How are you coping with spider season?
I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of spiders. I just don’t like sharing my bed with one. Or ten, which is about how many I’ve seen prancing around the house in the past 24 hours.
Last night I was curled up under the covers, just getting into my crisp new copy of Julie and Julia. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black object race across our cream coloured carpet, quickly disappearing under the chest of drawers.
Surely that’s not a spider. It’s too big. OMG, it IS a spider. A huge black one with a fat hairy body the size of a 10P coin. My mind sped along — did it spend its childhood in my room? How long does it take for a spider to get to that size? Are there (gasp) more of them?! I could just see a family of chunky spiders in the closet, deciding if their nightly entertainment should be duvet crawling or ceiling acrobatics…
Initially I stayed still in bed, planning my next move and waiting for the spider to emerge, the copy of Julie and Julia stuck on page 12.
Then I ran downstairs and rummaged through the utility cupboard. There must be some somewhere. No, no, that’s not it. What is this doing here (tub of Pringles). Oh, that’s where the sun cream is. This will have to do. I pulled out a rusty can of wasp and fly killer.
I went back upstairs and sprayed the space under the dresser, the oddly pleasant smell of soapy chemicals filling the room. My nemesis came out gasping for air and I followed him down the hall, with my finger firmly pressed on the nozzle, directing a steady stream of white foam. Soon he looked like a flocked Christmas tree. Surely he would keel over any minute. But no, the damn thing kept moving!
Hubby commented that the bug spray was doing more harm than the little spider. Then he said I am teaching the girls to be unnecessarily afraid of them. I just flashed him a fake smile and asked him to get rid of it. Please.
We had to sleep with the windows open.
While we slept the spider contacted his extended family and they launched an all-out attack on the crazy woman with the out-of-date bug killer. This morning I found little wispy web strings connecting my laptop to the desk in an obvious attempt to make my most valued possession unusable. When that didn’t work, they tried scare tactics and another whopper charged me at full speed. After nearly spilling my coffee, I beat it with the only thing I could think of, my lambskin slippers. I am leaving it in situ until hubby comes home.
Anyone else enjoying spider season?
Tracy (@muminmeltdown) | 13th Oct 13
Spiders are my worst nightmare!!! I mean it they totally freak me out- and yes they are getting huge!!! Now there is talk of these false widows that bite working their way across the country- I’m itching at the thought!! The conker thing mentioned above does work though 🙂
naomi mackay | 13th Oct 13
Put a conker in the corner of each room and on window sills – it is supposed to keep them away!
Donna@MummyCentral | 12th Oct 13
I live in Scotland. I’ve just read this and fainted http://www.express.co.uk/scotland/435607/Venomous-spider-creeps-north-of-the-Border
vanessa jane holburn (@vanessaSH) | 12th Oct 13
I have one child who hates them and another that loves every living creature however vile & creepy it is. I was reading to my youngest the other night when one crept up on us. I utterly freaked but had to tackle it knowing a) hubby was away and b) spider-phobe would not go to bed until it was visibly removed from her room (no cutting into mummy time please). Eventually myself and the spider-lover got it inside a plastic bag with a coat hanger & took it into the garden. The kids went to bed & I had a large gin.
PollyBurns2 | 1st Nov 11
We live in a rural area and have one almost every night around here sometimes. They are huge. If my son is awake he puts them out for me. He isn’t allowed to go to bed until my husband gets home, which is when he takes over spider evictions. Lovely post – wonder why I’m itching now?
Carolinlin | 17th Oct 11
I quite like spiders. I once made the mistake of calling my friends into the bathroom to see something ‘cool’…but apparently the huge spider residing in the bath was not ‘cool’ after all!
Marie | 16th Oct 11
I have to say that I have really been appreciative of having lots of spiders in my home. Why? Because my diet is mostly fruit and I get a LOT of fruit flies..so have found spiders to be a blessing as they have helped cut down the numbers for me 🙂
Heather | 1st Oct 11
I hate spiders too and had a very similar experience to you last night – huge spider caught corner of my eye while reading book in bed!! Woke hubby up and insisted he deal with it (I’m sooo brave!!). They seem to be getting bigger and bigger every year.
