Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To Keep A Handy Spider in the House?

114 replies

SmidgenofaPigeon · 03/07/2021 12:14

I have a lovely one, called Marigold.

I rescued him out of the bath when he was only little (after shouting at DH not to flush him down Angry) when he was only little. Pretended to put him out in the corridor of our flats but secretly let him back in. Didn’t see him for a few weeks but but yesterday I noticed he’d grown into a lovely big spider living in the corner of the bathroom. So he can stay up there and catch some flies, and everybody is happy.

Do you keep a handy spider around?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
VettiyaIruken · 03/07/2021 17:58

Oh I LOVE jumping spiders. So sweet

Treaclepie19 · 03/07/2021 17:59

I allow spindly ones in the bathroom or kitchen. We often get big hairy spiders that like to run at me on the toilet and it scares the life out of me so I always hope the spindly ones will get rid for me.

Lizzie523 · 03/07/2021 18:01

Sure. We had 'Boris' for years, practically part of the family.

Now I'm imagining him with a dishevelled blonde mane... Hmm as you say, they are good for getting rid of unwanted flies etc.

Lizzie523 · 03/07/2021 18:02

@VettiyaIruken

Oh I LOVE jumping spiders. So sweet
I had one of those recently. He made his web in the hallway unfortunately and greeted me every morning when I got up. I told him this wasn't going to work out as he had chosen as very inconvenient spot.

He has now moved to my bedroom....

Seesawmummadaw · 03/07/2021 18:03

We have an extended spider family. We live on a farm and they help with the flys.
They are all called Bob. Bob, Mrs Bob, Bob jnr, auntie Bob, uncle Bob etc

Faranth · 03/07/2021 18:17

I'm terrified of them, so no, they get carefully caught by DP and put outside while I watch carefully from behind a half closed door to make sure he's not pretending.

In winter I make him put them in the garage so they don't get too cold.

I find the spindly ones just as scary as the big ones I'm afraid. More so, actually, as they're so vicious Confused.

We used to have a cat that would poke the spindly ones so they did that spinny vibratey thing they do. But they only do it 2 or 3 times then they stop, at which point she'd bop them and walk off in a sulk.

saleorbouy · 03/07/2021 18:20

I don't mind a long legged lodger aslong as they fend themselves and stay out of the way.
Better to coexist in an insect reduced environment.

Faranth · 03/07/2021 18:21

Also, DP can spend 3 years in the shower and be completely ignored by the spindly spiders. I step in and they immediately have to start trying to beat the world record for Longest Spider Wet Tile Walk with extra points for Dangling Ominously.

What's that all about?!

ElephantMoth · 03/07/2021 18:26

@ShowOfHands

I let them all stay. They don't cause problems. I do apologise to the disco spiders when I have to remove their webs but mostly, we coexist with equanimity.

My cat doesn't eat them, she tries to play with them and gets upset when they end up squished, prodding them forlornly. She never eats any wildlife though. She likes to bring in mice and birds and just lets them go whilst lazily watching them run/fly. In fact, she goes to sleep and I have to come and release them.

My cats the same, she dropped a massive pink moth on my carpet which I had no idea what the hell it was. She sits and pokes it then let's it go off chasing it, luckily we put it outside but she does the same with Daddy LongLegs and Spiders.
Fluffycloudland77 · 03/07/2021 18:29

I let the cellar spiders stay too. I had two normal spiders in the en-suite then a cellar spider ate them.

Somanysocks · 03/07/2021 19:06

I don't mind one or two spiders in the house, and will leave them but I confess that this morning I just couldn't leave the hundreds of baby spiders swarming over my living room ceiling and hoovered them up. Blush

ShowOfHands · 03/07/2021 19:12

My cat brought in an elephant hawk moth yesterday @ElephantMoth!

cricketmum84 · 03/07/2021 19:25

@Somanysocks

I don't mind one or two spiders in the house, and will leave them but I confess that this morning I just couldn't leave the hundreds of baby spiders swarming over my living room ceiling and hoovered them up. Blush
Omg the swarms of baby spiders 🤮

A few years ago I had just got home from work, walked in the front door straight into a huge web of just hatched baby spiders. OMC I was covered in them. They were still climbing out of my hair a couple of hours later.

I'm actually shuddering just remembering it.

SweetPetrichor · 03/07/2021 19:26

@DumboOctopus

And since there are people who appreciate spiders here, here’s a pic of my adorable little jumping spider.
She’s adorable. I had a sweet little regal jumper but sadly she died a month or so back. They’re such amazing, interactive little creatures!
To Keep A Handy Spider in the House?
tedsletterofthelaw · 03/07/2021 19:28

I never put spiders outside. They are much less bothersome than flies!

drinkingwineoutofamug · 03/07/2021 19:39

Only been totally freaked out once by a spider. Was in our house in a remote village in Bulgaria.
Opened kitchen door to find a wolf spider, no word of a lie, the size of my hand.
She was carrying her egg sack. She actually lifted up her 2 front legs(?)
In my head I heard her hiss fuck off
Told her she could have the kitchen if she wanted but to not enter my bedroom.
Snakes no problem.

wobblyweasel · 03/07/2021 19:56

I have a few. Spanky the Bathroom Spider, Flamboo the bedroom spider and The Thing behind the Fridge. Hardly see flies in the house. The dog ate the one in the lounge! I'm interviewing replacements at the moment.

pigsDOfly · 03/07/2021 20:30

Just noticed that one of my long skinny spiders - been here for a while - that hides behind a large plant in the kitchen (plant stands on the floor) has become gigantic; also noticed that there are one or two dead things under it's web.

God knows what it's eating; I fear for my small dog.

110APiccadilly · 03/07/2021 20:36

Not atm, but as a child I had a pet spider who lived on the ceiling just above my bed (top bunk). I used to get very worked up every time my mum cleaned my room, "You won't hurt my spider, will you?!"

MrsFlinch · 03/07/2021 21:15

I always leave the spindly legged ones and tbh haven’t seen a huge gallopy fucker, (which I fecking hate!) for a few years now. We have one living in the bathroom behind the razor pot at the moment.

Also found a toad in the garden last night, (we usually re-locate them to the pond up the street) but decided to leave him be (and hope the cats don’t get him) We had a family of them a couple of years ago and dad got left behind (couldn’t reach him) so don’t know if it’s the same one or a new one.

Am hoping he keeps my slug and snail population down as am sick of my bloody plants getting eaten!

Original poster
SmidgenofaPigeon · 04/07/2021 09:02

Have really appreciated all the spider love!

Pretty sure Marigold dealt with the sneaky mosquito that was hanging about in the bathroom last night, so he’s already earning his keep!

OP posts:
CandidaAlbicans2 · 06/07/2021 19:22

Look what I had on my garden hose a couple of weeks ago 😃 Baby garden spiders 🥰

To Keep A Handy Spider in the House?
CandidaAlbicans2 · 06/07/2021 19:25

Apologies for the C word, but this is so cute I can't wait till Christmas to post it 🥰😁

anyamethyst · 06/07/2021 21:15

I've been letting the harvest spiders stay, they're all called Spencer I currently have one in kitchen and one in living room. One I noticed today has had babies so there are alot in the corner of my living room! They help catch the ones I really struggle with, and my son seems to like them 🙃🕷️

cricketmum84 · 06/07/2021 21:38

I'm sorry but the harvest spiders are the only ones I can't cope with. It's the spindly legs. Cannot deal with them at all!!