Spider repellant/poison

[Bayum]

Can anyone recommend or shed some light on to whether spider repellants or poisons work? Last night I was woken by some loud fluttering and braved getting out of bed to check whether there was a rodent in the room. Genuinely, it was that loud I thought it was a rodent. Long story short, house spider the size of my hand appeared - it was at least 6 inches in diameter. I got out of bed on the opposite side and without disturbing the spider, got two heavy books that must have weighed at least 500g. Threw them onto the spider and got a direct hit. 40 minutes later I checked under the two books. Nothing. Nada. No spider body, no heamph, so I can only assume it got away. I'm now terrified the little blighter is going to wake me up again tonight so I'm desperate to do something. One of my class got me some spider repellant that smells very minty or something. Does that actually work? What about poisons? What could I use that's readily available to get the thing? I'm honestly terrified I'm going to wake up and hear it scuttling around my room... so much so that I've got a set of books right next to my bed, the kitchen door is shut so I can hear any rustling before I get ready for bed

 

[yorkie]

I didn't think spiders got that big in Yorkshire?

I can't answer the question but it's probably harmless, and if it got hit, it probably won't be back!

 

[Bayum]

I didn't think spiders got that big in Yorkshire?

I can't answer the question but it's probably harmless, and if it got hit, it probably won't be back!

Oh lordy. There's a subspecies of house spider that has the latin word for gigantic or something crazy. There's no evidence it was hit

 

[GaryMcEwan]

A lighter and any flammable pressurised spray will sort the pesky critters out.

 

[DaleCooper]

There's a subspecies of house spider that has the latin word for gigantic or something crazy.

Tegenaria gigantea - your friend getting rid of lots more unpleasant house guests and if you're frightened think how the spider feels. The fact is you'll probably never see that one again, it's gone to find a dark crevice where it can hide for the rest of its short life.

 

[DaleCooper]

A lighter and any flammable pressurised spray will sort the pesky critters out.

Probably start a house fire too.

 

[Bayum]

Tegenaria gigantea - your friend getting rid of lots more unpleasant house guests and if you're frightened think how the spider feels. The fact is you'll probably never see that one again, it's gone to find a dark crevice where it can hide for the rest of its short life.

Like what unpleasant house guests? I need a set of those long, wiry brown spiders that prey on them... Honestly, there is no way that spider is more afraid of me than I am of it making a reappearance. How dare it go about making all that noise and waking me up?

At this moment in time, the house fire, metaphorical, literal or sarcasm, would be much preferred than risk it making a reappearance.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

At least that thing isn't venomous; down here in the south we are over-run with False Widows.

 

[TheEdge]

I didn't think spiders got that big in Yorkshire?

I can't answer the question but it's probably harmless, and if it got hit, it probably won't be back!

I've come across one of these fellows, tegenaria gigantea in Devon. Yes, they really do get that big, with their legs stretched out.

I like my spiders, I leave them be, as long as they are not climbing on me I leave them to it, the tengenaria family (the big black house spiders) are quite an interesting lot, up close they are quite pretty, in some cases they can even be made tame, they are one of the fastest spiders on Earth. The bigger ones are the females and the smaller ones are male. The males can be interesting, if they are not either looking for food or a mate they will quite literally aimlessly wander about the house. And the last pointless fact, their natural predators in the home are actually the small spindly Daddy Long Legs spiders

 

[DaleCooper]

The trouble is with spiders is that we tend to see them through the same lens a man uses when describing his wedding tackle.

 

[Bayum]

At least that thing isn't venomous; down here in the south we are over-run with False Widows.

Don't try and make me feel better by comparing my nightmare with a double dose of nightmare!

I've come across one of these fellows, tegenaria gigantea in Devon. Yes, they really do get that big, with their legs stretched out.

I like my spiders, I leave them be, as long as they are not climbing on me I leave them to it, the tengenaria family (the big black house spiders) are quite an interesting lot, up close they are quite pretty, in some cases they can even be made tame, they are one of the fastest spiders on Earth. The bigger ones are the females and the smaller ones are male. The males can be interesting, if they are not either looking for food or a mate they will quite literally aimlessly wander about the house. And the last pointless fact, their natural predators in the home are actually the small spindly Daddy Long Legs spiders

I've literally just posted on another forum that I need a pocket of those golden spiders with long, with legs. You say you're happy as long as they leave you be... when I was 14 I turned over in bed one morning and found a house spider five inches from my face. We both startled and I threw my laptop at it as it tried to run away down my bed. Safe to say I haven't had a great relationship with them since! I don't like the randomness and speed they have. If it was a Goliath bird eater moving at a sedentary speed I'd be much happier.

 

[Bayum]

The trouble is with spiders is that we tend to see them through the same lens a man uses when describing his wedding tackle.

