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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Spider season

64 replies

edie8 · 20/08/2023 21:47

Has anyone else got massive spiders????

I've been in tears for the past 30 minutes, we moved here in January and this is the worst house I've ever lived in for spiders.

In the past week we've had 6 HUGE ones, 2 have run on me and tonight one ran across the floor so big that it made my dog jump.

I can't cope, I'm a nervous wreck, I can barely sleep. Can anyone give me any advice? I'm severely arachnophobic but I've never had this many in any previous properties. It's really affecting my life.

OP posts:
Queenfreak · 02/09/2023 23:21

I'm really not a fan of the massive house spiders! We live in the middle of nowhere so get lots. I've found that leaving cellar spiders alone ( the skinny ones with very long legs that hang around the corners of ceilings) controls the house spider problem. Cellar spiders are the house spider hunters. They are amazing

ImInACage · 02/09/2023 23:22

oreo2020 · 02/09/2023 23:14

Is Indorex harmful to cats?

Nope, the reason we started using it was because the cat brought fleas home when we rescued him. Our vet recommended it. Just keep cats out of the room until it's dry, then you're good to go.

ClusterFukt · 02/09/2023 23:28

literally just had one run across my chest while I was in bed. It’s the spiders bed now.

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 02/09/2023 23:29

Watching with interest, as we have had FIVE massive fuckers in our house in the last 48 hours. 3 in the kitchen! One was so big that a (turned upside down) pint glass only just went over it. I don't want to kill them, and very very rarely do, but I cannae have them in the house! Shock I pop them in the garage as I don't want them getting cold. Sad

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 02/09/2023 23:30

ClusterFukt · 02/09/2023 23:28

literally just had one run across my chest while I was in bed. It’s the spiders bed now.

😂

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 02/09/2023 23:34

Queenfreak · 02/09/2023 23:21

I'm really not a fan of the massive house spiders! We live in the middle of nowhere so get lots. I've found that leaving cellar spiders alone ( the skinny ones with very long legs that hang around the corners of ceilings) controls the house spider problem. Cellar spiders are the house spider hunters. They are amazing

When you say 'cellar spiders' - do you mean these??? We always have about 10 of these in the house at any one time. (Well the ones we can see!!!)

Weirdly they don't bother me, as they seem to pretty much stay put, and they move really slowly... Can't sleep if there's one in the bedroom though. Always move it and put it in the kitchen!

Spider season
Gettingbysomehow · 02/09/2023 23:37

My cats normally sort them out but they missed the one that got into my pyjama top and bit me on the chest. Sadly I was awake and saw the bugger crawl out and run away.
When I was a young woman I was petrified of them but as I've got older I'm not so bad.

Smithy8001 · 02/09/2023 23:41

Another vote for Indorex.
Whenever we’ve used it to if the cats have brought in fleas, we find loads and loads of dead spiders for days after!

Nutterjacks · 02/09/2023 23:45

BellaAndDave · 02/09/2023 18:19

Conkers don’t work. Get yourself Indorex. It works a treat and you won’t see another spider but house will resemble a spider mortuary for a week or so as you’ll find a good few dead ones. It lasts round 6 months.

Isn't that for fleas? If it works on spiders , how do you use it?

truthhurts23 · 02/09/2023 23:47

raid wasp spray

Nutterjacks · 02/09/2023 23:47

ClusterFukt · 02/09/2023 23:28

literally just had one run across my chest while I was in bed. It’s the spiders bed now.

😳

BellaAndDave · 02/09/2023 23:52

I was told it’s the permethrin in Indorex that kills spiders and deters them. I was never a fan of killing spiders until I was bitten and I’m sick of hearing “oh it’s just a little nip”, in my case it wasn’t and I was in hospital for 6 weeks due to a spider bite. It’s now a it’s me or the spider scenario and I take no chances.

Please be aware if you do use Indorex you will find lots of dead spiders after using it. Our house was like a spider mortuary for the first few weeks.

BellaAndDave · 03/09/2023 00:01

Nutterjacks · 02/09/2023 23:45

Isn't that for fleas? If it works on spiders , how do you use it?

Show quote history

I’ve explained this earlier

Lovepeaceunderstanding · 03/09/2023 00:13

Mrburnshound · 02/09/2023 17:59

If you can pay the money a friendly spider course at your nearest opportunity will change your life. I went to the London zoo one and there were people who had booked hotels etc to go to it.

