Spider identifier

[heycarmelina]

I love spiders, I try not to kill them unless they are venomous. I try to get them back outside, but sometimes my cat gets to them first and eats them. He and I have never been bitten. hopefully it stays that way!

[Catz]

Having lived in the states for so long...the black widow and brown relcuse are very dangerous. I have seen necritizing faciatis. Not fun. Not sure...kill it. And yes, wallnuts.

[kenny Blankenship]

Chestnuts do not repel spiders.

http://www.scienceworld.ca/swog/do-hors ... iders-away

[Merry]

When we see a spider in the house, especially wolf spiders and black widows, we catch them in a jar and take them outside.

The more comments I hear like this one, the less attractive the Central Okanagan becomes to me. I know it's foolish to be so deathly afraid of such tiny little creatures, but I can't help myself.

I have seen the occasional large spider crawl across the rec room floor of my present home, but only once or twice a year, and they weren't of the poisonous variety. However, I completely freaked out when it happened. I simply can't imagine living in a place where I'd see wolf spiders and black widows inside the house on a regular basis. Do you really see them that often? We do have black widows in the area I live, but they usually stay outside in places like under rocks or in garden sheds, and I personally have never seen one.

If we do decide to move further south, would getting my house sprayed once or twice a year prevent my seeing poisonous spiders inside on a regular basis ? Has anyone gone this route and, if so, did it work and what did it cost?

[Catz]

Chestnuts do not repel spiders.

http://www.scienceworld.ca/swog/do-hors ... iders-away

Thank you for that

[French Castanut]

On top of spiders, we have rattlesnakes as well.

[Merry]

Oddly enough rattlesnakes don't bother me. Probably because they don't come into the house, or maybe it's just because one rarely sees them. The fact is I'm not normally a scaredy cat when it comes to bugs or wild animals; its just spiders that turn me into a screaming lunatic!!!!!

I've lived in places where bears and cougars were frequently seen in the neighbourhood and, while careful, wasn't overly concerned about them. I've even lived in a house (back in my student days) that was infested with cockroaches and, while I didn't particularly like the idea, I wasn't a nervous wreck about the situation either. They didn't bother me, so I didn't bother them. You rarely see cockroaches unless you suddenly turn on a light in the middle of the night and surprise them.

But spiders absolutely TERRIFY me. It's not just a fear, its an out and out phobia that I've been trying to conquer all my life, and failed miserably. It took a lot of courage for me to move to the North Okanagan, and now my hubby wants to move further south, and while I don't want to deny him uncecessarily, I'm not entirely sure I can handle living in a place where seeing venomous spiders in the house is a regular occurence. Hence my question in a previous post about whether you live in an urban or a rural area, in the valley or at the top of a hill? I'm trying to figure out which type of location would be the best place for someone like me to buy a house.

[Fancy]

I'm surprised you've never seen a black widow - there's so many in the Okanagan.

[Merry]

I'm surprised you've never seen a black widow - there's so many in the Okanagan.

Just been lucky I guess.

[Fancy]

I think they are fascinating creatures and very distinctive. I thought they liked cool damp places but I've seen them in quite the opposite locations. Now dock spiders on other hand....

[W105]

omg Fancy, I forgot about Dock Spiders !!!!!!!!!! (thanks for that..lol) I have seen some the size of a small pet (ok I am exaggerating a wee bit) I squished a big fat round spider the other day and a million little babies came running out !!!! I screamed so badly the neighbor came running over...haha made my skin crawl for hrs...

we have a huge black widow by our hose taps....she's been living there for yrs..I stay away from her and she stays away from me :)

[Nebula]

Merry, if you're that freaked out by spiders, have you thought about seeking help for your phobia? CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) can do wonders for people with phobias).

[psychprof]

Nebula is absolutely right. Exposure therapy is the only way to rid yourself of a phobia. Believe it or not you can be cured in under an hour if you are willing to do the work. Avoidance strengthens the fear through negative reinforcement. Given that your phobia is affecting your decision to move, I'd say it's time to do something about it!

[Merry]

You may well be right, but I doubt I'd ever have the courage to deliberately expose myself to spiders. I get the shivers even looking at photographs of them.

I'm not completely ruling out a move further south, just giving it a lot of sober second thought. I quite fancy Peachland but, in view of Nebula's comments about regularly finding Black Widows and Wolf Spiders in his home, am begining to wonder if that would be a wise choice for someone like me.

Would it be better or worse near the lake? I know spiders often like to live near water. Would a home in the hills be more or less likely to harbour lots of spiders? Or wouldn't it make a scrap of difference? Would Kelowna be a wiser choice, or would I be best to just stay put? I really don't see all that many spiders where I'm living right now. I'm sure there's probably more than a few in my crawl space, but I just don't go in there if I can avoid it. And I spray the entrance regularly in the hopes of making sure whatever may be in there remains in there. Like I said before, I do see the occasional whopper crawling across my rec room carpet, but I think they come in on the dogs toys etc. And I've only rarely seen a few smaller spiders in the rest of the house, never more than one or two a year. My garden is full of them, but so long as they stay out there I can handle that. I just use a broom to knock down any webs, and keep my distance if I see a live inhabitant.

[Nebula]

You may well be right, but I doubt I'd ever have the courage to deliberately expose myself to spiders. I get the shivers even looking at photographs of them.

Merry, the type of therapy I'm talking about can take as long as is necessary. The therapist won't sit you down and plop a tarantula on your arm and say, "Get over it."

Anxiety is very real. We all experience it. Some of us experience it to a higher degree than others. Most people are able to manage it quite well. Others need help and there is no shame in seeking help.

Severe anxiety needs to be dealt with. It is life sapping. When you being avoiding situations because you fear becoming anxious in the future, the anxiety is controlling you.