I think I may have mentioned that one of my biggest fears are Huntsmen. A large hairy spider with long legs that runs fast. I am absolutely freaked by these critters expecially now that chief spider killer has gone on holidays.
A few days ago I went round and sprayed the doorways and the windows that I could reach with a barrier spray to keep the buggers out.
Last night was my first night alone and everything seemed OK. On my way to bed I went through the kitchen and lo and behold, one ran through the door into the kitchen. YIKES!! I grabbed the fly spray and chased him back out again. Then during the night I was woken at 01:30 and there was one on the ceiling above me
I couldn't stay there and had to get up, wondering "what the hell am I going to do" I went into the lounge and sat for 15 minutes thinking I could grab the quilt and lie on the couch but I had to go to work and was worried about not hearing the alarm. Anyway I went back into the bedroom and it had disappeared. I wasn't happy but "out of sight, out of mind" and I crawled back into bed.
When the alarm went off I got up and coast was clear. I showered etc and went back in to get dressed and saw something on the bed. Sort of looked like a clump of dog hair but I wasn't convinced. The more I looked the more I could definitely see 3 legs scrunched up. Looks like Xena had killed this one and left it on the bed. I sucked it up with the vacuum and now I can only hope that it was the same one.
I have just found the body of the other one, stuck on the fly screen scrunched up so the fly spray must have worked. I sprayed it a couple of more times to make sure it was dead and it didn't move so I think I am safe for now.
I am so terrified of these things, totally irrational I'm sure but I can't help it
I can't even get close enough to splat them.
Hurry home Terry

You paint a very graphic picture. Yuck! and Shudder!
I'd be finding and installing very quickly a mosquito net around the bed. Might not last too long with deerhounds wanting to be near Mom. So I will hope Terry gets home soon and you get some sleep! Cheers.

Ohhhhh!That has sent shivers down my spine!I'm not scared of spiders,but we don't have any over here that can hurt you!!Whenever they see a huntsman on 'I'm a Celebrity' it makes me shudder,I can't imagine living with them.My phobia is WORMS!!Now that is irrational,I know,because I can handle snakes no problem,but WORMS I can't abide!

Spiders are my pet hates. So you have all my sympathies.
We used to get big ones (for Scotland) where I used to stay and they came in during September and October - even my kitten at the time was wary of them! One night I was home alone and this massive one ran across the floor and stopped and looked menacingly at me, and even waved its front legs at me. That was too much, I decided to put a glass over it until my partner came back (he was out at the pub). Anyway a large pint glass would not cover it, so in a fit of desperation I took the poker (very sensible- not!!)and hit it, then hyperventillated, hit it again etc, until there was just a mush on the floor. It really was the most horrible spider that I had ever seen.
Later I was telling my neighbours about this and they laughed so much, until lo and behold they had a similar incident a few days later - with front leg waving spiders.

This happened almost 16 years ago and I am still traumatised by the thought of it, and even writing it now makes me shiver - ughh!!

Oh my God - I have gone all shivery at the thought of it especially the bit about you waking up and seeing one on the ceiling I would have had to have known where it had gone before going back to bed. You are very brave

Oh Clunie I so know what it is like. Unfortunately the body on the fly screen has gone I'm thinkung it wasn't on the flyscreen but on the inside of the glass behand (hate my eyes!!!!!) So Lord knows where that has gone. Still no sign of the one in the bedroom, trouble is there are so many things for them to hide behind but as long as I can't see them I can cope.
Huntsmen are not dangerous but can bite. Funnily enough spiders like Redbacks and White tails which are very poisonous don't bother me and it is because they are much smaller, don't move and I can splat them.
Last time Terry went on hols I had one in the passage on the ceiling and I attacked it with a broom. I nearly put a hole in the ceiling I was whacking it that hard, and then it fell on the ground and I was chasing it up the passage trying to whack it. It must have looked hilarious but certainly wasn't laughing. Not to mention if spookes the dogs with a mad woman running around exuding fear pheromones and whacking brooms around the place.

