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.

It got stapled to the notice board to freak people out as it looked like a frankenspider. I think it topped the Xmas tree that year too if memory serves.

The fridge was used back in the day before Isoflorane for things like lizards, spids, snakes, tortoises etc. Worked surprisingly well.

🤣🤣 ….. Christmas tree decor.

My adult ds went to Cyprus at Easter. He hates spiders.
Perhaps I won’t tell him or he may not go back as he said he would like to.

I've got a photo of me holding a tarantula (she was called Twinkle Toes or something) at a charity event. I was reliably informed beforehand she wasn't bitey. 😬

😨😰 Are you going to post the photo?

WHY DID THEY TAKE THE LAUGH EMOTICON AWAY?

Tarantulars are the only spider that I’m not absolutely terrified of. I had the opportunity to hold one at Longleat years ago. I’m not saying that I’d be happy to see it sitting in my holiday villa but I’d understand it was very fragile and unlikely to do me any harm.

Well, no. I quite like posting anonymously and I have to consider the spider's privacy too.

Quite right.

phew.

you could just block out the spiders face, or is there something in the background which would obviously give the name/location other privacy details regarding safeguarding of said spider? Can't be too careful these days I'm aware of the pedoaraneae niche is slowly gathering speed.

I can also attest to the fact that testicles, dried out on the top of a boiler and sprayed silver and gold, also make great Xmas baubles. They come with their own string too! :)

It was great watching the clients in the waiting room looking at them suspiciously but not quite having the nerve to ask.

Veterinary is a world of it's own.

😀 Oh, you’re so funny. Thanks for making me crack up laughing. I needed it!

Exhibit 1: kitten not doing its job. It’s a wonder it’s not on the fucking sunbed.

Stop its wages, that’s outrageous!

I couldn’t read the post as someone had put a picture of it - but did I just see someone say we now had them in the UK, in Norfolk??? Are they escaped pets or have they arrived on boats?

Someone said yesterday evening they could be found in Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Southern Italy . I would love to know exactly where in these countries but I’m too scared to google.

Whereabouts in Cyprus are you @Kinkyroots? Is it in the countryside?

NO MORE SPIDER PICS please folks. But kitten pics are welcome.

They’re not dangerous, apparently. Although if they bite it will just cause a bit of swelling, & feel like a wasp sting 🥹

Spiders can get in the bed, they jump too.

Exactly. Why put an image of one when the entire thread is about that trigger.

I can only deduce that they get some satisfaction from it.

I can assure you, nobody cares that they are not dangerous. I am not afraid of spiders because I believe them to be dangerous. A fear response is triggered by the shape and movement.

You could put me in a room with a black widow spider and I would mostly be okay. Put me in a room with the friendliest big hairy one and my soul will leave the room before I've even thought about danger.

OMG, op! I am a fellow arachnophobe and would have gone completely ballistic over this. Had no idea they had tarantulas in Cyprus! We were thinking of going next summer but that's been scrapped off the list now😂

I also want to know where it was in the kitchen, if you can bear to tell us?!

You realise the spiders and snakes were there first?
Next time, go to Butlins.

They came in on boats.

😰

South West England.

Half term (3 weeks ago).

Little DS woke up crying in the morning as I was getting changed, so I threw on the first dress I could find from the top of the "washed-and-dry-but-not-yet-put-away" pile, and ran into his room.

Sorted him out, picked him up into bed, then felt a sharp, stabby pain in my lower arm, near the crease of my elbow.

YELP, ripped the dress off, big black lump falls to the ground, big red mark on my arm.

DH comes running at my yelp, and calmly informs me it's a big spider (I've not put my glasses on yet) and I'll have to rescue it. DH doesn't do spiders

Glasses on, pint mug and a letter, spider gets a flying lesson out of the window. Am still in pants and bra, and now the entire household is out of their rooms and watching me!

Turns out it was a false widow spider, probably got into my dress sleeve when it was on the washing line. I could see both fang marks, and 3 weeks on it has blistered but not fully healed (took strong antihistamines for the first day, to damped down the reaction)

First picture was about 10 mins afterwards, second picture is today, 3 weeks later.

Yes, we are in a little village called Drouseia, in the hills between Paphos and Polis.

To those suggesting I’m stupid for coming here if I knew they had them:

1. Im not really going to burn down the villa. The BBQ lighter isn’t working so we are having to use matches, and the villa is stone so it would be very hard toget it going.
2. If you had RTFT you would have seen that I’ve been here many, many times over the last 30 years and this is a first. Including living here for several months.
3. If I avoided everything I am scared of I wouldn’t leave the house. To date I’ve experienced a proper storm at sea on a RN ship, a 6.8 earthquake, a Force 4 hurricane, and a military conflict. The spider was way up there and has triggered the same hyper-vigilance as the earthquake.

Do you think the spiders coming to the UK in boats are documented or just economic migrants. The very front of them. Are they in their own small boats or are they cadging a free ride with asylum seekers? Hopefully. NF (pun intended) will sort them out as he’s doing so well.

Fucking hell!!! 😲

We went to Cyprus on honeymoon, thankfully no tarantulas. And we've been to Turkey, and Italy! I wouldn't have minded going back to Turkey, (there's a lovely resort there), but I love Italy - so this has really bummed me out!

I thought it was only Australia I had to avoid, you couldn't pay me to go there, those giant galloping spiders that like to hang out in your house 😫

Honestly, that’s an anti-immigrant policy I could get behind.

Ban the boats!!!*

*but only if they contain spiders

Aww but they are mega cute