yes, because why do they need so many limbs? why are they hanging from the ceiling as I'm just about to go to bed? why aren't speaking and revealing exactly what they're intending to do? why? why? why?
Yes, I am afraid of them. I don't know why other than that they look terrifying. It has nothing to do with fear of being bitten. I don't think I've ever actually been bitten by one. It's just the sight of them that scares me. It probably has to do with all the legs.
WW~ Don even got a big chuckle out of this too! He is a leg man but he doesn't like them hairy and quite that skinny in comparison to her torso! Winks and Smiles!
I like spiders, mainky because they eat mosquitoes which frankly terrify me. Mosquitoes are actually the deadliest creatures on Earth, responsible for a million deaths annually, along with birth defects and permanent disability.
I don't know where you live, but when I lived in Florida, they were rampant, those skeeters. Back then (in the late 80's) unfortunately for me, but worse for them, I drank a lot of vodka. They never touched me. If you want to ruin your liver and stay mosquito-free, they do NOT like vodka.
They also don't like rosemary, which is why I have rosemary bushes at front and back doors as well as sprigs of the stuff here and there around the house.
I am ... yes... always have been and also afraid of pretty much anything that flies or flutter.. I am petrified of daddy long legs aka crane flies.. they just terrify me..
However! I am also a total advocate of wildlife and biodiversity and ecosystem balance.. sooo spiders have their place.. so I revise my terror of things by saying.. I don't mind them as long as they stay outside...
Indoors we do have spiders.. three main types.. housepider.. very rare in my house.. these are the huge hairy ones.. but.. they are killed, (believe it or not!) by daddy long legs spider.. and because I am deathly afraid of hairy spiders I have come to love, nurture and appreciate the daddy long legs ones.. I wouldn't touch one or have it touch me you understand but I allow them in my house and I leave them be.. I even try to encourage them.. I like them because they aren't so big and hairy.. they tend not to run like normal spiders do.. they just sit there quietly.. so those I have come to love...
The third type we have indoors is false black widows.. I didn't used to mind them but in the last 5 or so years their population has exploded.. perhaps global warming.. and they reached almost infestation level.. they were even in the towels when you went to dry yourself.. and I got bitten by the tiniest one you ever saw.. and it HURT.. and several others in my house have been bitten.. so i have declared war on them.. when i see them I kill them.. Yes, it feels bad but a) they DO bite and they DO hurt.. and b) they seem to have ousted my daddy long legs spiders..
In Australia, you get to KNOW which spiders are harmless and which are not. There are three that I don't make friends with: The Sydney funnel web spider - this boy can kill you. Yes, "boy" - in his case, the truism that "the female of the species is more deadly than the male" doesn't hold, nobody has ever been seriously harmed by a female one. Nasty and aggressive.
Redback spider - cousin to the black widow, she doesn't pack a deadly punch (for an adult, small children are at risk of fatal bites) but can still make you ill. She doesn't mind the company of humans, either.
White tailed spider - harmless unless you're allergic. The venom is highly allergenic so if you're sensitive, it's nasty. I've been bitten without harm, but my mother-in-law almost needed an amputation.
Many people are afraid of the huntsman spider - totally harmless to humans, but big and hairy. I had one as a pet when I was in my teens. Check this out - yes, it's carrying a MOUSE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssKg8v8KS6U
For what? Am I in a cave filled with them with no defense? Hell yes, I would be afraid of almost any insect or arachnid in that case.
But just in general? They are so interesting. All insects are constructed in such an elegant fashion, I cannot help but be fascinated with their form and grace. I love anything that is alive. Everything is a nature lesson to me.
Hi Slartibartfast ~ I'll admit it. I read Charlotte's Web as a child and loved it! Since then, I have gone through phases with the mysterious spider family. I do love them for their architecture and style. I admire they use the water spout as a slide. I certainly appreciate them catching many of the unidentified flying things through out the world. I don't like sharing a bed or a tent with them. I'm not really pleased when they hide in my shoes or crawl up my shorts while I'm driving. But on a scale of 1 to 10 of liking them, I'd give them an 71/2 to 8.
"Some Pig!" That's all I've got ta say 'bout that! Giggles!! ;)
I am if they are one that have ability to bite. Had one on my arm the other day and brushed it off fast. They are smaller but move fast with a killer mouth in some cases. The fear to have a spider that has the ability to kill or have a limb removed in a small creature seams to be a legit reason in my opinion.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at September 5, 2017 1:05 AM MDT
Benedict Arnold 