Tarantulas in Cyprus?!

[mrssnow7]

We’ve booked a villa in Cyprus for end of August and I’m on the facebook boards for things to do/villa rentals etc and have been seeing an increase in posts of tarantulas in villas, in the pool etc.

I know that tarantulas are all across the Mediterranean yet I’ve never seen any during visits to Spain, Italy etc.

I am a severe arachnophobic and I don’t know what to do now about the holiday. I genuinely would have to book a flight home if one was in our pool/in our villa.

Please can anyone be honest with me if you’ve seen a tarantula/or any large spider in Cyprus in an apartment/hotel/villa.

Thank you!

I live in Paphos and I've encountered a few over the years, mostly when I lived near a banana plantation. At this time of year they tend to end up in the pool and drown so you just scoop them out with the net. They are timid though and only come inside during the winter.

My cats are useless, if they encountered one they'd just tap it with their paw and wander off bored 🤨

Mediterranean tarantulas are actually wolf spiders aren’t they? I don’t really know though and I’m not sure if wolf spiders are any better! 😖

@PoppyFleurIf anyone sees a woman walking 10 stray cats on the news in Cyprus, it’s me..

No they’re actually tarantulas 🥴😬

I don’t know if I want to look whether we are near a banana plantation or not! I even get funny picking up bunches of bananas in supermarkets because of the horror stories!

Please stop worrying! In 20 years I've only come face to face with 3 mahoosive ones, I've done a 'scoop and fling' - never to be seen again.

I’m scrolling very carefully through this thread in case I get startled by a picture posted. I’ll only squawk and let out an expletive and surprise my husband.

Finding this thread really interesting! We saw a small tarantula a few years ago in Cyprus and couldn't quite believe it as we have been to Cyprus many, many times before and didn't realise they lived there. The guy on thr hotel reception told us it would have been a wolf spider, but a google search convinced us otherwise.

OP, if it makes you feel any better it wasn't inside the hotel. It was hiding in a crevice in a drained pond in a quiet spot in the hotel grounds. We found it when out hunting for lizards with the kids. It was very timid and not moving anywhere.

Interestingly, the hotel was in Coral Bay where there are a lot of banana plantations.

We have just returned home from another trip, this time staying in Aphrodite Hills. No spiders this time! It was very unusual to see one.

No absolutely not,I was there in September and April.i would not of coped if I saw one.

I’m laughing as I too pick up bananas in the supermarket by the little stalky bit at the top with minimum contact and give them a little shake before they get into my basket. I also have never been to Cyprus to date, as I’ve heard the stories. The chances are low…..but there is a chance. Good luck OP, I’d be relying on large wines to calm the nerves!

Well that’s another country I can never go to then.

My ex boyfriend/platonic male friend is Cypriot but he was born here. He’s going back to Cyprus for a holiday in September with his mum, will have to ask about tarantulas.

There you go then harmless. Highly unlikely to scare you to death.

This was my understanding. There is a place in Southern Italy called Taranto which became associated with spiders (wolf spiders). When Italian explorers first went to South America they discovered these ground dwelling hairy spiders and called them Tarantula.....using the name from back in Italy even though it was a completely different spider.

I'm in Cyprus on a villa holiday at the moment, we are in Paralimni and I haven't seen any spiders at all so far, not even tiny ones (day 5 of 7 so I guess there's still time!).

Stray cats, a few ants and laughing doves are all I've seen so far.

Edited to add that the above creatures were not in the pool, obviously.

Yes that’s it, I think I understand it now!
The word tarántula in Spain used to refer to the spiders OP is describing but that name gradually shifted to the tropical beasties. We now call the beastie formerly known as tarantula in Spain “wolf spider” because that’s their current species (?) name.

However…there are still lots of nasty looking spiders in Europe, no matter what they’re called - wouldn’t want to meet any of them thanks 😩

Tarantulas are actually really chill. They wouldn’t bother you. If they’re even there

I’ve spent a lot of time in Cyprus and have seen a few big spiders but not tarantulas. Only two inside in many years though. They wanted to get away from me though!

Well the way our summers in the UK are heating up lately with climate change,how long before we start seeing them in the UK? 😱

I think It depends how remote your villa is, hotel grounds tend to spray the areas with bug spray and the rooms too when cleaning plus I’m sure the massive cyprus cat population help to keep creepy crawlers away if they live in hotel grounds.

I've been to Cyprus many many times, never seen one but we always stay in hotels so can’t really comment on villas.

They are in the UK as well these days. The purse web spider. Quite cuddly, though.

Also deeply unhappy about this concept and skipped a wedding there a couple of years ago when I heard this, but recently caught up with a friend whose family have lived in Cyprus for 40+ years and she's been there every school holiday and then several times a year in the 20 odd years since she finished uni, and she said she's never seen one which reassured me a bit.

Don't believe everything you see........ I'm also a severe arachnophobe but would consider it a massive honour to see a wild tarantula, they are super shy. you've got this OP, trust me, for every tarantula in Cyprus, I bet you have 30 in your house!

That should be 30 other spider species......

Not helpful!!