To burn the villa down

[Kinkyroots]

We’re staying in a villa in a hillside villa in Cyprus - DH (thank fucking god it was him and not me) went in to top our drinks up and a fucking tarantula was sat in the kitchen. He managed to catch it in the pool net but I am totally freaking out.

The same here.
I manage flies, ordinary spiders, wasps, mosquitoes, cats and cold callers. All other species are on DH’s list.

It’s impossible to google anything about spiders without pictures showing up of them somewhere on the page!

I wouldn’t choose to share my holiday with a tarantula but since I have a real big beetle phobia, cockroaches in particular ( long story but a justified fear) I struggle in this country.
We have just got through May bug season, they are truly horrid mother f*#kers. Fortunately it was cool at night last month so we didn’t have to roast. All the windows are firmly shut and upstairs lights are not allow on throughout May.
DS likes his window open all year round but was at uni until mid May. True to form on his first night back a couple flew in through his window. He’s a big brave 6’3” rugby player but even he doesn’t like them. They sound like chinook helicopters flying round the room in the dark.
The first time he had one in his room he sent me a photo asking to be rescued. Even the dog won’t go after them. She is usually out first line of defence with flying nasties.

Have you got an aerosol and a lighter next to your bed?
might do for tonight, for tomorrow you should see if you can get a mosquito net for the bed that fully zips up. Or get a two man zip up tent and put it on the bed

Great. I’m in the house in my own and since reading this I’ve felt 27 imaginary spiders crawling on me and seen 4 out of the corner of my eye…

😳

Cyprus is a definite no no then!!! Op you are braver than me,I'd be on a plane home already.

Small and medium ones are left alone in the hope they eat mosquitoes.

Big fuck off ones - if they dont run away when yelled at (😳) they get sprayed with spider/cockroach spray then wrapped thickly in toilet paper and flushed down the loo. Only had about 5 in 3 years.

What is more annoying (though not as scary) is the cat bringing in live, uninjured iguanas 😡 We are moving back to Europe in a couple of weeks and can't wait!

It’ll be interesting to see what cat brings in in the future!

Urgh, every time I refresh this page all I can see is that huge spider. 🤢

You're not helping

I feel cheated that I didn't see a tarantula when I was in Cyprus last year! 🤣
Did see lots of ants, a praying mantis and a gecko in the shower one morning.

Beat me to it…

This is my usual username so I feel compelled to join in the conversation here.

When confronted with a spider my usual response is to a) run and then almost immediately b) strip my clothes off, usually while making weird screaming noises.

It’s an instinctive, immediate, and almost unconscious action. The Spider Strip™ is required in case the little bastard has inadvertently jumped/climbed into me. I cannot tell you how many times DP has come into the room sighing to be confronted with me in my pants and my clothes flung in a pile across the room.

With my middle-aged, wobbly, body I’ll give the creepy eight-legged fuckers something to be scared of.

Absolutely not... though I think some spiders can survive in fire (something about volcanoes).

That’s cruel.

Also cruel. I couldn’t do it.

🤣

It really is totally instinctive, they’re just repulsive. And if you could hear them scurry, imagine that?

I once had a shower in Bali with a scorpion

Ooofe, I went to Mauritius for ten days for free as a mate won a competition.

Had I know they had massive spiders, I wouldn't have gone!

Had one in at the vets that had fallen off a table and split it's carapace. Put it in the fridge to anaesthetise it and stapled it back together. When it shed it's skin, it shed the staples too and the owner brought the skin/staples in for us as a 'gift'.

I can't bear spiders but am fascinated by them at the same time. I can't kill them though. I probably need to learn more about them. If they were slow moving it would help but that jumping and running thing - bleurgghh.

You just said it tbf

I once stayed in an 'eco hut' in rural Australia. When DH and I got into bed on the first night and looked up, there was a massive spider directly above us on the ceiling. I don't think I've ever moved so fast.

@Kinkyroots It is the Tarantula's country, don't go there and leave the wildlife alone...... some people, really.

What did you do with the ‘gift’?! 😯

I’m both weirded out and amazed that you anaesthetised a spider in a fridge prior to stapling it. Impressive.

No one is going to use flame throwers. It’s just hyperbole to express revulsion and fear.