You've most definitly got my sympathies Brollachan. Thank goodness that our spiders aren't poisonious and tend to only visit in the Autumn (at least the big ones only do so then). So it's only a couple of months of watching out! Still don't think that anything that can walk across the ceiling with 8 legs and I think the same number of eyes and spins webs is natural.

When I was younger I visited S Africa and was up near the Mozambique border in a tribal village. And I swear that they had spiders that swung from the ceiling on their silk around my head. Add to that it was the night that the termites took flight and then dropped their wings wherever . ugh.
Maybe Scotland isn't so bad after all!!

After arriving in Australia, the first thing I said to my Dad was "what about the spiders here?" so he took me to his garage (I waited outside) and out he came with a Redback on a stick. He said don't worry they don't bother you, just avoid dark corners. One night I left my towel out by the pool, on a wooden lounger. Not thinking, the next day I went to pick it up and my Dad screamed not to. They like dark corners, garden furniture, OMG, how I survived a month I'll never know. Another night, just getting into bed, my daughter was a tiny baby then and was asleep in her cot, when I saw something shoot down the wall where the pillows were. After screaming the house down and waking half of Balajurra up, my Dad came in, I made him move all the furniture out, we couldn't find it, it was the worst nights sleep I ever had, I tucked everything in the bed, nothing dangling on the floor. Spiders are my biggest fear, luckily in this house we never seem to get any (she says....)

My Mum used to put pint glasses on them, so a smallish spider would be magnified, that I think is where my fear comes from, I was a traumatised child.

So is it a daily occurance to have these huntsmen in the house? If so, I have changed my mind about possibly emigrating!!!

Not necessarily daily but regularly. They come in when it is warm and if it is raining. So far so good.

On a lighter note while the cats away...I have been able to make the meals that Terry doesn't like which I love. The other night I had Chilli Con Carne, last night was my African Curry and tonight? mmmm...I think Tuna Pasta Bake with lots of mushrooms. Yum!

AAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

I've just found the one from the back door. IT'S IN THE BATHROOM
Luckily I didn't see it till adter I had my shower but I have to find a way of getting rid of it. I did find the super toxic spider sprayIoutdoor use only) which I might just have to go and drown it in.
With all the rain we have had in the last 12 hours there are bound to be others.

OMG!!!!!!! I have friends in Glen Oak and Binna Burra that are always saying come for a holiday! Now I think NO THANKS!!! Im not keen on spiders, my son oh I think he wishes he could levitate sometimes, and he wants to be a plumber hahahahaha! I will stick to smallish scottish spiders ta!

Try this

www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/

you can drag it around by it's legs or feed it by clicking the space bar. Very realistic!

Aversion therapy.

WOW or OMG!!

MrsMc wrote:


Thanks for that! I won't sleep tonight!!!

OMG!

My stomach has gone all queazy. That is so realistic. You are sooo cruel There is a large black on in the bathroom which Terry said he had killed but obviously he must have just stunned. She doesn't bother me that much as long as she stays on the window.

Sam, I don't have your aversion to spiders, but I have complete sympathy for your situation. I am not afraid of spiders but I want to be sick if I ever squish a bug of any kind. Killing flies, spiders, ants etc. etc. is beyond me. Which is a little ridiculous I know. Mosquitos don't figure into my aversion. Thank Goodness! If I step on a worm it is enough to make me scream! And yet I can watch operations on T.V. go figure!
Because I felt so badly for you I searched and found this product which might be just the thing for you.
www.lakeland.co.uk/F/product/20455
Best of Luck
Barb

Thanks Barb. The only problem with these devices is that they are not big enough to get the legs. My sister bought one and said it was useless with Huntsmen. Huntsman can get bigger than a saucer. They are BIG. I guess I can be thankful that I don't live in tropical Queensland where they have large Golden Orbs which I've heard get as big as a dinner plate.

Egads! I googled for picture. It is reminiscent of but still bigger I think than what we call a dock spider. Not enjoyable to climb out of water after a swim & come eyeball to eyeball with one. They're all over lake country here. Picture is of Ontario dock spider.

Here is a link of what I fear
www.brisbaneinsects.com/b...ownHuntsman.htm

They can get to 6" across

Barb they look similar to our Wolf Spiders Ewwww