I've gone from jibbering wreck to honestly unbotherd. A big ish one was in thr pile of clothes I got out of the dryer the other day and I just flicked it off. It's the only thing that worked in my almost 4 decades!

@Mrburnshound , how did the course change you please? I am absolutely desperate to do the course but I’ve never been able to do it because I’m so terrified. 😔

SpiderExtinction · 03/09/2023 00:13

ClusterFukt · 02/09/2023 23:28

literally just had one run across my chest while I was in bed. It’s the spiders bed now.

Noooooooo 😳🫣 this is my worse nightmare.

We had one in the bathroom tonight. Quite a fair size. I hate this time of year.

Chedderbites2 · 03/09/2023 00:40

Yet another vote for indorex. Kills everything from Woodlice to flies and spiders. If you have pets just spray it when they aren't in the room and I usually wait half an hour to an hour before I let them back in. Spray around entrances, skirting boards etc. Lasts for months but no harm topping up every so often

TaiDee · 03/09/2023 00:43

Have also heard about indorex being a great spider repellent.

The cookers thing is total nonsense, though.

Queenfreak · 03/09/2023 08:43

WhileMyGuitarGentlyWeeps · 02/09/2023 23:34

When you say 'cellar spiders' - do you mean these??? We always have about 10 of these in the house at any one time. (Well the ones we can see!!!)

Weirdly they don't bother me, as they seem to pretty much stay put, and they move really slowly... Can't sleep if there's one in the bedroom though. Always move it and put it in the kitchen!

Edited
Show quote history

Yep. Those are the ones.
It's surprising how they catch even the knarliest looking house spiders.

SquirrelSoShiny · 03/09/2023 08:46

BrawnWild · 02/09/2023 18:04

I was scared 7 years ago and decided not to be as I didnt want to pass the fear on to my son. Which sounds ridiculous but that's the truth.

I told myself they are tiny compared to me and challenged myself to take the smaller ones out and worked up to the larger ones. A big glass or bowl and some card or paper is all you need. You CAN overcome this, i promise.

I told myself I find them interesting, not scary and at first I pretended I was watching someone else take the out and gave a positive narration "look how confident she is, she isnt scared of a small spider"

I really hope that helps as they really are helpful little creatures just trying to live their lives!

Signed
An ex-arachnaphobe

This is a lovely post Smile

I got one of those catchers on Amazon the ones that pick them up harmlessly. It's brilliant!

OctoblocksAssemble · 03/09/2023 08:57

I also have a lovely colony of cellar spiders to protect me, zero effort on my part and haven't had any giant house spiders in years. (Touch wood)

KnittedCardi · 03/09/2023 09:12

I love my cellar spiders. I watched one catch and consume a big house spider the other night. It was awesome.

The spiders I don't like are the false windows. We get quite a few in the conservatory...... But they do an excellent job of eating flies.

We have a pretty good eco system going here. I wouldn't want to kill them all off.

lastchancesalmon · 03/09/2023 09:21

My observation is that each year there is a particular type of spider that is abundance, and you see more of those than in other years. I can remember years when I saw many many quite small ones as well as years where it was the gigantic ones. We live in the country and the spiders that live in our shed/garage are monstrous. But I've been persuaded to leave the cellar spiders in the house and we have cats and so far it hasn't been too bad.

lapochette · 03/09/2023 10:07

Why are they soo huge this year?! We've had a few massive ones in the last week or 2. I have a phobia which has diminished as I've got older. I've also a DH who works away from home for weeks/months so have had no choice but to try and reign in my phobia. I've tried not to pass it onto my DC with slight success

KnittedCardi · 03/09/2023 15:48

The really big ones are the ladies, they eat the smaller ones (males) after mating so not so many of those around!

SummerWillow · 03/09/2023 16:23

I used to have a real phobia (inherited from my Mum) but over the years it has receded a bit. I now try to capture under a glass and put outside. I realised I'd made progress when I accidentally put the glass on the spider's foot and then moved it, saying sorry!! Another time I put a large female outside and was surprised to find myself thinking that she walked off very elegantly!
They still make me shudder but I'm trying to respect them!