Grow Your Own Magazine

I know spiders shouldn’t be classed as “pests” but this seems the most likely forum for this (true) tale. I’m well used to spiders in the house and this year the impression is that, perhaps due to the wet colder summer, they’re migrating indoors much earlier than usual - anyone else noticed that? But they seem bigger too! I usually keep the odd jam jar around, scoop them in and take them outside on the basis that this is a Good Thing To Do (they probably make it back indoors before I do). But some of them now, unless they are yoga-practicing spiders, wouldn’t easily fit in a jam jar. One last night sitting on the dishwasher (drying itself? warming itself?) was quite the largest spider I’ve ever seen in the house, natural leg-span a good 3 to 4 inches. When I bore down upon it it tried to scuttle up the wall but it wasn’t a very good climber and fell off (no, there wasn’t a THUD, it wasn’t that hefty, it was a spider not a baby elephant) and then ran behind the fridge freezer (where I hope it still is, but maybe not…). If I come down one morning and find the fridge-freezer on its side I shall know why! Then I read on one of these threads about the new biting spider… what size are they? I don’t think it’s one of those, certainly hope not – I’m not scared of spiders but I wouldn’t pick this one up… What is/was it, just a large garden spider (quite hairy, fast, apparently a poor climber). Are they solitary creatures or is there a whole family of ‘em lurking somewhere?

bb

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Ugh! You can keep those to yourself, if you don't mind BB! I try to rehome them outside too - but having to squeeze to get into a jam jar! YUK!

Haven't seen any coming in for the autumn, yet - like to think that the cat's get them (mind you, they've only got to keep still and the cats soon lose interest and wander off.....)

Welcome to the Vine, by the way....

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 15/11/2008......there's gold in them thar...compost bins!......

I love them. giant house spiders, eat lots of flies and bugs I hope. We used to have a pet pair in the house I grew up in. They'd come out of the cupboard-under-stairs every night at 10pm, go for a little walk round the room, then go back in again. Because they were presented to me as "pets", I learned not to fear spiders. Ants, maggots, that's another matter altogether. They make me scream like a girl.
Nice pix on this website link:
http://www.nicksspiders.com/nicksspi...iagigantia.htm

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Not seen many at all this year, must be too cold for them. Which thread was the biting spider in? Problem is your spider may have come into the country with a forein fruit consignment so there's no telling what it is! Talk to it nicely.

No, don't panic. It's a common giant house spider most likely. If you're not sure, offer it a finger (someone else's, preferably)

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

I love spiders but not in the bath I put them(carefully) out side.

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I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

Used to have a pet one as well. Lived behind the fireplace and came out for a walk every evening until one night we were all sitting round the fire and one of the children frightened it. Ex OH was sitting with the leg of his trousers just touching the floor and you can guess where the spider made for. He leapt round the room like a mad thing and we all collapsed with laughter.

He never did see the fully side of it!!!!!!!!!!!

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Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

At least we don't have these in the UK (don't look if arachnophobic...)

http://www.fazed.org/content/clock_spider/

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http://inelegantgardener.blogspot.com
Updated 13th September

bazzaboy:
You should get some ferrets!! One of ours loves eating spiders-mind you she does leave some of the legs behind...

Had one in last night. I was watching MOTD with the In-Laws (Down for the w/end)
It ran across me over to Mother in Law. Asleep at time. Sat on her shoulder quite happily.
What could i do?.....
Well i had to rescue it, didn't i!!!!!!!!

I saw the biggest spider I've ever seen on our shores not so long ago.

I was sitting in the reception at the doctors surgery waiting for my foot to be seen, when the lady in reception suddenly shrieked "oh my God it's a spider". There was a little commotion, then she was despatched to see if one of the staff - doctor or nurse, would come and get it. Being the strapping lad that I am I volunteered to get rid of it if they had a glass and a piece of paper...

As I rounded the corner it was indeed a monster of a thing. I had a standard sized tumbler in one hand and a piece of laminated paper in the other. The spider only just fitted into the circumference of the tumbler - I was very careful not to trap it's legs.

I then took it outside and let it run for cover under the nearest bush.

Given recent events I am a little wary of insects, and now have an array of carnivorous plants around the house to catch the flies, but I reckon this thing would have done quite a good job too.

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - Minor update - 10th November

http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev036pr___.png

Aha, thanks for responses everyone.

Hazel, I haven’t got a cat at the moment, my only current pet is the wormery – they’re great though pretty hopeless when it comes to playing with a ball on a string or fetching a stick… How did The Show go? In my limited experience entering local shows is much more terrifying than any spider…

Two Sheds, sounds a sensible upbringing and yes, I think that’s probably it, “Tegenaria gigantean”. I didn’t get close enough to see its exotic leopard skin markings – in rushed flight it just appeared black and hairy but it was panicking (thankfully marginally more than me but there probably wasn’t a lot in it). But the fridge-freezer’s still in place so I’ll wait for a friendly visitor to try the finger test.

Terrier, I knew it wasn’t a tarantula – could have tried out my James Bond impression - but exactly that did happen to my sister years ago – she had a Saturday job in a local greengrocers, opened a crate of bananas and hey presto, ended up with her picture in the local press c/w tarantula in a jar - not sure that was quite the celebrity exposure she was looking for at the time.

