A massive house spider crawled on me last night in bed!

[lillianandpip]

DH was sleeping in the lounge as the baby keeps waking up. I laid there trying to nod off, pitch black, then I feel this tickle on my arm.. I panicked, sat up and it flew in my face. Then I shook my head and flung my arms about shrieking before turning the light on. I searched the bed for a couple of minutes, no sign, looked under the pillows, then I notice it on the side of the bed frame, fucking massive it was. I am sooooooo freaked out by this! Anyone else had similar?
how do I stop this happening again!?

There's lots of things you can do to deter spiders, a sonic spider repellent that you plug in, we use them in our caravan to deter bugs and mice whilst in storage. Collect some conkers this autumn and scatter around the house. Also our local herbalist makes me a spider spray which I spray in the corners of the ceiling (when I can be bothered); having said that we are rural, have loads and I've got used to them, not in a Miss Haversham kind of way, but they no longer freak me out. DH currently has a resident spider behind a picture frame on the wall on his side of the bed, I think he thinks it's a pet, it was peeking out last night as I was putting washing away, waiting for me to turn the light off 😂🕷

heres something to creep you out....many years ago i started hearing a scratching sound in my ear and no amount of prodding or poking would stop it...it was driving me crazy...i decided to pour some hot water in my ear and out came a well cooked stripey legged spider

Maybe your neighbour is putting them over the fence 😂

The best way to stop those giant bastards from wandering around scaring the shite out of you is to allow the tiny bodied, very long legged spiders to wander free (the ones that lurk in the corner of your ceilings). We call them cellar spiders (though that’s probably not their correct name).

If you never watched a cellar take down a Tegenaria Gigantica (know your enemy), the only way I can describe it is as if you were watching a lonely giraffe at a watering hole being taken down by a lion.

It’s magnificent.

I am an arachnophobe (even typing the name of the bastards has made all the hairs on my scalp tingle) but I let those thin legged angels wander free around the house.

To make things worse, we’re in Hertfordshire, where the giants are (allegedly) 30% larger than usual, so are known colloquially as Hertfordshire Horrors.

Along with the cellar spiders as guards, DH loves spiders and will pick them up in his bare hands. He caught one in DD’s room last night (nestled in to a jumper) which he, adult DD & her partner claim had a body length of 2 inches. Excluding leg length.

I know where my phobia is from; I was 18 & put my then boyfriend’s dressing gown on to have a shower, and thought he was tickling my arm. I’d forgotten he’d gone to put the kettle on. I have cat’s bum mouth at the memory (and not just at remembering the spider lol).

Are you sure you didn’t imagine it given that you didn’t actually see the spider?

Oh now it’s done it once it will be emboldened and likely to return each night with his spider friends. Best move to a hotel OP.

@Plinketyplonks you just reminded me of the time my friend got out of the shower and wrapped her hair in a towel, she met her DM in the hallway and was like hi darling mother…imagine her shock when her DM suddenly threw a punch at her head…she was like darling mother what are you doing to me??? Turns out a huge spider was on her towel turban

When my dd was tiny she watched a HUGE spider walk across my face, she said tickle tickle. I was trying to not to show fear while being fecking terrified. It didn't work we are now both terrified of spiders.

I’d of had a cardiac arrest - that’s what would stop it happening again to me

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Katcha-Battery-Operated-Vacuum-Catcher/dp/B00A7RAL2I/ref=sr115?adgrpid=160926275037&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3wqcm8-Gwm5vEru8IIsbu0V7zDNzWSTDE0HhbNfrv6BtTvA5onn5KMBsKLLWWQgPQmMeFzLeqSpTUP0zwzgy36-f2FhK0K3WDkIqWa-ZIWsJVshMV3U8nQmHIY5kFfQeLQGzHXufHZJKed4uJfDMTMA5QctwepopSzED2XFL7XbN-fuqY78ERLGanZS-Saahky7HSIPJlilBCEohJDOW8vWKxqQijzquWEBph4V6FUy6HrEnmHiigJA78dVaOJvSzS6ORHY5ftTpT6IMwEOLsKMCIDy6BP0T3yyb1WaQ.Vr8yOKhJc-0FykdBj7EFuJ4ZvvRiLW9Gigzql-M4y48&dibtag=se&gadsource=1&hvadid=696297690901&hvdev=t&hvexpln=69&hvlocphy=9215120&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=16405676633685168336&hvqmt=e&hvrand=16405676633685168336&hvtargid=kwd-316120080891&hydadcr=116682469776&keywords=amazon+spider+catcher&mcid=1739a244641b36479a7d45d3898bf1e7&qid=1755704208&sr=8-15
Just tip it outside, no need touch it . Very easy, and safe for the spider.

