• Please be advised there is a potential issue with DD collections, which may result in an excessive amount being taken. Please read the stickied thread in Fortean Times Magazine > General Discussion, Subs etc

Aurora Newman

Ephemeral Spectre
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
420
Location
Brighton
Putting a Huntsman in your horrible neighbors toilet must be the best prank one can pull. They rarely bite, not venomous, but it's something that will really stick with them for life.
 

Aurora Newman

Ephemeral Spectre
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
420
Location
Brighton
“Like most spiders, apart from the Uloboridae and some Liphistiidae and Holarchaeidae,[6]Sparassidae use venom to immobilize prey. They have been known to inflict serious defensive bites on humans.[7]

There have been reports of members of various genera such as Palystes,[8] Neosparassus(formerly called Olios) and several others, inflicting severe bites. The effects vary, including local swelling and pain, nausea, headache, vomiting, irregular pulse rate, and heart palpitations, indicating some systemic neurological toxin effects...”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsman_spider#Size,_venom_and_aggression

maximus otter
They had some of those immobilising one's on CSI. The killer used them to track the sleepers body heat and the bite them.He
 

Aurora Newman

Ephemeral Spectre
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
420
Location
Brighton
All very good information i had a nice read there :)
“Like most spiders, apart from the Uloboridae and some Liphistiidae and Holarchaeidae,[6]Sparassidae use venom to immobilize prey. They have been known to inflict serious defensive bites on humans.[7]

There have been reports of members of various genera such as Palystes,[8] Neosparassus(formerly called Olios) and several others, inflicting severe bites. The effects vary, including local swelling and pain, nausea, headache, vomiting, irregular pulse rate, and heart palpitations, indicating some systemic neurological toxin effects...”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsman_spider#Size,_venom_and_aggression

maximus otter
 

GNC

King-Sized Canary
Joined
Aug 25, 2001
Messages
33,623
The other night as I went to bed I noticed a dark spot on my pillow. On investigation it was a dark spot inside the pillowcase, so I thought about sticking my hand in and pulling whatever it was out, but decided to remove the case instead. Good move. The spot was a squashed spider, I'd killed it the previous night with my sleeping head.

This is the second time in two months I've found a spider in my bed. Aren't they supposed to be hibernating January/February, anyway?
 

maximus otter

Recovering policeman
Joined
Aug 9, 2001
Messages
12,239
The other night as I went to bed I noticed a dark spot on my pillow. On investigation it was a dark spot inside the pillowcase, so I thought about sticking my hand in and pulling whatever it was out, but decided to remove the case instead. Good move. The spot was a squashed spider, I'd killed it the previous night with my sleeping head.

This is the second time in two months I've found a spider in my bed. Aren't they supposed to be hibernating January/February, anyway?

You must be below your annual spider-eating quota. They’re trying to oblige.

maximus otter
 

GNC

King-Sized Canary
Joined
Aug 25, 2001
Messages
33,623
Eight spiders a year?! Didn't it used to be six spiders in your lifetime?!
 

Nosmo King

I'm not a cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2021
Messages
7,506
WARNING TO ALL ARACHNAPHOBES THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPIDERS
(It does definately contain spiders hehe)

This is a story from my old home town:

"Ladies & Gentlemen... i present to you of evidence of... The Basingstoke Spider...

Myth has it, that in the early 19th Century, when the Basingstoke Canal was busy with traffic... a canal boat laden with Bananas passed through this little town. A Banana Spider escaped the boat and made its way to shore where it mated with the common house spider. It is said that these spiders are only found in Basingstoke, and let me tell you... as Spiders in the UK go... these are the biggest! This one was a medium sized blighter at about 2 inches."

dg8c02-05f30db6-1f5a-44db-ac94-5d187f359faf.jpg


https://www.deviantart.com/fraughtuk/art/The-Basingstoke-Spider-27262658
 

CharmerKamelion

Gef! Gef!
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
1,099
Location
Lightyears from Zanzibar
Thanks so much for that pic, Souleater! My brain did a somersault inside my skull when your post popped up. I'm surprised it didn't jump out of my ear and run for the hills! I'm going to start a campaign to get a Trump-style wall built around Basingstoke right now!
 

EnolaGaia

I knew the job was dangerous when I took it ...
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
Joined
Jul 19, 2004
Messages
29,625
Location
Out of Bounds

PeteByrdie

Privateer in the service of Princess Frideswide
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
3,034
WARNING TO ALL ARACHNAPHOBES THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPIDERS
(It does definately contain spiders hehe)

This is a story from my old home town:

"Ladies & Gentlemen... i present to you of evidence of... The Basingstoke Spider...

Myth has it, that in the early 19th Century, when the Basingstoke Canal was busy with traffic... a canal boat laden with Bananas passed through this little town. A Banana Spider escaped the boat and made its way to shore where it mated with the common house spider. It is said that these spiders are only found in Basingstoke, and let me tell you... as Spiders in the UK go... these are the biggest! This one was a medium sized blighter at about 2 inches."

