Invading spider is invading.

October 17, 2008 2:21 PM

Spiders invading Europe. Spiders invading England. Spiders invading Pittsburgh. Spiders invading your produce section. Spiders invading other spiders.

Recently I went out in the dark to wheel the trash countainer to the curb for the robotic arm to empty the next morning when I felt a spider web cling to my side. I knew at once that it was a web I had noticed that week, spun between the bin and the pole of our basketball hoop. A large garden spider with a bulging abdomen had been waiting in the middle for insects and I guess for her eggs to ripen. I brushed the web off my clothes as best I could and finished my task and climbed back up the stairs and into the kitchen. I washed my hands and turned around to see the spider crawling accross the floor. I grabbed a towel and killed her/him/it. Then I felt sad.

Brown recluse spiders can kill and maim you. Know your poisonous US spiders.

And then there's Australia.

posted by longsleeves (53 comments total)

DO. NOT. WANT.
posted by Kimothy at 2:23 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Ginormous spider invading Space Shuttle Launch.
posted by clearly at 2:26 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

No spiders filling out tax returns on a crowded beach in Michigan?
posted by LionIndex at 2:32 PM on October 17, 2008

I think your second link was supposed to point somewhere else.

English spiders freak me out. Not because they are dangerous but because they are huge and they love to sneak inside. We've probably killed about 10 or so this month that have crept into our flat.
posted by srboisvert at 2:47 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

If you can't stand to pick them up then use a glass and some card or one of these things. No need to kill them.
posted by mandal at 2:49 PM on October 17, 2008

longsleeves hates me, I know this know.
/me joins Kimothy in the DO. NOT. WANT.
posted by luminous phenomena at 2:54 PM on October 17, 2008

BBC news did a report on

Found our recently that you see more house spiders at this time of year as it's the breeding season and they are wandering around looking for mates.

Never understood arachnophobia until I took a photo of spider a couple of weeks ago. House spiders are quite big to begin with and when you take a macro shot and blow it up on your monitor you see... those fangs... all those hairs....

Still, I didn't flinch when I picked up a bag this morning and a huge bastard ran out of it!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:54 PM on October 17, 2008

If you like spiders you'll love these buggers - It's like spiders redesigned to be more creepy!
posted by Artw at 2:57 PM on October 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

Oops, second link should be spiders invading England
posted by longsleeves at 3:01 PM on October 17, 2008

One example seen in various parts of the world was the South American "banana" spider, a rather aggressive animal with a nasty bite that hitched a ride with the fruit.

From Wikipedia:

The Brazilian wandering spiders (Phoneutria spp.), armed spiders ("aranhas armadeiras", as they are known in Portuguese) or banana spiders (not to be confused with the relatively harmless species of the genus Nephila) are a genus of aggressive and highly venomous spiders found in tropical South and Central America. These spiders are members of the Ctenidae family of wandering spiders.
posted by KokuRyu at 3:03 PM on October 17, 2008

Video of banana spider with cute English accent
posted by KokuRyu at 3:05 PM on October 17, 2008

Artw: Can you send me your address? I'm going to bill you for all the sleepless nights you're going to cost me.

In the meantime, any one know where I can buy flashlights? And a flamethrower?
posted by phyrewerx at 3:06 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

But you haven't even seen the video yet!
posted by Artw at 3:17 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

A large garden spider with a bulging abdomen had been waiting in the middle for insects and I guess for her eggs to ripen.

Ugh.

I had a run-in with one of those while power-washing the spider shit off of the vinyl siding. The soapy water would dislodge and stun the creepy fuckers, and they'd usually fall off pretty quickly. One took her sweet time though, and dropped down about an inch from my face as I was scrubbing at a particular stubborn spider turd. It looked like a walking quail egg.
posted by CKmtl at 3:19 PM on October 17, 2008

Eh, they're just a bit leggy. Sometimes fuzzy and jumpy, and maybe a bit ... bitey. But are they really that much worse than other creepy crawlies? Sure, the threat of painful death from the venemous ones is scary, but do any live near you? Could they?