Sherry Anderson | 19th Sep 11
Jeeez spiders totally disgust me but hey, it’s not too bad … I’ve found a good way to deal with them–just let them be unless they try to crawl over me. That’s when the gloves come off.
Your husband did have kind of a point though.
lulucampbell11@gmail.com | 14th Sep 11
My whole house appears to have turned into a web – am pretending I’m just really organised for Halloween Lx
Jody Brettkelly | 13th Sep 11
That’s a lot of spiders. Funnily enough I don’t mind spiders or snakes at all …or bugs of any kind. Its mice and rats that i can barely even think about. In fact I did a post about how much weight I lost when my kids spotted two mice in the pantry. (Put me right off my tucker….Skinny Minnie Mouse Diet, also in Huffpost Uk today)
Suzanne | 11th Sep 11
Funny you should mention it, I have recently noticed several in the bathroom. I favour the glass and card slid underneath technique to trap them and then put them outside.I used to be so frightened of spiders but this childrens video made me re-evaluate!
Stevie | 31st Aug 11
You all need to buy a spider catcher. It is great, really easy to grab the big ones and chuck them out. They are about a tenner, search on amazon for it, the one with bristles on the end. The tiny baby ones are the ones I hate the most, spent the whole evening hunting the bedroom for them all over the curtains with a hoover.
Jordan Jumpman | 3rd Jun 10
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Jordan Jumpman | 3rd Jun 10
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Snafflesmummy | 8th Oct 09
i think i swallowed one in my sleep! i woke up coughing and cpluttering with something tickling the back of my throat!
A Modern Mother | 8th Sep 09
Fanciful – I don’t know your hubby but I can just picture the scene!
Fanciful Alice | 8th Sep 09
This is hilarious … Just the other night I was sat in bed reading when a spider – very boldly – just strolled on up to my hand and peeked at my book as if to say “what ya readin lady?” I nearly died.
But that is nothing compared to the HUGE one that was literally crawling on my face as I put the curtains up a few weeks back. My husband offered no support and instead, upon seeing it, screamed louder than me “OH MY GOD – THAT’S ****** HUGE!” Nothing like a bit of trying to make me feel better then 😉
I don’t hate spiders, I just don’t want them nesting in my hair – but we are slowly starting to come to a kind of peaceful living arrangement.
A Modern Mother | 8th Sep 09
Woman who can — good use for trainers
Sarah – yuk!
Emma-yikes!
Rebel – you said it!
Liz – I think I’m out of luck!
Liz | 7th Sep 09
I’ve heard that killing spiders brings bad luck too – maybe it’s just one of those great lies to tell small kids?
I have to do all the spider fighting in our house, Sinbad the Sailor style. I find the glass/piece of paper approach works best (I use it for bees and wasps, too).
I think that new spider is supposed to be in Cornwall and other coastal areas…
Rebel Mother | 7th Sep 09
Your spider looks quite friendly – I have some big, scary bugs at home that scurry along the carpet at an alarming rate. Hoover time!
RMxx
Emma | 7th Sep 09
Im not coping at all!!
Last night in bed , the other half pointed out a tiny spider on the ceiling.. I freaked out!!
Refuse to go to sleep or let him sleep unless he got rid of it!!!
sarah collister | 6th Sep 09
Oh my goodness, just seen the previous comment and it has reminded me about my little one! He is 8 months old, and the other day I walked in to the living room to see him having a staring contest with a huge spider (obviously related the the other tarantulas that some of you have at your houses!). I was completely freaked out, but my boy then went to grab the spider – I can only assume it was going to be put in his mouth like everything else he grabs! I screamed at him so loudly that the spider dashed off under the sofa and my little one started to cry. Oh well, as long as he wasn’t eating a spider!!!