The latest “UK biting spider” was featured in General Chit Chat under the thread called “Danger - vicious insects!”. There’s a clearer picture at http://uktv.co.uk/gardens/news/aid/588820 where it’s reassuring to know the Natural History Museum claim “no-one has ever died from a spider bite in the UK”. To prove that gallantry is not yet dead in the UK I’ll be sure to let my friend know that before I get her to put her fingers behind the fridge in the Two Shed Test!

Bubblewrap - yes, know what you mean, during times of water shortage (ha!) “bath with a friend” caught on but I’ve never seen the water companies advertising “bath with a spider”, are they missing a marketing opportunity?

Roitelet – so evening seems to be walkies time for these critters…. Well I laughed but I think after that tale I might take to the old country habit of tying a bit of string below my kneecaps, very country.... (Why did they do that? Mice and rats presumably? And Tegenaria gigantean perhaps!)

HappyMouffe, omg, 6 inches leg-span! Yup, the longer-term answer seems to be to get a bigger jam jar!

Or a Ratglass ferret!

Mrs PH – whatever mother-in-law thought, it’s def one up on a parrot, tell her! And Wayne, having as a newbie been reading through various threads I understand why you’re a mite cautious of insects...

Thanks again everyone. I’ll let you know if my first visitor dies… Anyone fancy calling round for a cuppa?

bb.

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Thanks for your offer of hospitality, BB, but I'll only be calling around if you let me bring some marble cake.

I do seem to be rather overwhelmed with it as it took me 4 goes to get one that I felt was 'showable' (and that came 3rd out of 3!), and it's a bit of a scrap between the cake and the runner beans in the freezer (note to self: do not grow so many runner beans next year).

Perhaps your friend sidney spider would like some?

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 15/11/2008......there's gold in them thar...compost bins!......

Hi HH

Erm, not sure, I’ve heard of Masonry Bees that burrow into brick walls but never Marble Cake Spiders. Haven’t seen him lately, assume he’s busy dismantling the fridge…

Your Marble Cake deserved a prize (pic on H’s blog if Casual Reader getting lost at this point). But take solace from the fact you were awarded a Third – judges are not duty bound to award all prizes unless merited. I’ve been the sole entry in a category and awarded Second, how miserable is that!

bb

Ha! You can't find Sidney, BB, as you have sent him over to my house, you rotter!

Have ushered him back out the door (sans marble cake - in case he gets a taste for it!) back up to you! Have sent you a pm, all about it!

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sat 15/11/2008......there's gold in them thar...compost bins!......

Not seen any really big spiders in the house recently but I love watching them scuttle across the carpet! I have had 'pet' spiders in the past, I had one which lived in the kitchen window on it's web so that it could catch any flies but I had to relocate it outside when we had the windows double-glazed recently. The one before that lived in the window for ages, shedding it's skin & getting bigger & bigger- I was quite upset when I found it dead behind the microwave (suspect O.H. might have had something to do with that!). This morning in our local library there was someone giving a talk on 'creepy crawlies' to a group of youngsters & he was passing around a taratula in a container for them to look at- I almost sat down with them & asked if I could join in!

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

I used to lodge in a converted barn. The spiders there were the size of small elephants (honestly ) - I was regularly woken up by the sound of them running across papers I'd left by the side of the bed.

I know it's sad, but I'm rather frightrened of house spiders. I don't mind the ones in the garden, but house spiders run out unexpectedly from all sorts of places.

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http://inelegantgardener.blogspot.com
Updated 13th September

Spiders' webs in Autumn covered in morning dew in the garden on a sunny day are wonderful.

We get lots: an old house with creaky floorboards .

Worry about the house when they start dropping dead for no apparent reason!:-))

hi H

Haven't seen Sid again yet but if he's carrying a suitcase of your impeccable marble cake guess it'll take him ages Did you also send Harold Hornet as an advance storm-trooper (see separate thread), am feeling targeted, whatever next, Sally the Scorpion in the woodshed with the candlestick... It's getting like the insect version of Cluedo up here!

bb

hi SueA, Happy M and MadaF

Creepies, old houses and rustling papers... This house is full of bits of paper sticking out of books, unread mags, bills etc.... A few years ago we had a mini earthquake here in the Midlands (I kid you not) and the one thing that haunts me - I can still hear it -was that every piece of paper rustled at the same time, it was uncanny. If it had been spiders doing it I think I'd have left home but it was just an earthquake.

One other item on today's Spider News... I'm told engineers are trying to analyse and artificially recreate spiders' thread because its ratio of weight, thickness, elasticity and strength is the greatest of any known material. I'll check with Sid if he turns up and let you know.

bb

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Bazzaboy, an interesting article on spider web-making can be found here:

clicky clicky link

If I were you, I'd check Sid's webs, just in case... You need to know if you are dealing with a spider under the influence! If the web is looking a bit dodgy, you might need to check he's not getting into the coffee jar!

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http://inelegantgardener.blogspot.com
Updated 13th September