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Only if I can be your boss. I look like Peter Parkers boss these days (albeit without the tashe lol) Or so I've been told.
jameson-laugh.gif
 
An innocent question. Are there any statistics to show that arachnophobia is indeed more common among females? In my limited experience it's much rarer to find a woman who isn't scared of spiders. My missus wasn't scared of rats, but was of spiders, although she didn't go hysterical. She'd just sort of point to where she had spotted the unfortunate arachnid, and shake a bit.

Personally, I like them, I'd always shepherd them gently away. The spiders, that is.
 
@Cochise
May be it's because men feel more obliged not to look a wuss and pretend bravery? I think I've mentioned upthread about how a friend came to me in hysterics as she'd found a spider in her kitchen and wanted me to go and sort it out. I didn't have the heart to tell her I wasn't exactly keen on them myself (although I'd never kill one) so in response to her obvious terror I had to be the 'brave' one. Of course actual bravery isn't required to deal with British aracnids but you know what I mean. :)
 
Youngest's husband, who is over 6 foot tall and a big chap was in fear and trembling because of a huntsman spider in the sunroom.
I took the lid it was on to the nearest bush and shook it off.
I told him spiders eat annoying insects.
Blimey. I don't blame him. Huntsman spiders are just nightmarish.

Personally, I like and admire spiders as remarkable creatures - but I really don't like them being around me. A spider of any size will always be trapped and removed humanely by me before I can relax. I see it as taking it out of harm's way so no one accidentally squishes it. I wouldn't harm one intentionally (unless it's in self defence, obviously).

I used to work in an office with about 16 female colleagues. I was the only man*
around usually. I don't think they were all necessarily arachnophobic but some of them definitely were, one extremely so (one day she nearly fainted when she saw a photo of a tarantula in a book).

If ever there was a spider spotted, I was the one they would assign to deal with it. I had my spider trapping kit in the bottom drawer of my desk drawer unit, ready to go. I recall clambering around under desks and behind cupboards on many occasions. I could string it out for hours some days lol.

*(citation needed)
 
You needed to train them to jump into a bucket. I think I wrote that some time ago.
 
Aaaarrrrggghhh!

A cruise took a turn for the worse when a spider laid eggs in a man's toe.

Colin Blake was celebrating his 35th wedding anniversary in France when his toe turned purple overnight. Growing concerned, Mr Blake visited the ship's doctor and found that a Peruvian wolf spider had bitten him and laid eggs in his toe. After being given antibiotics to combat the toxins, a "foreign body" was cut out of his toe and he is set to make a full recovery.

Warning: this article contains an image some might find upsetting

Mr Blake, from Cramlington, Northumberland, was bitten by the spider while he and his wife were having a meal outdoors in Marseille, France. The Peruvian wolf spiders live in France after arriving in the area on cargo ships.

Mr Blake told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime show he was "totally unaware" he had been bitten as the spider numbs its prey before laying its eggs.

He said: "My wife thought it may be because I had new sandals and they were rubbing on my big toe and that was causing it to be red."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-67544888
 
Aaaarrrrggghhh!

A cruise took a turn for the worse when a spider laid eggs in a man's toe.

Colin Blake was celebrating his 35th wedding anniversary in France when his toe turned purple overnight. Growing concerned, Mr Blake visited the ship's doctor and found that a Peruvian wolf spider had bitten him and laid eggs in his toe. After being given antibiotics to combat the toxins, a "foreign body" was cut out of his toe and he is set to make a full recovery.

Warning: this article contains an image some might find upsetting

Mr Blake, from Cramlington, Northumberland, was bitten by the spider while he and his wife were having a meal outdoors in Marseille, France. The Peruvian wolf spiders live in France after arriving in the area on cargo ships.

Mr Blake told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime show he was "totally unaware" he had been bitten as the spider numbs its prey before laying its eggs.

He said: "My wife thought it may be because I had new sandals and they were rubbing on my big toe and that was causing it to be red."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-67544888
'The antibiotics had killed the young spider and doctors then removed it by cutting open Mr Blake's toe.
"I did ask if I could keep it but they said no," he added.'

Revolting as it is, I'd have said exactly the same thing. I'd also want to keep that as a trophy. Good lad.
 
No, spiders don't want to mate with your viral body butter

Sephora shoppers are cautioning beauty enthusiasts not to buy the Sol de Janeiro Delícia Drench Body Butter because they say it brings forth enormous spiders. This all started when one person wrote a review saying the product, which retails for $22 to $48 online and in Sephora stores, attracts wolf spiders.

wolf-spider-sol-de-janeiro-product.webp


"If you're scared of wolf spiders—watch out for these lotions lol. I wanted to love them sooo bad, but one of the ingredients is like! When I put it on instantly one will come out. Normally I'll see one every like 3 years, used this and it was every day. I stopped using it and haven't seen one since," the one-star review reads.

"Oh and one time, the spider wanted to eat whatever ingredient it is so bad that it chased me. I swear on everything. I'd run left, it ran left, I ran right, it ran right. Like it was legit following the scent. And no, the scent isn't that good, nothing a $5 vanilla cream can't match. So yeah, do be careful if you're frightened of spiders, especially the big wolf ones."

Someone posted screenshots of [A] Reddit comment to X and added: "it's literally made out of spider pheromones. you can't make this up. yall are wearing SPIDER PHEROMONES AND ATTRACTING ALL THE MALE SPIDERS OH MY GOD."

However, a Sol de Janeiro representative rubbished the claims that the Delícia Drench Body Butter could attract spiders.

https://www.newsweek.com/sol-de-janeiro-body-lotion-attracting-wolf-spiders-1856504

maximus otter
 
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