Thread about spiders (not for the arachnophobic!)

[geminisnake]

Pleasing lack of pics of monstrous angry arachnids on this thread so far! More stories of nice lady spiders killing nasty wasps please, but keep the pics behind spoilers, ta

We had a spider who was resident in the bathroom for a while some years ago. It caught and presumably ate a wasp, but it kinda morphed after that which was very weird. Can't remember what became of it. Possibly got put outside if it got too big and decided to unweb the window.

I quite like spiders until they get beyond a certain size then they get put out I'm afraid.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

yay she came out - here is my rubbish long distance pic of my spider

View attachment 39687

theres no idea of scale there so Id say her body is around the size of a marrowfat pea/5p ish

legs are browny/red and there is a bit of a paler pattern on the abdomen i reckon shes a false widow

She's lovely - and you can see why they're called false widows as she looks so dark, almost completely black from the picture.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

No, no - trust me, spider-haters will particularly hate that fella (not that I'm one though ).

There's only one word I can say to spider haters who don't like it - 'tough'.

 

[Callie]

She's lovely - and you can see why they're called false widows as she looks so dark, almost completely black from the picture.

its a black and white pic lol

i could try and get a colour one but i think the definition is better in b&w

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Oops! : facepalm :

 

[Epona]

yay she came out - here is my rubbish long distance pic of my spider

theres no idea of scale there so Id say her body is around the size of a marrowfat pea/5p ish

legs are browny/red and there is a bit of a paler pattern on the abdomen i reckon shes a false widow

I agree, she looks like a false widow, size is about right, shape is about right, shininess is about right, and they usually have some paler markings on the abdomen. I haven't yet seen one IRL mind you, so just going off other photos and descriptions. They have the nastiest bite of any spider found in the UK, so treat her with respect. As I said earlier, they are unlikely to bite unless frightened/defending themselves, so they aren't much of a threat - I would be careful if sticking my hands into a toolbox or somewhere similarly dark where one might be hiding though, I have no desire to experience pain

 

[Epona]

My spider's not daft - tonight a wasp got caught in her web - usually if something gets in her web at night she will rush right over and bite it there and then (saw her eagerly pounce on a moth earlier tonight), but when the wasp got caught she just left it thrashing around until it exhausted itself, then when the thrashing had died down she crept over to assess the situation. Then she bit the exhausted wasp and started wrapping it up

She's absolutely flipping massive for her species at this point, body length of around 17-18mm, she seems to get a bit bigger every day, she picked a really good place for food!

She's just gone off to bed, tucked up in the corner of the window and barely visible. I'd have had photos by now if she was ever out in daylight.

I'm really enjoying this - I often bemoan the fact that I've not had a garden since living in London, but that doesn't mean that there's no opportunity to see some wildlife, and I'm making the most of this.

 

[Cid]

Early dawn is usually a good time for spider/insect pics.

 

[Mumbles274]

Just watched a False Widow put an end to a Bumble Bee in my kitchen


Video to follow. The spider has since carried the bee from the bottom to the top of the window to the core of it's web... awesome spectacle

 

[Callie]

in the kitchen. Im glad mine are semi outside. I am mildly concerned because I reckon if theres one there must be more and Im a leeeetle bit worried that obviously increases the risk of being bitten.

That said Ive lived for 32 years and to my knowledge have never been nipped by a spider so hopefully it wont happen.

I should probably mention that Im not the biggest fan of spiders but I am trying to learn a bit more about them and have a but more respect around them...rather than wanting to squish them on sight. I think its working - these days I can trap bigguns roaming around in glasses and release them without harming them, me or the glass

 

[Mumbles274]

 

[Callie]

i wouldnt fancy being that bee!

 

[moose]

What I like to fondly think of as my Annual Spider has arrived again - always in the bathroom round the bank holiday weekend, and massive. Could it possibly be the same one over a few years? No idea how long they live.

 

[bi0boy]

It's a right sod trying to clean the grimy corners of a workshop when you like spiders.

Try it when you have severe phobia of them.

 

[Cid]

Try it when you have severe phobia of them.

Ha! I'd be less worried about the ones in the corner at broom's length than the occasional drop spider.