I'm being 100% honest. I've got two sachets of movicol underneath where the spider was last night and it easily covered 1.5 of the sachets.

 

[DaleCooper]

Those daddy long legs spiders (Pholcus phalangioides) are more of a nuisance than any other spider. I was overrun with them last year and they make very extensive, almost invisible webs all over the place. They look like some unnameable abomination from an alien dimension in a H.P.Lovecraft story and they eat kittens.

 

[Cowley]

I'm not bothered about spiders at all, in fact I'd go out of my way to save one.
Last year though I used a customers outside toilet which is at the end of his garden and quite dark inside with a broken window and an earth floor. When one of those big ones you get in the country, abseiled down from the ceiling and landed in my hair causing me to fall out of the door with my trousers around my ankles.

 

[DaleCooper]

I'm not bothered about spiders at all, in fact I'd go out of my way to save one.
Last year though I used a customers outside toilet which is at the end of his garden and quite dark inside with a broken window and an earth floor. When one of those big ones you get in the country, abseiled down from the ceiling and landed in my hair causing me to fall out of the door with my trousers around my ankles.

Did the jury believe that story or are you on now the register?

 

[Cowley]

Did the jury believe that story or are you on now the register?

Look. They fell down by ACCIDENT ok?
It cost me a lot of money in solicitors fees so don't joke about it.

 

[ExRes]

I'm being 100% honest. I've got two sachets of movicol underneath where the spider was last night and it easily covered 1.5 of the sachets.

One good way of looking at it is that you shouldn't need the movicol any longer if the spider keeps reappearing .........

 

[ExRes]

Look. They fell down by ACCIDENT ok?
It cost me a lot of money in solicitors fees so don't joke about it.

I can't wait for tomorrow so that I can check the old local newspapers for coverage of your unfortunate incident

 

[DaleCooper]

One good way of looking at it is that you shouldn't need the movicol any longer if the spider keeps reappearing .........

Ah, I wondered what Movicol was, I think I've got the idea now. To tell the truth it's not very different from most of my ideas.

 

[DaleCooper]

I can't wait for tomorrow so that I can check the old local newspapers for coverage of your unfortunate incident

You'll be unlucky, it was hushed up because the other party was a prominent politician and member of the local hunt.

 

[ExRes]

You'll be unlucky, it was hushed up because the other party was a prominent politician and member of the local hunt.

Poor old cowley, it must have been a traumatic event if it was partly a blood sport

 

[DaleCooper]

Poor old cowley, it must have been a traumatic event if it was partly a blood sport

As I understand it blood was not the only bodily fluid involved.

 

[Crossover]

A lighter and any flammable pressurised spray will sort the pesky critters out.

Whilst living away at uni, one of my housemates often used to deal with the woodlice via means of a lighter and aerosol deodorant. This included one on a curtain. House remained standing after we left

 

[LiftFan]

Those huge house spiders do wonders at keeping the worse things out, ever since we stopped removing our big house spiders we've not had a wasp in sight! Wasps are sooo much scarier in my opinion as they can fly fast and sting without hesitation.

 

[TheEdge]

Those huge house spiders do wonders at keeping the worse things out, ever since we stopped removing our big house spiders we've not had a wasp in sight! Wasps are sooo much scarier in my opinion as they can fly fast and sting without hesitation.

Its worth noting there are two main species in the UK. Tegenaria domestica which, as the name suggests is the house spider, those are the normal and larger black spiders. There is also Eratigena atrica, which used to be Tegenaria gigantea (among others), thats the giant house spider, but has since been moved into another family. Those are the enourmous beasts which tend to be longer in the body and the leg. Here in the UK they are just good at eating the other things that live in our homes and tend to annoy us. In the US however they are really good thing to have in the house, especially the giants as they outcompete and drive out Hobo spiders (another member of the family we dont have in the UK) which can give people medically significant bites.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

If you place a few Conkers/Horsechestnuts in the room or house, the spiders stay away, it is an old wives tale, but does seem to work.

Infact I don't mind spiders, it's ants and woodlice which are a pain where I live. Silverfish too which seem to live under the skirting boards and other dark places.

If I get any crane flies/daddy long legs in the house, I just catch them in my hand and throw them out the front door.

Most of these creatures tend to come in during Sept/oct. I did here on the radio, then when spiders appear in the house, they are looking for a mate.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If you place a few Conkers/Horsechestnuts in the room or house, the spiders stay away, it is an old wives tale, but does seem to work.

It doesn't seem to work in our house?

 

[DarloRich]

just leave it alone. it wont hurt you.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Get yourself a cat. Our cat loves eating spiders.

 

[najaB]

Get yourself a cat. Our cat loves eating spiders.

Since we've already established that the spiders eat flies, etc. The question now becomes will the cat then be eaten by a dog? And the dog by a goat...