Itsy Bitsy Spider

Corwin said:
Why? I probably see no more spiders than you do!!
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But you have the dreaded funnel web spider down there. Those are known to kill, plus they're aggressive. And they're scary looking. :)

I am also leary of spiders, though not phobic. So spending summers in northeast Arkansas was at times testing my spider tolerance because they are all over the place. They'll get in your bed at night and bite your legs. Usually those big nasty wolf spiders too that you'll see in the runners of sliding doors.

But also as common as housespiders were brown recluses, which are another species that can be fatal to humans if bitten. I can remember compulsively checking my bed and curtains for them. I nearly sat on one once, and had multiple sightings of them during my stay. Eeek.

Now, having disclosed my fear, I have always been fascinated with spiders. Growing up in the late 70's meant I just had to get a tarantula during that craze. In the midwest it seemed as though the pet stores were filled with them. I don't have to tell you that while she was great fun to watch at night, she never was let out of her aquarium. One day we found her laying on her back, presumed dead. My mom was going to scoop her up and bury her later that day. Luckily she didn't because she was actually molting. She would have surely bitten whomever was trying to get her, plus she may have been injured or killed due to the soft new skin.

I do have to admit, the spiders in Doom 3 freaked me out more than the other monsters. What could be worse than to be paralyzed by them, only to have your innards slowly extracted as they're turned to soup by the killer's gastric acids? Meanwhile you could only lie helpless. Hopefully the venom would kill you first. *shudder*
 
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EvilManagedCare said:
But you have the dreaded funnel web spider down there. Those are known to kill, plus they're aggressive.
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LIES!!!11 :biggrin:

Well, seriously, not sure how reliable this source is but...
But there is no need to panic. Nobody has died from a Sydney Funnel-web Spider bite since an antivenom was introduced in 1984.

Before the introduction of the antivenom the rate of human deaths following a Funnel-web spider bite was less than one every three years, and these fatalities typically took a day or more. There is enough time to administer the antivenom.


(90% of the people bitten never develop symptoms that would warrant the use of antivenom.)
It is interesting to know that the venom of the Sydney Funnel-web Spider is particularly effective in humans. It doesn't affect other mammals, for example cats or dogs, anywhere near as much...
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I have never even seen a funnel web spider. Deaths from spiders are basically totally unknown. I can't remember hearing of any in the last 20-30 years. Why people have these weird ideas about our supposedly deadly wildlife is beyond me. Even snakes are quite rare in most places. However, come for a visit and see for yourselves!! :)
 
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I'm usually ok with spiders. If I find one in my house I understand that he pays his rent by killing other, more bothersome bugs. I think the worst I've ever been freaked out by a spider was about 5 or 6 years ago: I was sleeping on the floor and heard a rapid tapping on my pillow. I opened my eyes just in time to see a huge ass spider running straight at my face.

The insect that I hate more than any other are cockroaches. Like spiders they are cursed by being disgusting in appearance but thats where the similarities end. A spider is not really "bad" or "evil", it just is. A cockroach is pure evil. A spider sets up shop in a corner and eats bugs. A roach invades your home, hides in your stuff and steals your food, it probably even wants you dead.
 
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Perhaps it's time to form a local chapter of the "National Association for cruelty against animans".

THEY'RE DOING IT To US!!!
 
Korplem said:
The insect that I hate more than any other are cockroaches. Like spiders they are cursed by being disgusting in appearance but thats where the similarities end. A spider is not really "bad" or "evil", it just is. A cockroach is pure evil. A spider sets up shop in a corner and eats bugs. A roach invades your home, hides in your stuff and steals your food, it probably even wants you dead.
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When I was living in Ukraine for a year, there were plenty of roaches around the house. I reached an accommodation of sorts with then -- they don't eat my food, I don't ride their bicycles.

That said, I didn't have much food that wasn't in hermetically sealed jars around the house. That was good practice, actually, since we had a major pharaoh ant infestation in the building we live in now, a couple of years ago -- those critters are harmless but it's *really* disgusting to slice bread and discover after the first bite that the slice, and the entire bread, is full of those little fucks.
 
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Korplem said:
The insect that I hate more than any other are cockroaches. Like spiders they are cursed by being disgusting in appearance but thats where the similarities end. A spider is not really "bad" or "evil", it just is. A cockroach is pure evil. A spider sets up shop in a corner and eats bugs. A roach invades your home, hides in your stuff and steals your food, it probably even wants you dead.
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Yep, I f*cking hate those little bastards as well, and I know you see plenty of them where you're at. My GFs parents live on Oahu, and I always manage to have a run-in with one while we're visiting.

The shitty thing is that it doesn't matter how immaculate you keep your house, when you live in a tropical area, you *will* see roaches sometimes.
 
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lghartveit said:
But have you felt one, bumping in to your body? They're the dangerous one. According to that half of Australias population that makes "Dangerous animals" shows.
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Nope, not yet anyways, but I make it a point to always be very aware of my surroundings when I'm in the water. I also don't dive or snorkel in areas with low visibility, which would defeat the purpose anyways.
 
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Prime Junta said:
That was good practice, actually, since we had a major pharaoh ant infestation in the building we live in now, a couple of years ago — those critters are harmless but it's *really* disgusting to slice bread and discover after the first bite that the slice, and the entire bread, is full of those little fucks.
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That reminds me of the old question...

What is worse than biting in an apple and then seeing a worm in it?





...biting in an apple and then seeing half a worm in it!
 
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Korplem said:
The insect that I hate more than any other are cockroaches.
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Hehe, there was a (partly animated) comedy movie about cockroaches. Forgot the name though. They were living together with a guy in his appartement. Could talk too. Some pretty disgusting scenes in there, even though they looked kinda cute. Might be something for a funny movie evening.
 
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Prime Junta said:
When I was living in Ukraine for a year, there were plenty of roaches around the house. I reached an accommodation of sorts with then — they don't eat my food, I don't ride their bicycles.
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Haha! I don't think I've heard that one before.

@JDR: I'm actually back on the mainland. I'm out of the Navy and on my way back home. So, in other words, "WOOT! NO* MORE ROACHES!"

*Well, a lot less…

EDIT: I honestly don't think I could watch that, Arhu. At least not without a can of Raid in my hand.
 
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