 

[Epona]

Just watched a False Widow put an end to a Bumble Bee in my kitchenView attachment 39747


Video to follow. The spider has since carried the bee from the bottom to the top of the window to the core of it's web... awesome spectacle

That's absolutely awesome! I'm a bit concerned about my spider, she's eagerly eating some stuff that's been caught in her web, but she's not diligently reeling everything in and repairing her web every night like she has been all summer up until the last couple of nights, and it's starting to look a bit tatty. I imagine she's laid egg sacs up in the corner that I can't see and is feeling depleted

in the kitchen. Im glad mine are semi outside. I am mildly concerned because I reckon if theres one there must be more and Im a leeeetle bit worried that obviously increases the risk of being bitten.

That said Ive lived for 32 years and to my knowledge have never been nipped by a spider so hopefully it wont happen.

I should probably mention that Im not the biggest fan of spiders but I am trying to learn a bit more about them and have a but more respect around them...rather than wanting to squish them on sight. I think its working - these days I can trap bigguns roaming around in glasses and release them without harming them, me or the glass

Honestly, I have the worst bug phobia and that is one of the reasons I started to read up about spiders (and make them my latest obsession!) - they were the ones I've never been hugely freaked out by, and now I've got to know them better I'm not so freaked out by other invertebrates.

I wouldn't want to be bitten by any spider mind you, none of the species we have living in the wild here are hugely venomous (or at least only to flies!), but it still hurts and usually causes some inflammation. I think if you'd got bitten by any spider you'd know it for a few hours - like getting stung by a bee or bitten by a horsefly though, nothing more dangerous than that. And most of them will not bite unless poked, so the likelihood of getting bitten is tiny.

Yesterday I identified a woodlouse spider in my bathroom. I have seen a couple of woodlice in there, so hopefully it's eating them all

 

[farmerbarleymow]

<snip>
Yesterday I identified a woodlouse spider in my bathroom. I have seen a couple of woodlice in there, so hopefully it's eating them all

I'd love a woodlice spider, but sadly I don't have any woodlice in my flat (that I know of). I'd like a beetle spider instead (there surely must be one somewhere), as loads of the buggers live in the soil around the flats, and sometimes invade. I just pick them up and fling them out the window - having such a tough exoskeleton means they shouldn't come to any harm landing on the ground.

And Mumbles274 - that video is great! Pity the poor bee, with its wings sounding its death throes. Pity it didn't get trapped though, as we are losing enough of them as it is.

 

[Mumbles274]

Yes, I must say for a moment I considered rescuing the bee, then I got my camera instead and filmed it. The natural predation of one animal over another is no factor in the loss of our bumble bees sadly

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Yes, I must say for a moment I considered rescuing the bee, then I got my camera instead and filmed it. The natural predation of one animal over another is no factor in the loss of our bumble bees sadly

True - there isn't much to be gained by intervening in the natural cycle like this, as it won't make much difference compared to the impact on bee populations through the neonicotinoids that seem to be severely affected the bees.

(((poor bees)))

 

[Epona]

True - there isn't much to be gained by intervening in the natural cycle like this, as it won't make much difference compared to the impact on bee populations through the neonicotinoids that seem to be severely affected the bees.

(((poor bees)))

That and the varroa mite - the poor sods are having a hard time of it, getting eaten by a spider is the least of their worries, and it's not spiders that are damaging their numbers.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I know - but they put some new hives in some buildings here in Manchester recently, and hopefully that will help, albeit in a tiny way. I don't know about how far honey bees normally forage for food, but being right in the centre of Greater Manchester might mean they don't get exposed to these agri-chemicals, given that farmland will be quite far out. Even in the agricultural edge regions of the conurbation it is mainly livestock farming - so I guess such farms don't have a need to use insecticides.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-23852162

 

[Epona]

Best thing about the woodlouse spider is that it actively hunts rather than using a web, not sure I'd appreciate a web across my bathroom when I stumble in there in the small hours of the morning to use the loo! I see it scurry along the skirtingboards and dart under the bath in search of prey. It's tiny compared to the mahoozive goliath of a bridge spider that is doing its thing outside my kitchen window - one problem with trying to ID stuff online is that very few photos give a proper indication of scale!