The weirdest spider encounter may have been imagined, but I'm sure I actually saw a spider crossing a highway while I was driving 70mph. I was on 101 around Bradley or Camp Roberts on my way south from San Francisco, and a bit weary from hours of dull driving. But I was pretty sure I actually could recognize that it was a tarantula crossing the road, vs some vague spot of brown.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:19 PM on October 17, 2008

I would feel sad if I hadn't had to kill 3 black widows I came across in my house in the last month. If they were in an unused dark corner, I wouldn't mind, but when they decide to abseil from the ceiling of my bedroom, they are getting squished. Oddly, I wasn't too concerned for me or my wife, having known several people who have been bitten, it was fear for my fearless, lightweight pets coming across the ones I miss.
posted by Badgermann at 3:20 PM on October 17, 2008

[fixed link]
posted by jessamyn at 3:23 PM on October 17, 2008

Black Widow in grapes! Not the first time, either
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:26 PM on October 17, 2008

What's that on your collar?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:33 PM on October 17, 2008 [3 favorites]

If you arouse me, you might startle the spider!
posted by Drainage! at 3:44 PM on October 17, 2008

And also, Hey, there's a spider on your back!
posted by Drainage! at 3:48 PM on October 17, 2008

I don't know what it is about black widows that freak me out so much. Just looking at a picture of one is enough to get the fear going.

My cowardness is shameful!
posted by Burritos Inc. at 3:58 PM on October 17, 2008

Boris the Spider, stop-motion animated.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:06 PM on October 17, 2008

Why is no one marking my post as a favorite?
posted by longsleeves at 4:11 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

When I was an undergrad working in an invertebrate physiology lab, we had a "pet" black widow for a while that had arrived at a supermarket with a shipment of grapes.
posted by sevenyearlurk at 4:36 PM on October 17, 2008

THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION!
posted by smoothvirus at 4:39 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Spider myths.

Spiders invading Europe. Spiders invading England. Spiders invading Pittsburgh.

You should really be worried about a lot of other things before spiders.

Spiders invading your produce section.

Yeah, since we ship food and other goods every day from one end of the planet to the other, this kind of thing happens sometimes. It happens far less often than it used to before imported tropical fruits were fumigated though.

Spiders invading other spiders.

Yeah. Biology's wicked cool like that.

Brown recluse spiders can kill and maim you.

Bullshit. Absolute, complete, bullshit. Please stop spreading this misconception.

I grabbed a towel and killed her/him/it.

That is sad.

And then there's Australia.

Aww. I used to feed all those species. *nostalgia*
posted by Tehanu at 4:50 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

*raises hand*
Yes, I have a question:
Um, will someone please GET THESE SPIDERS OFF ME!! AAAAGGHH!

*flails wildly scratching body*

(always wanted to do this in school)


“I would feel sad if I hadn't had to kill 3 black widows I came across in my house in the last month.”

Yeah, I’ve had a nice ‘let’s leave each other alone’ relationship with spiders for a while since they eat other bugs. Lately I’ve just been killing them left and right, too much.
posted by Smedleyman at 5:04 PM on October 17, 2008

Well if the invasion gets to be too much of a problem, they could always try putting the spiders on drugs
posted by weathergal at 5:07 PM on October 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

"Scientists have just identified a spider found in a punnet of red grapes from a supermarket last week as a false black widow spider — just as dangerous as the real black widow. "

Despite being about spiders, the links in this this thread were worthfollowing for the word punnet. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Punnet
Pun"net\, n. [Cf. Ir. buinne a shoot, branch.] A broad, shallow basket, for displaying fruit or flowers.
posted by Cranberry at 5:11 PM on October 17, 2008

My parents owned greenhouses when I was growing up and I would get paid a few pennies for every spider I brought in. I love the little guys. I give them names. For example, there is a little spider named "Tairy Green Junior" in the apartment here. Anything that eats the bugs that spread disease are welcome roomies!

