Spider identifier

[Clipper]

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!

Very true! A good way to do this is to move to Central America for a few months. There the guys cutting the grass on roadsides wear gum boots because of snakes; you quickly learn to shake yours shoes out to dislodge possible scorpions, you have a place to go for a few hours when army ants come to clean your house of any other insects, you learn to shake out the shower curtain and check under your pillow and sheets , empty your kitchen cupboards regularly, etc, etc,
It becomes a way of life very quickly and you'll return fearless of anything that crawls or slithers :)

[Steve-O]

Merry, don't let some of the comments here give you the wrong impression of the central okanagan. There are not poisonous spiders crawling out from every nook and cranny. If you were to live in an urban environment, I doubt you would see any more spiders than what you are seeing presently and then the chances of the those spiders being poisonous is remote.

I am close to the edge of a field/wooded area on the westside and in 5 years have seen 3 BW's in my garage, never in the house. The only reason they get in the garage is there is a hole in the weatherstripping of the roll up door. I don't think posters on this thread are trying to frighten you, but they are sharing stories and it may appear overwhelming because everyone has a story.

[Merry]

Thank you Steve; that makes me feel much better. You're right when you say I may be getting the wrong impression about how bad the spider problem is in Central Okanagan. I hope so anyway.

[SoyChai]

Merry, to put your mind at ease a bit as well....I have lived in Kelowna on and off for 15 years. In this time I have NEVER come across a black widow. Obviously they are around, and a lot of people I know have come across them but somehow I never have. As someone mentioned, black widows will leave you alone if you leave them alone, they are not an aggressive type of spider. I've seen lots of other spiders, but keeping your house clean and clutter free will cut down substantially on the frequency in which you come across them. The Okanagan is a wonderful place to live and I hope your fear of spiders doesn't keep you away :)

[hrvatica]

If you can take a picture of whatever unknown insect you're wanting to identify...

http://pestcontrolcanada.com/Questions/ ... YVQOmS9Kc0

...this site has people who try to identify them.

[Merry]

Merry, to put your mind at ease a bit as well....I have lived in Kelowna on and off for 15 years. In this time I have NEVER come across a black widow. Obviously they are around, and a lot of people I know have come across them but somehow I never have. As someone mentioned, black widows will leave you alone if you leave them alone, they are not an aggressive type of spider. I've seen lots of other spiders, but keeping your house clean and clutter free will cut down substantially on the frequency in which you come across them. The Okanagan is a wonderful place to live and I hope your fear of spiders doesn't keep you away :)

Thank you Soy Chai. It does help a bit to know that seeing black widows on a regular basis is not as common as some would have us believe. However, I note your comment about seeing lots of other kinds of spiders, and am still concerned. Because my phobia includes all spiders, not just poisonous ones.
I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I'm going to let fear influence my decision regarding a possible move. I'm going to have to give it a lot of thought before deciding. But I appreciate your positive input.

[southernfrau]

Okay, don't panic. Buy some bug spray and use it, and don't stick your hands into any space you can't see into. We get tons of Black Widows and we get rid of them. Some Wolf spiders are so big we can actually here them run across the hallway lino downstairs. Me I hate all spiders and the only good one is stuck to the bottom of my shoe. Kill them and be precautionary.

[Merry]

Are you serious? You can HEAR wolf spiders running across your basement lino????

I think I may have just made my decision!!!!!!!

[DaveC]

Some Wolf spiders are so big we can actually here them run across the hallway lino downstairs.

<spewscoffee>
Ok thats funny!

Buy some bug spray and use it, and don't stick your hands into any space you can't see into.

No and yes.

We have spiders. All kinds. I have found some really big BW's, but none have ever "threatened" me. THey live in woodpiles and rock piles, so use common sense and you'll be fine.

My wife is TERRIFIED of spiders!

All regions ahve spiders, and homes are natural places for many species. I was told by the pest control guy taht BW's don't come indoors except by mistake, and trying to kill all the spiders will actually more likely kill only the "good" ones that eat troublesome insects, so you're better off using some glue traps to keep the areas clear where you don't want to see them.

We have done that, and I very rarely am called to deal with a hyperventialting golf-ball-eyed mate clutching the ceiling fan because she was "threatened by a spider the size of a grain of rice.

(You'll probably be happier if you don't look in the glue traps...)

[Merry]

Thanks Dave, that makes me feel a lot better (not great, but better).

I must admit that once I had a chance to think about it, I found the idea of a spider being large enough to make noise walking over lino to be a little unbelievable. But I do beleive that there are some pretty big spiders in the central Okanagan that are not as common in other locations. And that's what has me worried.

I know it's foolish to feel the way I do, and I also know it's difficult for those who are not afraid to understand such a silly phobia. But I can't help it. I've felt this way for as long as I can remember, and it's got worse not better as I've grown older.

The sticky traps sound like a pretty good idea, but only if I can persuade my husband to dispose of them when necessary. Because I know for a fact I'd completely freak if I had to look at one that was full of spiders.

[hobbyguy]

I'm trying out a product called "Spider-Away" on my sailboat. The little devils make a huge mess in the rigging and it's really annoying to get a rain of spiders when raising the sail. So far it works pretty well. All repellants aren't perfect, but this one seems to help.

Might work if sprayed around doorways etc. where spiders get in. Available from big marine dealers and online chandlers.

[HadoGirl888]

Hey, I found this guy in my house twice!
I have never seen its kind before.... I do have new neighbour tenants from the uk.
I want to upload a picture but I don't see where to do it.
It is brown ish, very thick body, eyes on top of its head that actually reflect back inn a camera flash! Its legs are thick and its a heavy. It is not a common wolf sider or a recluse according to to other identification Guides I researched. Its mellow temperament, at least it was more interested in escaping that attacking the cup he is currently imprisoned in. I will take it well away from my house and let him go. It looks to me like a mix of a jumping spider and a wolf spider. Im not suggesting they bred just trying to describe it clearly. I really need to just show a picture. It is almost mini tarantula like with out the hair.
Anyway if I can send you a picture of it another way I would be interested to find out what kind this is.

[kgcayenne]

We do have a type of tarantuloid here in the Okanagan.

[Fancy]

http://www.bcmag.ca/surprising-spiders
http://www.okanaganwildlifephotography. ... iders.html

[Poindexter]

Haven't been able to identify this spider, was on the sidewalk this morning by the start of the Carrot Mountain trail.