Freaky big spiders

Recently I had some large spiders living in front of my house. Although that’s not too uncommon for my house they guys were beasts. About the size of quarters. And they couldn’t just be nice and live in the bushes, they stated building a web right in front of my door (I think that they were after me). At first I knocked down their webs, thinking that they would get discouraged and move, I had no such luck. The next day the webs were back, persisted little buggers. Saturday I took action. I scooped up as many as I could find (7) in a jar and took them to a wild life preserve area and set them free. At first I thought about taking them to a park, but I was worried that they might use pesticides there. My mom teased me saying I should have kept them until after Halloween, but I think that they might have eaten some of the trick or treaters. My boy friend gave me a hard time for going so out of my way to save some spiders he also said he thought they were poisonous. As far as I know the only poisonous spiders around here are brown recluse, and I don’t think that they get that big… but I could be wrong. I got me thinking, what if they had been poisonous or what if they weren’t native. I wouldn’t want to harm the local wild life, but at the same time I wouldn’t want to hurt the spiders… what would be the right thing to do?

Leg span approx the size of a quarter, here's a pic:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061.html

I think it's sweet you relocated them, I'm not sure of my reaction in a similar situation.

However, if it is the Recluse, please be careful! If they enter your house, they could get in shoes, clothing drawers etc. While not agressive, if you accidently agrivate them you could get bitten.

My neighbor had gotten bitten by one, his entire hand looked so aweful!

Good Luck!

I have some very large hairy spiders that have moved in to my bathroom. We let one stay by the bathroom sink for a couple of weeks and he was part of the family. He built his web out over the sink and it looked like he was walking on air. Every time a drop of water hit his web, he would run out to investigate. Then he decided to move to the kitchen and we kicked him out.

I wouldn't worry about the brown recluse, you will not see them unless you go looking for them. Their average size is less than 1/4 inch.

. Every time a drop of water hit his web, he would run out to investigate. Then he decided to move to the kitchen and we kicked him out.

 

Awww Michael that is so cute. "came out to investiagte".

MAdcat, I think you did the right compassionate thing. All living things just want to live, to survive. It is nice to see humans that assist in them in their struggle to survive in this speciest world by not snuffing out their lives with an arrogance very similar to that displayed by meat eaters when they kill and eat animals.

Reverence for life - is awesome! Even if it is a scary hairy spider.

On behalf of the spiders you DID NOT KILL and set free in a safe place, thanks for your compassion and mercy!!!

. Every time a drop of water hit his web, he would run out to investigate. Then he decided to move to the kitchen and we kicked him out.

 

 

Awww Michael that is so cute. "came out to investiagte".

 

As you know, my girls are 4 and 5. It was good for them to "get to know" a spider. Usually they are very afraid, but they got used to him hanging out there by the sink when they would brush their teeth or wash their hands. They always checked to see what he was up to and were concerned if he was hiding somewhere. It was a good lesson in compassion and appreciation for other species.

I have a hugely irrational but nontheless potent fear of spiders.

I have finally gotten some control over it...if they're outdoors, I simply move and let them have their space. If they're in my space indoors, I recruit someone else to help them on their way back home

I learned how to share the planet with them, I'm just not ready to share my living room

Seasiren, thanks for the link. However I am very confused. I have always been told that we have them here in Oregon, but from the map it shows them in the golf. I even remember seeing a guy on the news a few years ago who got a bite on his leg and it left a huge hole!

Any way my spiders did not look like the one in that pic, so I think its ok. That one looks long and thin, the ones I found were squatty and fat.

It doesn't show them here either, although we have them. Perhaps it is because it is not as widely spread? But the pic is supposed to be accurate. If you find another, perhaps you can upload a pic?

Maybe they look different in different regions…? Maybe? Any way look at this pic. It looks different then the other one, but it still has that dark making behind its head.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimages%26imgsz%3Dall%26vf%3Dall%26va%3Dbrown%2Brecluse%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dmy-vert-web-top%26b%3D21&h=150&w=144&imgcurl=www.2020pestcontrol.com%2Fpest_directory%2Fspiders%2Fpest_images%2Fbrown_recluse.jpg&imgurl=www.2020pestcontrol.com%2Fpest_directory%2Fspiders%2Fpest_images%2Fbrown_recluse.jpg&size=4.8kB&name=brown_recluse.jpg&rcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.2020pestcontrol.com%2Fpest_directory%2Fspiders%2Fbrown_recluse.html&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.2020pestcontrol.com%2Fpest_directory%2Fspiders%2Fbrown_recluse.html&p=brown+recluse&type=jpeg&no=27&tt=2,065&ei=UTF-8

Ok what do I do to make a word into a link?

It was a good lesson in compassion and appreciation for other species.