Note: I know this would not be the case in locales with dangerous spiders. We have the odd Black Widow, but they're few and far between around here.
posted by Salmonberry at 5:17 PM on October 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

I had a close brush with a black widow a couple weekends ago, I grabbed a packet of pool chemicals from under my patio table and dropped it like a hot rock when I saw the big black spider clinging to the other side. Normally I'm a "catch and release" type of guy with bugs, but I grabbed the Raid and zapped that sucker good. Found one of her friends underneath one of the patio chairs guarding an egg sac. Sent them to the great beyond too, I was NOT about to share my living space with thousands of poisonous spider babies.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I live in Arizona where it's said that "everything that doesn't sting, bite, or poke you...is a rock."
posted by TungstenChef at 5:26 PM on October 17, 2008

Bullshit. Absolute, complete, bullshit. Please stop spreading this misconception.

Um. One of the links you point to says:

The bite of the brown recluse spider can result in a painful, deep wound that takes a long time to heal. Fatalities are extremely rare, but bites are most dangerous to young children, the elderly, and those in poor physical condition. When there is a severe reaction to the bite, the site can erupt into a "volcano lesion" (a hole in the flesh due to damaged, gangrenous tissue). The open wound may range from the size of an adult's thumbnail to the span of a hand. The dead tissue gradually sloughs away, exposing underlying tissues. The sunken, ulcerating sore may heal slowly up to 6 to 8 weeks. Full recovery may take several months and scarring may remain.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:15 PM on October 17, 2008

I like the word "spider". I like the way it sounds. However, I don't like, you know, actual spiders. It's the multiple legs whizzing them around in a seemingly un-choreographed fashion that squicks me right out. And the multiple eyes. And the scary-looking pincer teeth. Yes, I've been to the Outback, plus that Time-Life nature book I read in the 70s didn't help with its creepy-ass CU of a tarantula's face. It took up an entire page! And Charlotte's Web did nothing to mitigate the creepiness. Were I to see that "spiders invading spiders" business, I'd have me some nightmares for weeks.


I also like the word "babies". Mind, just the word.

"Spider Babies"! Ha - band name!
posted by droplet at 6:56 PM on October 17, 2008

I like spiders and am distraught that someone might want to kill them.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:26 PM on October 17, 2008

KILL KILL - stomp stomp - DO NOT WANT...

Sorry... They bug the heck outta me, but fascinate me at the same time.
posted by jkaczor at 8:37 PM on October 17, 2008

The bite of the brown recluse spider can result in a painful, deep wound that takes a long time to heal. Fatalities are extremely rare, but bites are most dangerous to young children, the elderly, and those in poor physical condition. When there is a severe reaction to the bite

Key words can, extremely rare, and severe reaction. So yes, it CAN kill you. It is not anatomically equipped to maul anyone, since it lacks teeth. And even if you were bitten and did have the worst possible reaction to the venom (IF a spider is a brown recluse and IF it bites you using venom), bacterial infection is the thing to be most concerned about. The one or two documented deaths seemed to be more from secondary infections and other complicated factors than the venom itself. The actual danger to an average person in typical circumstances is blown enormously out of proportion. If these bites were anything as advertised, we'd have all kinds of documentation that we don't have now, instead of a whole lot of unconfirmed anecdotes and misdiagnosed MRSA. Seriously, I can't overstate this: there is far more myth here than reality. It's not that it's impossible, but it;s certainly not the harbinger of necrosis and death it's rumored to be. You're far more likely to be killed by a bee or a dog.
posted by Tehanu at 8:38 PM on October 17, 2008

Droplet, I don't mean to startle you, but, well, I think most Mefites have multiple eyes.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 9:14 PM on October 17, 2008

You're far more likely to be killed by a bee or a dog.

Or a dog dressed as a bee.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:18 PM on October 17, 2008

o_O_O_o
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 9:37 PM on October 17, 2008 [2 favorites]

I found this guy which thanks to ask.mefi was revealed to be a Calisoga spider and is now famous
posted by zeoslap at 10:42 PM on October 17, 2008

In LA, it was the black widow that fell out of my TV Guide. In South Africa, it was the tailless whip spider I found in the house. The former I killed, of course. The latter, once identified, was turned loose. The former looked small and harmless...except for that dang hour glass thing. The latter was, as you saw from Artw's link, hideous and frightening (all the more so since it was near my feet, on the floor of my house!). It was also the largest spider I ever saw in the wild.