View attachment 36841

https://www.deviantart.com/fraughtuk/art/The-Basingstoke-Spider-27262658
These are the kinds of spiders I dislike the most. There's nothing remotely attractive about them. They're just ugly and scary. I've spent a lot of time on the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads and would like to have seen a fen rafting spider. They, at least, are quite interesting looking critters. I'm still an arachnophobe though.
 

Nosmo King

I'm not a cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2021
Messages
7,506
This spider is common in Basingstoke, but it's not peculiar to that location. The same species (Eratigena atrica) is found throughout Europe. Its common name is the giant house spider.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_house_spider

As this article from the Basingstoke Gazette notes (with reference to the same species designation), they're mainly seen around September and October ...

https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/18683149.mating-season-start-giant-house-spiders/
When i was growing up we had a huge one that lived behind the gas fire we called Boris :p
 

Mythopoeika

I am a meat popsicle
Joined
Sep 18, 2001
Messages
49,569
Location
Inside a starship, watching puny humans from afar
When i was growing up we had a huge one that lived behind the gas fire we called Boris :p
I had a couple of huge ones that lived up in the loft space and they came down into my bedroom on one or two occasions. I could actually hear them moving about, they were that frickin' big. Eventually caught them and threw them out.
 

CharmerKamelion

Gef! Gef!
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
1,099
Location
Lightyears from Zanzibar
Souleater, your monster spider got scooped up and 're-homed' safely in the Arachnophobia thread, where he/she will no doubt be happy scaring the pants off everyone lol.

While I'm in here.... before Covid struck, I was thinking about having a birthday treat by taking myself and a few close friends off to somewhere where you can do one of those 'big spiders are friendly' experience things, and end up having a tarantula nestling in the palm of my hand while smiling fixedly at the camera, saying 'hurry up, it's moving!' to my friends taking photos. Has anyone tried doing one of those things, as a cure for their arachnophobia? What was it like? How did it go? Did it work as a cure? I'm never gonna love spiders - it's not like they're red pandas or anything - and I do find them creepy and unnerving, even though I admire them as amazing and often useful creatures.

Will I ever hold a tarantula in my hand......? That remains to be seen.
 
Last edited:

Mythopoeika

I am a meat popsicle
Joined
Sep 18, 2001
Messages
49,569
Location
Inside a starship, watching puny humans from afar
Souleater, your monster spider got scooped up and 're-homed' safely in the Arachnophobia thread, where he/she will no doubt be happy scaring the pants of everyone lol.

While I'm in here.... before Covid struck, I was thinking about having a birthday treat by taking myself and a few close friends off to somewhere where you can do one of those 'big spiders are friendly' experience things, and end up having a tarantula nestling in the palm of my hand while smiling fixedly at the camera, saying 'hurry up, it's moving!' to my friends taking photos. Has anyone tried doing one of those things, as a cure for their arachnophobia? What was it like? How did it go? Did it work as a cure? I'm never gonna love spiders - it's not like they're red pandas or anything - and I do find them creepy and unnerving, even though I admire them as amazing and often useful creatures.

Will I ever hold a tarantula in my hand......? That remains to be seen.
A young woman I worked with did this to overcome her fear. I told her that it's not an irrational fear.
 

Nosmo King

I'm not a cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2021
Messages
7,506
Souleater, your monster spider got scooped up and 're-homed' safely in the Arachnophobia thread, where he/she will no doubt be happy scaring the pants of everyone lol.

While I'm in here.... before Covid struck, I was thinking about having a birthday treat by taking myself and a few close friends off to somewhere where you can do one of those 'big spiders are friendly' experience things, and end up having a tarantula nestling in the palm of my hand while smiling fixedly at the camera, saying 'hurry up, it's moving!' to my friends taking photos. Has anyone tried doing one of those things, as a cure for their arachnophobia? What was it like? How did it go? Did it work as a cure? I'm never gonna love spiders - it's not like they're red pandas or anything - and I do find them creepy and unnerving, even though I admire them as amazing and often useful creatures.

Will I ever hold a tarantula in my hand......? That remains to be seen.
I used to own two tarantulas, a Hondures Curly hair and a Chile Rose, the Chile Rose 'Rosie' was prety chilled and would let me handle her, they are very cautious and dont tend to move very quickly whilst being handled, their feet feel like velcro hooks. Whilst i was staying in the rain forest in Peru i had to remove a huge tarantula out of one of the girls who was in our groups hut before she would go in lol :spider:
 

PeteByrdie

Privateer in the service of Princess Frideswide
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
3,034
I had a couple of huge ones that lived up in the loft space and they came down into my bedroom on one or two occasions. I could actually hear them moving about, they were that frickin' big. Eventually caught them and threw them out.
As a kid, the top of the wall paper in my bedroom always seemed loose. I could hear spiders tapping their way around the room some nights. Nobody ever believed me. Some nights I'd have to switch on the light to see where they were, because if they were above the bed, I wasn't sleeping that night. They were always somewhere up near the ceiling. But, as an arachnophobe, trying to sleep in a dark room when you can hear a spider tapping across the wallpaper is nigh impossible.
 

