Creepy Crawlies-SPIDERS!!!

[Coralietg]

They are venomous, just not as dangerous as brown recluse or black widows. If one actually got on me my injuries from getting it off of me would probably be worse than the actual bite;-)
My chicken and duck areas are clear from bushes and I keep everything mowed and weedeated. But, the area is in a shady spot that is very close to a tree line. I picked the spot for the shade but evidently it is spider central. The nooks and crannies are where they congregate, the inside of the duck house is the worst. When I lift off the roof to clean is where I find most of them.

People always tell me most spiders are harmless, they can't hurt you, blah blah blah. A heart attack is very harmful, and that's what I'm likely to have when I see one.

 

[jenniemig]

I just looked them up and you're right, they are venomous! Eek! I could've sworn someone told me or read somewhere they weren't. I've seen a few around my property. Well now I know. I would try to kill every one of them you see. And discourage them from moving in as much as possible. Is it like an infestation of wolf spiders or are there all different kinds of spiders?

They're all the same kind. This morning I found a burrow with an opening the size of a quarter, there's a monster spider in that hole! I am thinking about getting rid of the duck houses all together and build them a open style shelter. They don't use the houses very much, they are very dark.

 

[jenniemig]

People always tell me most spiders are harmless, they can't hurt you, blah blah blah. A heart attack is very harmful, and that's what I'm likely to have when I see one.

Yes, me too!

 

[jenniemig]

If it's dark inside your duck houses that will attract spiders as well, too bad your ceilings aren't low enough for the ducks to grab them and eat them right off the ceiling, my mallards used to eat anything that moved, even venomous spiders wouldn't stand a chance.

My ducks are weird, they won't eat any sort of bugs. I have tried meal worms and crickets, not interested at all.

 

[DylansMom]

I just looked them up and you're right, they are venomous! Eek! I could've sworn someone told me or read somewhere they weren't. I've seen a few around my property. Well now I know. I would try to kill every one of them you see. And discourage them from moving in as much as possible. Is it like an infestation of wolf spiders or are there all different kinds of spiders?

I believe ALL spiders are venomous, the only questions being; are they big enough to actually break the skin of a human and how sensitive is the human to the venom. I have no reaction to a lot of insect bites, such as fleas for example, I don't even itch, however I have a friend who develops big red welts from flea bites. She is just more sensitive to the bite. Wolf spiders are big enough to break skin, but you have to really provoke them. I grew up in a house in the woods next to a stream, Wolf spider nirvana. I actually kept several as pets when I was a child, I caught them in a bare hand and would put them in a small plastic habitat and keep them for weeks at a time. I was almost 20 before I upset one enough for it to actually bite me, I felt the fangs and dropped him before he really sank them in. I don't know how much of a reaction I would have to their bite, and I am not eager to find out. I do a lot of gardening and they run across my legs and hands a lot, but do not try to bite me. You really do have to provoke them a lot to get them mad, they would much prefer to run away from you.

 

[Avlana]

I believe ALL spiders are venomous, the only questions being; are they big enough to actually break the skin of a human and how sensitive is the human to the venom. I have no reaction to a lot of insect bites, such as fleas for example, I don't even itch, however I have a friend who develops big red welts from flea bites. She is just more sensitive to the bite. Wolf spiders are big enough to break skin, but you have to really provoke them. I grew up in a house in the woods next to a stream, Wolf spider nirvana. I actually kept several as pets when I was a child, I caught them in a bare hand and would put them in a small plastic habitat and keep them for weeks at a time. I was almost 20 before I upset one enough for it to actually bite me, I felt the fangs and dropped him before he really sank them in. I don't know how much of a reaction I would have to their bite, and I am not eager to find out. I do a lot of gardening and they run across my legs and hands a lot, but do not try to bite me. You really do have to provoke them a lot to get them mad, they would much prefer to run away from you.

 

[DylansMom]

I get that a lot, and I'm a local nut too! We have a swimming pool now, and every morning my son and I go round and lift all the ones that are still alive out of the water and drop them in the grass. Wolf spiders luv water.

 

[dheltzel]

I believe ALL spiders are venomous, the only questions being; are they big enough to actually break the skin of a human and how sensitive is the human to the venom. I have no reaction to a lot of insect bites, such as fleas for example, I don't even itch, however I have a friend who develops big red welts from flea bites. She is just more sensitive to the bite. Wolf spiders are big enough to break skin, but you have to really provoke them. I grew up in a house in the woods next to a stream, Wolf spider nirvana. I actually kept several as pets when I was a child, I caught them in a bare hand and would put them in a small plastic habitat and keep them for weeks at a time. I was almost 20 before I upset one enough for it to actually bite me, I felt the fangs and dropped him before he really sank them in. I don't know how much of a reaction I would have to their bite, and I am not eager to find out. I do a lot of gardening and they run across my legs and hands a lot, but do not try to bite me. You really do have to provoke them a lot to get them mad, they would much prefer to run away from you.

You are absolutely right about all spiders being venomous, that's how they dispatch their prey. For a small insect, the venom is paralyzing and contains enzymes to break down the insides of the insect so it can be sucked out. Spiders are extremely reluctant to bite a human because it is a waste of precious venom, it's much more effective for survival for them to move away and bite an insect with it later. Only if they think their live is in grave danger would they ever think it worthwhile to bite.

 

[Aacre]

Definitely use the essential oils for now, but I agree that maybe a more open house is in need. Dark, undisturbed places are an invitation for spiders, and from the sounds of the mere size of spiders you get there, it would just be a great idea to get rid of that invitation! I'll take scorpions and rattlers any day..

 

[nab58]

Yikes!! I concur with the gas/match method of prevention. I'm going to have nightmares tonight too.