Pholcidae and other unpleasant Autumn house invaders

RandallFlagg

These hideous pholcidae 'daddy long legs' never used to be seen in our house until about 4-5 years ago. How did this vile creature come to exist on our shores?

We are now on a strict all windows shut before dusk routine now as it's giant house spider season and I cannot bear to look at them and could not sleep in the house knowing one was running about.

even with out strict window regime we seem to get a couple of big house spiders each year, last year one huge beast ran in through the open back door while Mrs Flagg was having a fag. It got hoovered up when we eventually caught it galloping around the lounge.

http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article8738109.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/Daddy-long-legs-spider.jpg

http://arachnoboards.com/gallery/male-giant-house-spider-tegenaria-gigantea.17993/full

chrispy108

What do you think it's going to do to you?

RandallFlagg

You can't rationalise a phobia

lloyd

I like a few spiders around the house, keeps the other bugs down.

As above, what's the worse it's going to do? 

Moths annoy me so get scooped outside, bees I like so are lovingly guided outside, flies/wasps get exterminated-I'm speciesist.

TheMarlin

I leave medium size spiders to do their work. My wife hates the webs, so they only thrive when she's away. 

The big hairy ones that look like they grew up in a tough neighbourhood, and carry a flick knife ... I get the Dyson out to deal with them...

RobDavies

RandallFlagg said:

These hideous pholcidae 'daddy long legs' never used to be seen in our house until about 4-5 years ago. How did this vile creature come to exist on our shores?

We are now on a strict all windows shut before dusk routine now as it's giant house spider season and I cannot bear to look at them and could not sleep in the house knowing one was running about.

even with out strict window regime we seem to get a couple of big house spiders each year, last year one huge beast ran in through the open back door while Mrs Flagg was having a fag. It got hoovered up when we eventually caught it galloping around the lounge.

http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article8738109.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/Daddy-long-legs-spider.jpg

http://arachnoboards.com/gallery/male-giant-house-spider-tegenaria-gigantea.17993/full

That's not a daddy long legs.   Fairly sure it's a harvest spider?.... Don't mind them as it goes, and I get loads in the KaBL workshop which gives me someone to talk to.   However, those big hairy bastards are dispatched fairly quickly in our house.

Nunogilberto

The Pholcids are harmless enough, and the house spiders look menacing but are also pretty harmless. I haven't got a problem with them, it's just the twatting wasps and flies I don't like.

ICBM

Global warming. Give it a few more years and we'll have dragonflies the size of helicopters again...

lasermonkey

Generally, I'm terrified of spiders, but those pholcids don't really bother me, as they seem so insubstantial. Plus, I've seen them dispatch massive house spiders, which only endears them to me even more.
We've done a perimeter spray with Acclaim and we're on the all windows closed before dark routine too.

Bastard spiders!

jonnyburgo

Put a glass over them, slide a card under and flick em out the window, don't kill them FFS,  The big hairy ones that run across the darkened living room floor at night put the shits up me but they are perfectly harmless

Eek!

lasermonkey

I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit.
It's the only way to be sure.

CHRISB50

I'm pretty sure Ive been bitten by spiders a couple of times since the spring. 

Woken up up in the morning with 2 little puncture marks on my foot with a shiny, itchy, non raised piece of skin around them. 

I guess it it could be mozzies, but I haven't had an identifiable bite from one of them for years. 

Last time I had the 2 marks next to each other, we found a monster house spider was living in the quilt at the end of our bed a day later. 

Anything too big gets put out of the house swiftly.

Snap

I like spiders. On holiday in Spain this summer, we came across the Spanish Funnel Web spider. Now they are big! Didn't know Spain had some whoppers. Big hairy things, and when you come near they rear up at you and do a pouncing stabbing motion to scare you off. Nothing like as dangerous as their Australian counterpart, but apparently the sting is painful.

I thought they were ace.

RandallFlagg

jonnyburgo said:

Put a glass over them, slide a card under and flick em out the window, don't kill them FFS,  The big hairy ones that run across the darkened living room floor at night put the shits up me but they are perfectly harmless

Eek!

FFS that is disgusting. Nothing should have 8 eyes and 8 legs, it's an abomination and in legion with the devil

dogload

Lying in bed last week, just about to nod off, I noticed a dark shape moving along the front of our chest of drawers. Opening my eyes properly I realised it was a spider (about the size of a 2p piece) just in time to see it disappear into my slightly-open underpants drawer.
Being too knackered/lazy, I shrugged and rolled over. However, I now remove said pants gingerly and give them a damn good shake before putting them on!

Bidley

I'm slowly getting better with spiders, but it is that time of year when the real leviathans come out. I've seen loads of little ones kicking around over the summer in my flat, so I know I'm in for it.

If they're medium-sized, I can do the glass/card thing. If they're too big they get battered with a shoe.

viz

RandallFlagg said:

galloping around the lounge

Lol

CHRISB50

RandallFlagg said:

jonnyburgo said:

Put a glass over them, slide a card under and flick em out the window, don't kill them FFS,  The big hairy ones that run across the darkened living room floor at night put the shits up me but they are perfectly harmless

Eek!

FFS that is disgusting. Nothing should have 8 eyes and 8 legs, it's an abomination and in legion with the devil

6 eyes (.)(.)(.)(.)(.)(.)

not 8

ICBM

8

http://www.eurospiders.com/tegenaria_atrica_eyes_1998.jpg

Snap

I was watching a big garden cross spider (UK's biggest species I think) catch a fly the other day. Amazing. Had it totally wrapped and immobilised in 10 seconds.

Col_Decker

Why is it that until 2 years ago a Daddy Long Legs was the name given to the Crane Fly, but now its any insect / arachnid with long legs? I'm sure its the Americans again.