BBC Focus Magazine

[Jamie]

So, over the last couple of weeks I've been on ever increasing spider catching duties in my house. I've been thinking maybe the days are getting shorter, the temperature dropping a bit and thye're just after some warmth.

However, yesterday we started getting a large number of flies appearing seemingly from nowhere. After a bit of investigation it turned out the were emerging from the skirting board under the chimney breast. I assume some unfortunate bird of small mammal has fallen down the chimney and snuffed it, and then a fly has laid some eggs etc etc.

Now it got me wondering, are spiders attracted to the smell of the the dead animal / maggots knowing that there'll be flies appearing eventually ? I hasten to add I can't smell a damn thing !

[Esther]

I'm not sure if they are attracted to it, but some of them acutally leave trails of rotting garbage to lure flies in.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1114737.htm

[M Paul Lloyd]

Interesting, I can't say as I have seen more spider webs around our (only collected fortnightly thus stink to high heaven) bin nor the compost heap for that matter but you would think it might provide some small evolutionary advantage.

If it is any consolation Jamie we too have been plagued by spiders this summer although I think it is as much down to do with them hatching during the end of August as to anything else.

[MattW]

Over the last month, on an almost daily basis, I've had to evict some right brutes (missus & daughter are terrified for some reason). Could they sense the change in the weather before us (it has got a lot colder over last week or ten days)?

[Colm]

Why are people afraid of spiders? Which are totally harmless? And yet bears - who could do some real damage are "so cute!"

[Ush]

Because spiders are not harmless. I'm pretty sure they can be very venomness and lethal, like lots of insects. I think we are actually hard wired to be afraid of spiders, presumably for this very reason. Bears, we can kill 'em easily and I suspect we haven't been around them for as long as we have been around spiders/insects so less time to evolve an innate sense of fear(not that we necessarily would) of cute and cuddly bears. Anyway I suspect the explanation is something like that. Sound reasonable?

[The Beige Avenger]

I'd sooner fancy my chances agains a spider....

Not sayin' that I couldn't pwn the bajeezus out of some grizzlies like...

[Ush]

[Jamie]

A large spider launched itself onto the bed last night, the Mrs nearly had a heart attack! Foolishly I couldn't find it afterwards to catch it, and tried to fob off a smaller one I noticed in the corner off the roof as the offender.

Mrs J - "Is that it in the glass?"
J - "I think so"
Mrs J - "Are you sure, it looks a bit small?"
J - "Definately"
Mrs J -"THEN WHATS THAT MONSTER SPIDER NEXT YOUR FOOT!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" *runs off downstairs*

Epic Fail.

[M Paul Lloyd]

Spiders embody some truly wonderful scary traits.

[Pandora]

[M Paul Lloyd]

Yep, that's one of them.

[Shadowwolf]

Unless they are the big uns charging across the floor in front of me or hovering over the bed then I tend to leave em be; I reckon that they must be eating something that would otherwise be free. Also the last two times I swatted a bluebottle from the air — both came down by a window — I was saved the need to squish em as a spider had darted out to administer the last rites instead.

[The Beige Avenger]

Unless they are the big uns charging across the floor in front of me or hovering over the bed then I tend to leave em be; I reckon that they must be eating something that would otherwise be free. Also the last two times I swatted a bluebottle from the air — both came down by a window — I was saved the need to squish em as a spider had darted out to administer the last rites instead.

I've got a whole "Joe's Appartment" thing going on with beasties... stay out of my way and I'll not murder you...

[Shadowwolf]

Seems like a very amicable arrangement

[Spyrolot]

The spiders appear to be getting bigger.

Just last week (or the week before) i was blown away at the size of one in my aunts house.
And the other day my friend went mental over one she found (And she loves creatures!)
And just last night there was one in my living room bigger than what i usually see!


It's odd though, that although im fairly afraid of spiders.... I'd be fine with a tarantula? I think if an insect gets big enough, i'm fine with it!

Spiders are still at scary size though.


I'm a big girl, really.

[...]

blimey pan, my first look at that photo i thought ..."looks like a big white spider on someone's finger,
them i realised it was am even bigger spider on someone's arm aaaaaaaggg!!

[Pandora]

blimey pan, my first look at that photo i thought ..."looks like a big white spider on someone's finger,
them i realised it was am even bigger spider on someone's arm aaaaaaaggg!!

Yes it's an arm that its 'perching' on. Aaaaaaagggg indeed !

[Liam Sheppard]

I have a large number of weird spiders, that I cant identify..

They are an inch or two in diametre and have small elongated bodies and very very long spindly legs almost to the point that they cant even walk properly? they look a little like harvest spiders and are the same colouring but as I said have an elongated body??

P.S I was confronted by a house spider that was about 3.5 inches in diametre on my stairs it was huge!!

are we under attack?

[Pandora]

Liam, we have some peculiar 'wobbly walking' spiders in our bathroom that look really fragile. They have quite small bodies but really long legs. I think they are called Cellar Spiders....?