CharmerKamelion

Gef! Gef!
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
1,099
Location
Lightyears from Zanzibar
i had to remove a huge tarantula out of one of the girls who was in our groups hut before she would go in lol :spider:
I had to read the above line very carefully. It sounded like you had to perform some kind of surgery on the girl to remove the tarantula! Eek! :hahazebs:
 

CharmerKamelion

Gef! Gef!
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
1,099
Location
Lightyears from Zanzibar
I used to own two tarantulas, a Hondures Curly hair and a Chile Rose, the Chile Rose 'Rosie' was prety chilled and would let me handle her, they are very cautious and dont tend to move very quickly whilst being handled, their feet feel like velcro hooks.
I like the sound of Rosie. She sounds like a cutie! When I get to hold a tarantula in my hand, I hope it will be one like her.

The Honduras Curly Hair sounds good too! What did you call that one? Please tell me it was Shirley. Curly Shirley! :D
 

Nosmo King

I'm not a cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2021
Messages
7,506
I like the sound of Rosie. She sounds like a cutie! When I get to hold a tarantula in my hand, I hope it will be one like her.

The Honduras Curly Hair sounds good too! What did you call that one? Please tell me it was Shirley. Curly Shirley! :D
I inherited the Honduras Curly hair from a friend, im not sure it had a name, but it was feisty and i didnt try handling it :nails:
 

CharmerKamelion

Gef! Gef!
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
1,099
Location
Lightyears from Zanzibar
I inherited the Honduras Curly hair from a friend, im not sure it had a name, but it was feisty and i didnt try handling it :nails:

So more like Surly Curly then? I suppose tarantulas aren't amenable to behaviour training, like a spaniel lol. I doubt Curly and Rosie were pals either.
 

Nosmo King

I'm not a cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2021
Messages
7,506
On a side note, traditionally if you put horse chestnuts around your windowsill it will keep spiders at bay
 

Nosmo King

I'm not a cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2021
Messages
7,506
So more like Surly Curly then? I suppose tarantulas aren't amenable to behaviour training, like a spaniel lol. I doubt Curly and Rosie were pals either.
Haha i kept them in seperate vivariums they probably would have killed each other, i had a lot of strange pets at the time, 2 imperial scorpians, 2 fire salamanders, a sand boa a chinchilla and a cat aswell as the spiders
 

CharmerKamelion

Gef! Gef!
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
1,099
Location
Lightyears from Zanzibar
i had a lot of strange pets at the time, 2 imperial scorpians, 2 fire salamanders, a sand boa a chinchilla and a cat aswell as the spiders
Wow! That was quite a little petting zoo you had there! I hope your cat was chilled around all those small moving things! I don't know how big a sand boa gets. I hope the cat and chinchilla kept a safe distance lol.
 

Nosmo King

I'm not a cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2021
Messages
7,506
Wow! That was quite a little petting zoo you had there! I hope your cat was chilled around all those small moving things! I don't know how big a sand boa gets. I hope the cat and chinchilla kept a safe distance lol.
Tje sand boa was only about 8 inches long, the cat generally ignored the creatures in the tanks but her and the chinchilla used to chase each other around the flat, it was hilarious to watch, the cat would chase the chinchilla out of the room the come tearing back in being chased by the chinchilla, i wish i had a video camera at the time :hahazebs:
 

CharmerKamelion

Gef! Gef!
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
1,099
Location
Lightyears from Zanzibar
That sounds adorable! Good to know they were buddies. They must have kept you entertained for hours.
 

hunck

Antediluvian
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
8,485
Location
Hobbs End
When i was growing up we had a huge one that lived behind the gas fire we called Boris :p

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="
" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

Krepostnoi

Increasingly disenchanted
Joined
Jul 9, 2012
Messages
4,254
Has anyone tried doing one of those things, as a cure for their arachnophobia?
Never tried handling one, but I did find that watching a lot of tarantula videos on YouTube has done a massive amount in terms of desensitisation: I've gone from being the kind of arachnophobe that would be trapped in the room if there was a spider between me and the door to actively wanting a tarantula of my own. To begin with, I wanted a Curly Hair, like @Souleater had, but then I met a Finnish guy here who invited me and my daughter to see his tarantula collection. Amongst other things, he had the most gorgeous T. vagans - beautiful red urticating hairs, and a delicate shade of pink around the carapace. To this day I am stunned at how beautiful and graceful I found it in the flesh - photos don't do it justice.
 

bugmum

Justified & Ancient
Joined
Sep 10, 2003
Messages
1,258
Has anyone tried doing one of those things, as a cure for their arachnophobia? What was it like? How did it go? Did it work as a cure? I'm never gonna love spiders - it's not like they're red pandas or anything - and I do find them creepy and unnerving, even though I admire them as amazing and often useful creatures.

I know a chap who had such an experience - at London Zoo, if my memory serves me right. While, as you say, he's never going to love spiders, he has reported an increased tolerance of arachnids.
 
Top