread ACTUALLY GAVE ME NIGHTMARES. I am seriously exhausted from only a couple hours of sleep because I kept waking up convinced I was covered in spiders.
!!!!
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Gladiator Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :
Where's the mic?
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
This thread is giving me such a huge case of the heebie-jeebies. Why, why, whyyy did I open it?!?
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
One word: flamethrower.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Welcome to my parlor...
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
Man, some of those look mean!
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
My worst spider related event was when Kurt escaped from her cage on Christmas day. My mother initially claimed she wasn't going to let our guests in the house until she was found, and I told her that I had found her in the closet squished under a book (which wasn't true).
Sometime later in the week I rolled over in bed and felt her scurrying away, but when I turned on the light and looked, I couldn't find her. That was the last time I saw (or felt) her. I never found her body although I can't imagine she survived very long during the winter, without a diet of grasshoppers or crickets.
Sad day.
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
Awww. Posted by T:man (Member # 11614) on :
I just woke up from a short nap, four spiders were crawling all of my chest. I killed two of 'em but I've never woken up to that much adrenaline before D:
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
I used to be profoundly, clinically phobic of spiders. It took about a year of forcing myself to expose and kill off my fear response, but now I'll sweep them into my bare hands and take them outside rather than squish them. Not even the big ones squick me out.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
You are never more than 6 feet from a spider at any time during your entire life, you are also likely to consume during your sleep an average of 11 spiders each year.
quote:Originally posted by Blayne Bradley: You are never more than 6 feet from a spider at any time during your entire life, you are also likely to consume during your sleep an average of 11 spiders each year.
Do people actually believe either of these things?
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
quote:You are never more than 6 feet from a spider at any time during your entire life...
So when I went skydiving and was in free-fall, where was the spider?
Posted by JanitorBlade (Member # 12343) on :
quote:Originally posted by Blayne Bradley: You are never more than 6 feet from a spider at any time during your entire life.
When I scuba dive and I am 30 meters under the surface of the ocean, I am reasonably certain that I am beyond six feet of any spiders.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
Even water spiders hrrrm?
quote:So when I went skydiving and was in free-fall, where was the spider?
Hijacking your backpack for a free trip.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Blayne: Yes, even water spiders. Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
Blayne: Change "never" to "rarely."
Everybody happy?
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
Blackblade, crabs are sort of like spiders of the sea (except not really.) So maybe Blayne is counting them.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by Glenn Arnold: Blayne: Change "never" to "rarely."
Everybody happy?
naw I'm pretty sure my workplace has me more than six feet from a spider frequently.
really, both statements are completely untrue.
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
quote:really, both statements are completely untrue.
Well, the "eating spiders" statement seems like a wannabe piling on statement, so I'm ok with rejecting that. And I'm perfectly ok with rejecting an absolute statement such as "you're NEVER more than 6 feet from a spider."
And I'm also perfectly ok with rejecting an absolute statement such as "both statements are COMPLETELY untrue," especially if "never" has been changed to "rarely."
There really are a lot of spiders out there, and if you know where to look, most of the time you can find some within 6 feet of where you are, in normally habitable space.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Blayne Bradley: you are also likely to consume during your sleep an average of 11 spiders each year.
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