Woman Who Can | 5th Sep 09
I found one on my bath towel 2 years ago, but only noticed when I started drying myself. The horror never leaves you, so now I wreak my revenge by hitting them with my trainers
Jo Beaufoix | 4th Sep 09
I’m coping, but I don’t like it. It’s funny, Rosie (Scribble) and I were discussing this very thing earlier. They are everywhere, and I don’t care if it’s a sign of a healthy atmosphere, I don’t want them in my house. And now I’m a single mum I have to be the brave one. Tsk. Now I need to check all the corners of the room before I go to bed. Yuck. 😀
Rosie Scribble | 4th Sep 09
I am not coping with the spider season AT ALL. In facy I’m HATING IT and I want to move house because they seem to be everywhere. I want to live a modern house not an old one which seems to have holes everywhere for spiders to live in, although by the sound of your comments everyone is suffering. I’ve even left all the plug holes in so no can climb through, but there was still a huge one on the bath last night.
And we have a wasp’s nest in our roof!!!!
A Modern Mother | 4th Sep 09
Miss S — I’m with you there!
Ju — yikes, they bite too?
Tree– yup, don’t cross me 😉
A Modern Mother | 4th Sep 09
Liz — Uggh!
Treemama | 3rd Sep 09
thanking God they don’t bother me because it does seem to be spiderfest here this year, everybody keeps talking about how much more their are.
the funny thing was as I read this post, Emily yelled from the backyard, Mommy, come here there’s a spider on the trampoline!
Remind me never to cross you!
Ju | 3rd Sep 09
My husband just informed you that his mate showed him two spider bites on his hand. The spider was in his bed. He lives in Surrey, but WTF? English spiders bite? I’m already petrified of the 8 legs buggers but now Ive been walking around with a brumstick just in case. They usually go by winter.
MissSearles | 3rd Sep 09
There are spiders everywhere in our house at the moment and I hate it (so much so that my dislike of spiders ahs been a topic for my fiance to blog about…he thinks it hilarious!)
We’re decorating one of our rooms at the moment and a massive one ran out from under a pile of wallpaper towards me so i refused to go back into the room until evey inch of the floor was free from wallpaper just so i could check there were no more!
Liz | 3rd Sep 09
I hate spiders too, more because Kian (my 20month old) has taken a liking to finding and eating them!
Argh! Wasps are the devil for me at the moment though, swatter and spray at the ready!”
A Modern Mother | 3rd Sep 09
Pippa — LOL!
Olina — and ants!
Olina | 2nd Sep 09
No spiders here in California, but Houdini moths in the kitchen cabinets!
Pippa | 2nd Sep 09
One of my cousins posted a FB status update asking her husband to come home to rescue her from a spider.
One of my other cousins who moved to Australia when he was ‘ickle commented she should be pleased it wasn’t an Aussie Spider…
Spiders don’t seem that bad here right now do they!
A Modern Mother | 2nd Sep 09
Tammy– yes, the Dyson is out!
Marilyn — not soon enough
Too — yes, that is one of many uses for hubbies
Kaissa — LOL!
Amy — yes they do
Antonella — Uh, oh, I’m in trouble then
Antonella | 2nd Sep 09
I’m not fond of spiders but I hate killing them. Someone told me that killing spiders brings bad luck (probably my enthomologist friend who loves them!!!). I suppose it depends on their size after all. But I hate wasps and stinkbugs more. Hope the spider population in your area will decrease soon. All the best. Ciao. A.
amy | 2nd Sep 09
lol! I’m not a big fab of spiders but i will squish one if it comes near to my babies, and don’t those buggers move fast!!
Kassia | 2nd Sep 09
Yes, we’re also under attack. I put a glass over the top of them so they can’t escape and then leave them for my husband to deal with.
Even if it means I have to step over the glas in the door way from 9:45am to 6:30pm as I did last Friday.
TooManyHats | 2nd Sep 09
First of all, isn’t that why we have husbands, to get rid of things like that?! Tell yours he needs to step it up. We seem to have a population growth of something every year. One year it was black widows another cricket. You don’t want to know what it is this year. And of course when there is a population explosion outside, some seem to creep in the house.