I don't exactly 'dislike' spiders. I am a bit arachnophobic. I used to kill any spider I saw in my house. I've learned to try to leave them alone, but sometimes, I tell them to get out. If they don't leave, I kill them. These would typically be the ones in my bedroom. But if they dare to come spinning down near my face, sorry, they are gonna die, quickly.
posted by Goofyy at 12:44 AM on October 18, 2008

Salutations.
posted by pracowity at 12:56 AM on October 18, 2008 [1 favorite]

I've had a wolf spider sit on my chest and a black widow bite my leg, so this video has me running screaming from the computAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
posted by WolfDaddy at 6:06 AM on October 18, 2008

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
posted by WolfDaddy at 6:07 AM on October 18, 2008

THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION!

I remember watching that late on television. It was bad, real bad. I seem remember reading they made the really big boy by sticking some legs and fur to a VW bug.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:28 AM on October 18, 2008

Spiders invading other spiders.

I once picked up a tiny spider from a gravel parking lot and looked at it in an electron microscope. One of it's leg joints was infested with what looked like super-tiny spiders, but they could have been some kind of mite.
posted by StickyCarpet at 6:29 AM on October 18, 2008

Why is no one marking my post as a favorite?
posted by longsleeves at 4:11 PM on October 17 [1 favorite +] [!]

It doesn't matter, longsleeves. Favorites come and go - they depend on the whims of a tiny population of users. What really matters is whether or not your post will ultimately become available to the billions of users throughout the planet. This in turn depends on... spiders.

Google has a spider.

Let the spider invade your web. Welcome the spider into your heart. Embrace the spider and the spider may embrace you.
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:14 AM on October 18, 2008

Hey, thanks Metafilter! I hadn't completely recovered from yesterday's dark reckoning with my mortality, so I'm really looking forward to dedicating today to trying to identify the members of the spider population in our 100-year-old house.

If you need me, I'll be in the basement pulling wisps of web off the nape of my neck, looking for brown recluse spiders and wondering why it is that everyone has to die.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!
posted by A Terrible Llama at 8:08 AM on October 18, 2008

So I was walking down one of the little streets in my neighborhood the other day. The narrow alleys are not paved, and there is always a fair amount of garbage mixed in with the dirt and sand, so flies are pretty common. I've breathed them in a few times, which results in a few minutes of coughing and choking. But a few weeks ago one just kept landing on and around my ear, no matter how many times I brushed it away. And then it went right inside, I suppose to escape my attempts to shoo it.

Well, needless to say I was a little freaked out. I could feel it moving somewhere just above my hinge of my jaw. I shook my head and brushed at my ear, and it stopped. I supposed it had flown away (or so I tried to tell myself) and walked on.

Well, about ten minutes later, I felt it again, and could clearly feel it emerging from my ear. Afraid of making it fly back inside, instead of brushing it away, I turned and asked my girlfriend to shoo it off. (since she would be able to see it, unlike me. When she tuned to look, she screamed.

It was not a fly. It was a spider about an inch across, with hairy black legs and a large red body.
posted by Nothing at 9:04 AM on October 18, 2008

Spider: He is our hero!
posted by not_on_display at 11:00 AM on October 18, 2008

I also like the word "babies". Mind, just the word.

"Spider Babies"


Remember the spider that lived outside your window? Orange body, green legs. Watched her build a web all summer, then one day there's a big egg in it. The egg hatched...

Rachael: The egg hatched...

Deckard: Yeah...

Rachael: ...and a hundred baby spiders came out... and they ate her.
posted by The Whelk at 12:27 PM on October 19, 2008 [1 favorite]

And now they all live in nothing's brain.
posted by Artw at 7:52 PM on October 19, 2008