I do not seem to be the only arachnophobe reading this article! So can any of you please explain to me why we click on these threads, or why I watched a David Attenborough documentary about 'parents', and when it was the turn of the spider mummy and her spidlings (sp?) why I watched the whole bloomin' thing in open mouthed horror?

I didn't even turn the TV off when the hatched babies were drinking mum's digestive juices milk from her mouth, and when they were bigger and could hunt for themselves, all swarming over mum and eating her alive... I have already had 2 nightmares in the last few days about the horrors, I don't think that this thread will have helped 😫

We seem to have a False Wolfspider infestation in our house and garden. Have never been afraid of spiders but these are terrifying to see crawl around, especially in the house..Have unfortunately had 3 of them in our bedroom since last winter and have no idea where they came from as we have screens in front of our windows. But house was built in 1920s so there are bound to be some cracks somewhere that we arent aware of. Have since found baby- False Wolfspiders around DC' sandbox 🫣

Anyone any tips to keep them out of the house? I don't really mind them outside but hate to be surprised by them inside.
FWIW, they have never bit us but we are very careful when removing them (glass+paper)

Maybe it's a weird kind of obsessive thing or trying to challenge your fobia? I have the exact same things with health anxiety and clicking on MN posts about health related things or watching medical drama series on TV. It's torture so why do it??
Anyway I am glad I didn't upload a picture of the false wolf spider here 😉

Nooooomygod what did I just read???!! Please tell me you are Joling!!?

We found a dead false widow in the bed.
It really freaked me out.

Ever since then, I have to pull all the sheets and pillows off the bed, and check for spiders before I can get in.

Both my DSs had spiders in their beds last month! One was woken just as you describe - he felt it on him and flailed around, switched the light on and there it was. The other was actually bitten on the back. At 1am he came running into my room and I had to go and find it. Spider season seems to have started early this year and is shaping up to be a bad one 😱

Nope ...hand on heart...true

Oh God, I put on my dressing gown a couple of weeks ago, wandered downstairs, went into the loo and was just looking in the mirror when something big and hairy crawled out of the neck and onto the back of my head. I threw off the dressing gown, danced around like I had St Vitus' dance while bashing my head with my hands. Funny thing is I didn't shout or scream at all - yet it was the nightmare scenario from hell. Never saw the spider, it fell behind me and scutled off.

Scarred for life!

Move. Today. Don’t bother selling, just move.

Oh wow you poor thing. I quite like spiders but I couldn't have coped with this in any way whatsoever 😂

I do have loads of cellar spiders in my house - the very thin legged ones - and as PP said I believe they eat house spiders. I see some of the latter but not too many... hopefully the cellar spiders will keep them at bay enough so that I'll never have to go through what you did!

one did this in my newborns cot in the middle of the night when he was a week old I was so upset - managed to get it squashed (sorry spider couldn’t risk it disappearing into my bedsheets) I closed off the air vents and got people to have a good check of my bedroom for more. Get some peppermint spider spray

i'm petrified of spiders.
When i was a young soldier, the lads had a phase of having gigantic spiders as pets. Most of the responsible ones had proper good terrariums.

One was a twat and had an old fish tank, and just rested 2 LPs (in covers) on the top. One time i was going off guard, and he was supposed to be coming on guard and never showed up. So the guard commander sent me up to his room to get him. (always hilarious because we weren't allowed in the men's accommodation). Anyway i knocked and i heard a wimpering, so i opened the door, and there he was, lying in bed (naked apparently) sheet pulled up to his neck, the LPs on the floor, and the massive red-kneed bird-eating spider walking slowly up the sheet.

We sort of folded the top down, the sides up and then i stamped all over it in my boots. And he just stood there with his hands protecting his family jewels.

my advice about your house: nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

My cellar spider had about a thousand babies this week. As much as my heart says 'move them' my brain says 'think of all the big ones they will eat'.

I swear Shelob is residing in my lounge though at the moment. I may have to relocate mummy cellar spider.

if you don't have pets, peppermint spray keeps them away (and smells nice)

One crawled on me and woke me up!! I’ve tried to convince myself it was a dream, but it bloody wasn’t