Marilyn @Naturalmat | 2nd Sep 09
I have noticed a few recently as well but had never heard of SPIDER SEASON?!
When does it end???
Tammy | 2nd Sep 09
I do have to say that as much as I miss England, I am NOT missing the ginormous spiders!!! Of course, as soon as I write this one will make his appearance:)
My solution~~~if hubby is not home~~~is the vacuum. I figure if they stay outside where they belong I do not bother them, but if they venture into MY territory, it’s fair game!!!!
Good luck!
Tammy
A Modern Mother | 2nd Sep 09
Met — I shudder to think…
Metropolitan Mum | 2nd Sep 09
I hate hate hate spiders, and yes, I believe too that there is an abnormal species developing on the British island. One of those you described in your post once crawled over my face (!). It woke me and was staring at me, sitting on my pillow. I killed it with the duvet. HA!
A Modern Mother | 2nd Sep 09
Brit –Maybe I should get a dog, or even better, a snake
Texas Girl — a vacuum cleaner is a good idea — nice to see you here
Jane — I couldn’t get passed it either!
Jane | 2nd Sep 09
I couldn’t get past the 3rd para of your post – so I guess that means I AM afraid of spiders!! LOL
texasgal | 2nd Sep 09
I don’t like the affront the webs are to my very (cough, cough) pristine housekeeping. I like keeping them in my vacuum cleaner. A little less humane than the glass and card method. Hopefully more effective at preventing the eggs from hatching.
The UK may not be as big into Halloween as the US, but by October the cobwebs provide authentic decorating for the season.
Brit in Bosnia | 2nd Sep 09
The dog chases them here. Lots of barking and jumping up and down on the spot whereupon everyone gets down to try and see the spider. I don’t mind them so much, but would prefer that they weren’t around…
A Modern Mother | 2nd Sep 09
Loraine — tarrantula is a great description!
Kitchy — glad it’s not just me.
Very Bored — mosquitoes are just as bad, buzzing around by your ear all night…
Jenny — hopefully not black widows snuck into our luggage on the way back frpom California… but you never know
Cartside — I do think the spiders in the UK are abnormally large…
Potty — willyou be living in a basement in Russia?
Mwa — maybe I should keep a glass by my bed…
Mwa | 2nd Sep 09
I used to be really scared of them, but then I learned to put them under a glass and slide a card under, then take them outside. It helped a lot. I think it’s what they do in desensitisation therapy.
Potty Mummy | 2nd Sep 09
It’s Autumn, always spider-fest time. I’m not keen and have worked hard to hide my natural fear of them, but even so Boy #2 is showing worrying signs of panic every time he sees a web. Which, living in a basement, happens a fair bit!
cartside | 2nd Sep 09
We always have a massive spider under the fridge who comes out occasionally at night time.
We always catch it and set it free outside. I shouldn’t say we, I’m petrified so hubby does it.
And there’s always another one the same size not so long after. Maybe I should tag it to see if it’s the same one?
Are these big spiders native to the UK only? I’ve never seen one that size either in Germany or Spain.
Jennie | 2nd Sep 09
I’m trying not to think about the inevitable pick up in numbers of spiders in my house. However, eldest son has just been watching a programme about the 60 deadliest creatures and came to tell me AT LENGTH about blak widow spiders. Lovely. My skin is crawling!!
Very Bored Housewife | 2nd Sep 09
Saw a few whilst back in the UK recently, have to say though we don’t get those big horrible bugger over here in Spain, and I’d rather have to deal with mosquitoes then spiders. *shudders*.
Kitschy Coo | 2nd Sep 09
We’re also under attack. The night before last one ran across the printer and disappeared and yesterday I had to surreptitiously kill a big one running full pelt towards the toilet while the boy was having a poo. Fun and games.
lorraine | 2nd Sep 09
I am absolutely petrified of spiders and have so far had to deal with 4 of them, all of course the size of giant tarantulas…when I told my hubby who is away at he moment that I feared one of them might eat our toddler, he just laughed at me….bloody men!!!