Spider invasion

[vtecstu]

I've had an issue with a large number of spiders in my house for the last month or so. They're all the same 'type' - small bodied, long legged tts - and so I'd guess they're all from the same parent/nest/whatever. They're an annoyance and make the house look untidy - I'm probably killing about one a day at the moment.

I can't work out where they came from - I'm killing them all round the house (admittedly somewhat smaller than a lot of PHer houses!), and should add that the house is otherwise pretty clean - no obvious sources of food, and certainly no fly infestation!

Bearing in mind that I'm not sure exactly where they originated, is there anything I can do to get rid? Any sprays or smelly things that might kill them, or even one of those ultrasonic things they have on home shopping channels...! I have no pets or kids or any moral objection to using whatever method would best get rid, regardless of how toxic any chemicals might be!

Any suggestions welcome! Cheers

Stu.

[mybrainhurts]

You need a small person from a jungle who eats these things...

[vtecstu]

mybrainhurts said:

You need a small person from a jungle who eats these things...

Would I be correct in assuming I could get one of these from Amazon...?

[mybrainhurts]

...please give yourself a slap

[Simpo Two]

Are these the spooky ones that seem dopey, but then suddenly drop and run when you try to whack them? They're dead cunning.

Pholcus:


I recommend a Size 10 slipper wielded with overwhelming force.

[vtecstu]

They look like the ones...

And I am using the brute force approach at the moment, but would ideally like something that is:
a) less effort, and
b) more likely to succeed in annihilating all arachnids before my in-laws come to stay in 6 weeks time.

[Simpo Two]

vtecstu said:

b) more likely to succeed in annihilating all arachnids before my in-laws come to stay in 6 weeks time.

They like to hang in the coving, especially corners. You never see them move - they just appear. I think all you can do is patrol every room every day and belt them. Eventually you'll wear them down.

It's funny but all other kinds of spider I catch humanely and chuck them outside. But Pholcus radiate evil :shudder:

[Poledriver]

Not another spider thread! I hate them. I'm working in Cuba next week and have just found out that I'm spending most of my time in a 'local' hotel in the middle of the country! Do they have monster spiders there?

[Simpo Two]

Yes. This is a Cuban jumping spider:

[Poledriver]

Simpo Two said:

Yes. This is a Cuban jumping spider:

I Really hope that's a wind up!

[missdiane]

We've had about 4 in the past few weeks, all same shape and size too, fast buggers too the even cat can't catch them

[Pints]

Simpo Two said:

Yes. This is a Cuban jumping spider:

I took one look at that and swiped viciously at my chest! Tt

[croyde]

You need my son when he was 2. He would catch them and play with them and then say " Oh No! Fiders broken".

[vtecstu]

croyde said:

You need my son when he was 2. He would catch them and play with them and then say " Oh No! Fiders broken".

Wish they were all broken!

Slightly upsettingly, this is actually the best solution so far, even though it involves time-travel and kidnapping a toddler, and I'm not too sure which forum to post into with queries about either...!

Is there REALLY nothing better? Was sure there would be some form of DIY store chemical death that had been tried and tested by fellow haters of the 8-legged freaks!

[vtecstu]

Should add that, contrary to the suggestion of a 'mate' when I asked him the same question, I am NOT a giant man-shaped fly trying to eliminate all spiders on the planet so that my fellow flies can invade and take over the world.

I mention this only in case some of you had similar concerns and were withholding suggestions because of it...!

[KevF]

Stu,

First you need to know your enemy....

[b]These spiders have very long legs like the harvestman. Therefore, they are called Daddy-longlegs. The difference between the daddy-longlegs and the harvestman is that in harvestman the cephalothorax and the abdomen is almost fused together which looks like one structure whereas in daddy longleg spiders the cephalothorax and the abdomen are two distinct features connected by a visible narrow tube. Unlike these spiders, the harvestman does not make webs.

The members of the Pholcidae family live in houses and buildings. They make their untidy webs in the corner of a wall or a ceiling. They are also often found in the basement or the cellars, thus being referred to by another common name as the cellar spiders. When they are disturbed or when they are under a threat of attack, they start vibrating in their web violently to scare off and discourage their enemy. Therefore, they are also known by yet another common name of vibrating spiders. The male spider has large palps.

It is said that the venom of this spider is one of the most poisonous. Since the fangs of these spiders are too small to penetrate the skin, it is not considered a dangerous spider. Many spiders use their venom to kill their prey but the poison of almost all of them is harmless to humans.

The daddy-longlegs have a special method of hunting. Their untidy web is used more as a place to stay than for catching prey. The spider hangs upside down in the web. If the web becomes too dirty, then it is abandoned and a new web is woven. Their poison jaws are far too small to hold a prey. They consume every insect like flies, ear worms, beetles and so on. The daddy long legs also put on their menu other spiders like the house spider, wolf spiders, jumping spiders and so on. In short, They can grab almost every insect in and around the house, even other daddy-longlegs! In this way these spiders regulate the population of insects and spiders in the house. The spider lives in the house the whole year. In winter, when there is hardly any insect left, the spider has to seek its prey among the next of kin.[/b]




Apparently, the female 'Mummy Longlegs' carries the eggs around in her mouth so if you see one of these...





Then smack it one before the eggs hatch...other than that, by leaving them be...you'll have less house spiders, flys etc....


Failing that you can always buy 'No More Spiders'

http://www.pestcontrolshop.co.uk/acatalog/no_more_...


Kev

ps...I am not a spider expert just hate the feckers so wil be following the advice too.....as we speak one of these little feckers is sitting in the corner of the room watching me with its eight beady eyes...........

[vtecstu]

Kev - cheers for all the info! Have to admit that, while the leggy tts (that I can't remember the name of!) are fairly abundant and being killed daily, I had wondered why I was getting those but really very very few (about 2 in a year) of the massive scary black ones.

So, in summary, I can either:
- tolerate the leggy tts to some extent, only killing what I see
- try to eliminate all the leggy tts via some as yet undetermined method, potentially leaving my house open to invasion by massive scary black ones
- coat everything in my house, including myself, with 'No More Spiders', have No More Spiders, and live happily every after...

Doesn't seem a difficult choice at this stage...!

And if I see anything carrying what looks even vaguely like an egg sac, it will suffer a fate worse than death. But that will still include death at some point.

[KevF]

vtecstu said:

And if I see anything carrying what looks even vaguely like an egg sac, it will suffer a fate worse than death. But that will still include death at some point.

[Simpo Two]

KevF said:

First you need to know your enemy....

Or you could save time and just tt it with a Size 10 slipper anyway

I recalled seeing something about their being carnivorous but couldn't find it when looking. However, I can confirm that they are not carnivorous after conversion to two-dimensional mode.

[dogbucket]

My house had been vacant for a while before I moved in and for a time had loads of those appearing in the ceiling corners each morning. A few weeks (could have been months!) of going round each day and collecting them in some kitchen roll and flushing them slowly reduced the numbers.

I admit I am a bit lax in the house cleaning dept, but that does help as well.

The females with the eggs/pregnant seem to hide under furniture. The pregnant ones go pop nicely

Edited by dogbucket on Monday 18th May 08:30