I have been living in this house for 2 1/2 yrs now. The first 2 years, I seen and killed maybe a total of 5 of these hideous looking things. Just in the past month, I have killed over 40 of them!
I have killed 5 of them so far tonight. Last night I killed 5 and 4 of them were with their babies. I have killed at least 10 with babies in the last month.
I had the Truely Nolan guy out here 3 days ago and he told me there is nothing they can use to get rid of them. The only way to get rid of them is to eliminate their food source (insects). Eliminating their food source will make them leave and find somewhere else to congregate. The problem is... They come out at night to lighted areas to eat insects. I have security lights outside that come on dusk-dawn. This attracts insects which in turn attracts these nasy spiders.
These things are hideous looking, really really fast and can jump quite far. They are also quite large. One of the ones I killed tonight was the size of a Tennis Ball (distance around their outreached legs)!!
I'm no fan of spiders of any kind. In fact, I am probably borderline Arachnophobic. The things just plain old CREEP ME OUT.
Every time I see 1, I spay it with Ortho's Home Defense Max. They usually die within 5 min's of being sprayed.
So far, I have not seen any inside the house. I find them in the garage, driveway and front patio.
Sounds like a localized problem. I haven't noticed any change...
Can you swallow a bird to eat the spider?
err... maybe hatch some lizards? Make hiding spots for the lizards to nest near the spider infestations?
I dont think lizards will cut it. These spiders are huge and it's more likely the spider will kill the lizard. It would take adult Iguanana's to kill the damn things.
[This message has been edited by JimmyS (edited 09-05-2010).]
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12:37 AM
faaaaq Member
Posts: 3856 From: Madison WI, USA Registered: Sep 2009
i would move. lol seriously. i hate spiders, or anything small that crawls and can move/jump too fast to keep track of. i think it has to do with me being insanely ticklish. giant spiders, not happening
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01:05 AM
Uaana Member
Posts: 6570 From: Robbinsdale MN US Registered: Dec 1999
Sorry one of those years. Cycle n stuff. Evil fun, use WD-40 and a lighter.. had much fun taking out an egg sack that way. You have found the egg sack right?
Sorry one of those years. Cycle n stuff. Evil fun, use WD-40 and a lighter.. had much fun taking out an egg sack that way. You have found the egg sack right?
Wolf Spiders carry their egg sac with them.
Once the babies hatch, they travel on their mother's back till they are big enough to hunt on their own.
9 of the 10 mothers I killed, the babies had already hatched and were riding with the mother. All the babies were killed with the mother. The other one had an egg sac and it was destroyed.
Wolf spiders do not spin webs to trap their prey. They are hunters and feed at night.
This is about the size of one of one the ones I killed tonight. And hell no that is not my hand!!!!! These are pics I got off the net.
They live in burrows in the ground.
[This message has been edited by JimmyS (edited 09-05-2010).]
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01:35 AM
ryan.hess Member
Posts: 20784 From: Orlando, FL Registered: Dec 2002
Although I doubt lizards will be able to eat one the size of your fist, they will take care of the babies. Plus they eat a lot. Those that don't eat spiders will take care of the insects that are drawing them in...
If they aren't in the house, I say why bother? They are eating the insects in the area. I have them around here too. I let them do whatever they want as long as they are outside.
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01:53 AM
Vonov Member
Posts: 3745 From: Nashville,TN,USA Registered: May 2004
If they aren't in the house, I say why bother? They are eating the insects in the area. I have them around here too. I let them do whatever they want as long as they are outside.
Well, I gotta say...I HATE walking thru a big spiderweb in the dark, cuz ya always wonder...YAGGGGHHH...WHERE'S THE DAMN SPIDER!!!!????
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01:56 AM
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Darth88Formula Member
Posts: 1323 From: Mt. Holly, NC Registered: Aug 2005
I agree, I don't like walking through the webs either. It's never a fun experience. I'm not very fond of spiders in the first place. I've had to force myself to not kill the wolf and huntsman spiders because of their assistance in keeping the insect population down. But if I can't identify it, it's gonna die!
If they aren't in the house, I say why bother? They are eating the insects in the area. I have them around here too. I let them do whatever they want as long as they are outside.
