Dietrich Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Last spring I was helping a friend clear a bunch of long-neglected stuff (wood planks, plant pots, etc.) from his backyard when I felt a tickle along the back of my right ear. Absent-mindedly I flicked my ear forward with my finger, and from where I had felt the tickle I saw a not-all-that-small black spider hurtle down to land in the grass at my feet. Sent a shiver up my spine, let me tell you. Don't think it was a black widow, though. For some reason in my neighborhood the population of a certain species of not-small partially orange-bodied spider has practically exploded in the past couple months. On non-windy days in the front yard there are as many as 8 or 9 of them readily visible in large webs between the gutters and the hedge (right alongside the walkway up to the front door) or between the hedge and the lawn or between the lawn and the tree. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Other Means Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I guy I know was in a roadside cafe in Vietnam and the waitress came to him and started saying something urgent in a loud voice. He understood nothing and was saying "It's OK, it's OK" and making patting down motions with his hands - then he saw on his shoulder the largest, meanest spider in the whole world ever. He squealed like a girl as he flung it off then, apparently, danced around waving his hands. Really flew the flag on that one. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I guy I know was in a roadside cafe in Vietnam and the waitress came to him and started saying something urgent in a loud voice. He understood nothing and was saying "It's OK, it's OK" and making patting down motions with his hands - then he saw on his shoulder the largest, meanest spider in the whole world ever. He squealed like a girl as he flung it off then, apparently, danced around waving his hands. Really flew the flag on that one. Yeah, I remember getting stranded in the Sudanese desert by a breakdown. We spent the night in a goatherd's shack. We're sitting there in our sleeping bags and I saw the hugest spider sitting right in my mate's hair. I looked at him and said "Scotty, do not ****ing move." He said my face was so serious he didn't even think I was joking. I managed to swipe it out with a bit of cardboard, but it took about six goes because his hair was so thick. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 It is a potentially lethal spider. Does it keep the Chupacabra population down or what? It's not lethal. It can make you sick though. And some complications might please your old lady 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmar Bijlsma Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Wiki disagrees with you. I have a mild fear of spiders to begin with, meaning I'll be sure to whack any spider inside the home anyway but with the added bonus of being potentially lethal, I would go out of my way to bring crunchy death upon them. The tiny risk of death is in no way offset by them feeding of other critters IMHO. To boot, Wiki mentions healthy adults. I would assume that children and pets would be at greater risk. I really don't see any upside of sharing living space with them. You know, I've just looked up what kind of spiders we've got over here in The Netherlands as I've got the occasional huge spider visitor. Turns out they can be fairly venomous too. Great. Didn't know that. Would not have minded to have gone on not knowing that. I always figured poisonous critters happened to other places. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affentitten Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Wiki disagrees with you. Nope. It says for a normal mature adult it's pretty near impossible to die from a Black Widow bite. Especially if you get to hospital. No deaths in the USA have occurred in the 27 years since reporting began. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Belenko Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Getting back to the title of this thread , this was copied from the wiki page: "Improvements in plumbing have greatly reduced the incidence of bites and fatalities in areas where outdoor privies have been replaced by flush toilets." How did Joe die? He done got spider bit. Yeah, where did it bite him? Over yonder in the outhouse. :eek: 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wodin Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Thankgod I live in the UK...as even the house spider here freaks me out and it can't even bite through your skin....can't stand spiders... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 ...can't stand spiders... I can tolerate them being around, even in my apartment. But to touch any part of my body is an instant death sentence. If they can't climb out of my bathtub or kitchen sink without my help they die for that also. I feel like I am just helping evolution along. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.