It's really quite amazing just how much wildlife is doing stuff 3 floors off the ground in a mostly paved and concrete housing estate

 

[farmerbarleymow]

It's really quite amazing just how much wildlife is doing stuff 3 floors off the ground in a mostly paved and concrete housing estate

It will have always been there, but moves aside temporarily while us pesky humans build out buildings, and then swiftly recolonises their territory. They must like us, as we are always creating new habitats for them - towns and cities are swarming in beasties, all living off our structures and our waste.

Like these cockroaches making use of our bathroom facilities:

Or one of these science museum exhibits showing how they happily occupy our kitchens:

 

[Epona]

^ see I can look at that without weeing myself now, since I've been educating myself about other invertebrates

Wouldn't want cockroaches in my flat though, would have to consider getting a big lizard or something that likes to eat them!

 

[farmerbarleymow]

^ see I can look at that without weeing myself now, since I've been educating myself about other invertebrates

Wouldn't want cockroaches in my flat though, would have to consider getting a big lizard or something that likes to eat them!

Glad to see your education into the wonderful world of beasties has paid off. This is the key I think - learning about them and how they live takes the fear away. They are only trying to survive just like us, and only live in a different way.

Cockroaches don't bother me at all - but I've not actually seen one in many years so must have been lucky in the places I've lived (or they've been particularly good at hiding). I certainly wouldn't welcome having them indoors, given how dirty they are and how they can spread disease. Not to mention their faeces that can cause medical problems if I recall correctly.

ETA - apparently they only rarely carry disease, according to this page (aimed at kids, but by the American Natural History Museum):

http://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/you...ning-essays/the-feared-the-pest-the-cockroach

 

[Epona]

Cockroaches don't bother me at all - but I've not actually seen one in many years so must have been lucky in the places I've lived (or they've been particularly good at hiding). I certainly wouldn't welcome having them indoors, given how dirty they are and how they can spread disease. Not to mention their faeces that can cause medical problems if I recall correctly.

They also leave a strong musty smell (I have an extremely good sense of smell) - it's not that I have anything against them existing, just that I don't want them wandering in and out of my cupboards amongst my food and my pots and pans if that makes any sense! I think I'd find it difficult to live anywhere with a cockroach infestation. I hate mouse infestations too and I've had a few of those (which is why I now have cats, everywhere in London I have lived has been overrun with mice), I think mice are quite cute in other circumstances, certainly the little harvest mice that my parents get in their sheds are no bother, but I don't want mice amongst my food and my pots and pans either!

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Mice are little bastards to have in a house - I know exactly what you mean. One house where the whole terrace was infested with the buggers was a nightmare.

Every time we got back from work we'd find droppings on the kitchen worktops, and had to thoroughly clean every single day given that mice also wee everywhere. They could also levitate - as they could get into the wall cupboards with no obvious means of climbing up into, and chew the food packets we deliberately put there for safe storage. And if you went in the kitchen in the evening and switch the light on, a suddenly blur of mice as they scattered.

 

[Epona]

^ It's also a major difference (at least in my experience) between living somewhere rural and somewhere urban. Rural places, you often see mice and rats in outbuildings, or scurrying around outside - seeing them indoors is a real oddity and a one-off thing because if they've got in, it's usually by accident. Urban areas, it's almost universally a problem, because our homes and communal/block bins provide the best source of food for urban rodents. There are probably more mice living within 100m of my parents' house than there are around mine, but they never bother going in because they aren't dependent on human activity for food and the pickings outside are plentiful.

 

[Epona]

Spider Update

Early this morning there was a male on her web (typically for spiders, he was a lot smaller than her). I don't know much about spider reproduction, but he was jigging back and forth and rhythmically twanging strands at the edge of the web with one set of his legs and occasionally waving the front pair up in the air, presumably to signal (in all ways possible, I imagine they release pheremones too?) that he was a male of her own species and not a tasty snack. She was busy rebuilding her web after a night of gathering prey that had been caught, and was ignoring him. I watched her build her web for a while, she was doing the spiral strands and it was fascinating watching her stick them into place with her rear-most pair of legs.

Unfortunately I hadn't slept well so was very tired so went back to bed for a bit, when I got up half an hour later to check, she had finished her web-building and had gone to bed, and there was no sign of him. So I don't know whether eggs are due or whether she had a snack before bed

 

[Callie]

I appear too have at least 4 false widows 2 of which look like theyre cohabiting?