Well, my girlfriend and I are both smokers (please no hatin). We dont smoke in the house so we go outside or in the garage to smoke. It creeps us out to see one right next to us unexpectedly.
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02:01 AM
Darth88Formula Member
Posts: 1323 From: Mt. Holly, NC Registered: Aug 2005
Well, my girlfriend and I are both smokers (please no hatin). We dont smoke in the house so we go outside or in the garage to smoke. It creeps us out to see one right next to us unexpectedly.
That's understandable, I have had my share of run ins when I take the dogs out on late night potty breaks. If I don't bother them, they don't bother me. Have you tried using the ortho home defense as a barrier as well? I used it on my back patio this year and reapply it every couple of weeks and I haven't seen anywhere near the numbers I saw last year. Which reminds me that I need to spray it again.
Yes with the Ortho. I even sprayed the entire garage floor with it. Spiders do not groom each other or themselves so unless they are directly sprayed, they dont come in contact with the Ortho. Spiders basically walk on finger nails so their body is above any poison like Ortho.
Yes with the Ortho. I even sprayed the entire garage floor with it. Spiders do not groom each other or themselves so unless they are directly sprayed, they dont come in contact with the Ortho. Spiders basically walk on finger nails so their body is above any poison like Ortho.
IDK man. No idea then
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02:28 AM
williegoat Member
Posts: 20783 From: Glendale, AZ Registered: Mar 2009
no excess of them here. I had two really big ones hang out by my front entry way in the last few months, one was there every night for a week or so then just disappeared. The other was there for a few nights before earning the death penalty by falling on my head on the way in the house one night.
You might consider screening in the areas where you smoke at night, even the garage they have those sliding screens or ones that roll up. If your lanai is already screened in find the holes and fix them, then caulk around the frames really good and put a thick rubber or foam seal around the door.
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09:52 AM
Synthesis Member
Posts: 12207 From: Jordan, MN Registered: Feb 2002
I prefer wolf spiders over the ones camping on my front step.
I have a brown recluse and have seen a black widow. I sprayed both webs and the areas with spray.. I have not seen them since..
When I lived in the Twin Cities renting a basement, I had the kids visiting. We were watching a movie, and looked up at the ceiling when the TV got real bright. On the ceiling was a wolf spider with a body length of about two inches. With his legs spread all the way out, he was about as big around as a soft ball.
Rather than kill him, I took a tupperware bowl (a damned large one), put it over him, and shook the ceiling tile. As soon as he dropped, I slapped a lid over it.
I released him outside, and for the next four evenings he'd be outside happily hunting. I saw him every night out there.
Don't kill them off, even if you dislike them. They really are quite beneficial to reducing the insect population.
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10:54 AM
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Derek_85GT Member
Posts: 1623 From: Flipadelphia, PA Registered: Mar 2005
I'm not a fan of spiders but they eat the insects I don't want around. I've already been sick with Lyme once. When I find spiders I just find a spider friendly container and re-deposit them outside where they belong.
You might consider screening in the areas where you smoke at night, even the garage they have those sliding screens or ones that roll up. If your lanai is already screened in find the holes and fix them, then caulk around the frames really good and put a thick rubber or foam seal around the door.
This is something Danielle and I already talked about. We wanted to have the front porch screened in but this is a rental and the owners didn't want to pay the $480 to have it done. We also dont want to spend the $480 for them.
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02:09 PM
Old Lar Member
Posts: 13798 From: Palm Bay, Florida Registered: Nov 1999
Maybe switch the dusk to dawn lights to a motion detector type. This would only have the lights come on when motion is detected. The potential downside I have is the lights come on when a car drives by my house, but I don't live on a busy street. I have mine set ot the shortest distance I can and have it only on for the minimum time.
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03:40 PM
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 25624 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
i raised the smaller cousins to these guys up here a few years back (weird i know)
Best way to get rid of them is to take a box of Morton Salt and make a line all the way around the houses foundation.
Works for 2 things: Keeps evil spirits away lol and will prevent them from crawling up the walls to find those seccluded areas to nest in. no i have no idea why it works but after a few weeks the already nested ones will not be able to mate and will die off unless they feel the need to jump over the line you make but then im not sure if that would happen.
I'm not having an insect or spider problem inside the house. I had some piss ants a few months ago but re-treated the inside of the house and they are now gone.