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PyrateSilly · 08-27-2013, 06:10 PM

Ok, the reason I said do not go to bed with a wet head is the wolf spider will hunt for water at night. When we lived in FL Thom went to bed with a wet head. He woke up to his head hurting a little, it was trying to swell up. After a couple of days he went to the doctor. It seems he got bit over 150 times from a juvenile wolf spider. It took 2 times to the doctor and 2 different antibiotics to get the venom out of his system. He has little scars around the right eyebrow and up into his hair on top of his head. The doc thinks what happened is he was sleeping and rolled on it and it could not get away so kept biting him.
While the bites are not that toxic you can get still get bit.

downeaster · 08-27-2013, 07:30 PM

Thank you for the encouraging words that "they look more scary" than they are harmful, but the thoughts of one crawling over me while I am sleeping is lets say, more than a bit unnerving. We've set a trap to hopefully catch it. Hubby made a small wire cage and put a grasshopper in it. It is surrounded by numerous sticky pads that are designed to catch rodents. Not to worry, no sacrificial grasshoppers as the spider won't be able to get through the cage to him. We're hoping that in the morning we will find him stuck to one of the pads. We are at our home and the motorhome is parked a couple miles away. Fingers crossed this does the trick. Hope this one is not traveling with a companion.

downeaster · 08-27-2013, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PyrateSilly

Ok, the reason I said do not go to bed with a wet head is the wolf spider will hunt for water at night. When we lived in FL Thom went to bed with a wet head. He woke up to his head hurting a little, it was trying to swell up. After a couple of days he went to the doctor. It seems he got bit over 150 times from a juvenile wolf spider. It took 2 times to the doctor and 2 different antibiotics to get the venom out of his system. He has little scars around the right eyebrow and up into his hair on top of his head. The doc thinks what happened is he was sleeping and rolled on it and it could not get away so kept biting him.
While the bites are not that toxic you can get still get bit.

Just what I don't want to happen. Have the heebie jeebies thinking of one crawling on me. Glad they are not lethal bites and that your husband mostly recovered. 150 bites sounds significant to me!

downeaster · 08-27-2013, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Afubar

Why not leave the spider alone? He'll keep down any other bugs that might try to inhabit your MH. Who knows, your cat may enjoy having a playmate.

Years ago when I lived in Florida, I had a bunch of aquariums, some salt water (can we say expensive?). Had major problems with palmetto bugs and because of the fish tanks, could not use insecticide, so I asked the little old lady that lived nearby what she used (she had fish tanks as well). She told me to go get myself a tarantula and turn it loose. I must say after the first week had no more palmetto bug problem. It turned out I was allergic to the hair on the spider so I could always tell when it had been on the bed, other than that, I never saw it, unless I was vacuuming and moved furniture or turned on the kitchen light in the middle of the night.

Good Luck
Kaye

Kaye, my cat might like the playmate. She is a visual girl since she is hearing impaired but I just can't get comfortable with the whole idea. Think you're pretty brave to sport the tarantula idea or any other crawly thing for that matter.

PyrateSilly · 08-27-2013, 08:28 PM

Ready for another comforting thought about spiders? You are never more then 3 feet away from one.
It was a fluke what happened to Thom but I said something to let you know that while they may not be lethal they can still do something. It seems when most spiders bite they numb the area as the fangs go in and then they slide back out, when a wolf spider bites they also numb the area but the fangs tear the skin a little as they come back out. That is why he did not wake up from all those bites and just slept on thru while it kept doing it. Very good thing he also had a doctor that recognized what it was and took care of it easily.

iawoody2 · 08-27-2013, 08:29 PM

Florida does have alot of brown recluse spiders. They look a lot like wolf spiders, just make you don't get bit a brown recluse because not treated in time they can cause death.

timarti · 08-27-2013, 08:40 PM

Yikes! I am having second thoughts about Florida this winter. Up here in the frozen north we only have bears and suicidal moose and deer running out onto the road. Nothing venomous or too hairy!

Of course, there are the blackflies in June........and the howling blizzards of winter that could do one in, as well.

adamfolger · 08-27-2013, 09:35 PM

Any time I see a bug or spider in my MH I smash it with my hand so hard there is no time for it to bite or get away. Best to be cruel and not scared. I have never lost any sleep over a dead spider. Like someone said they are smart, fast and very afraid of you. You must sieze the moment when spotted or they will disappear to scare you another day. Spiders will only stay where there is food

kewag · 08-27-2013, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timarti

Yikes! I am having second thoughts about Florida this winter. Up here in the frozen north we only have bears and suicidal moose and deer running out onto the road. Nothing venomous or too hairy!

Of course, there are the blackflies in June........and the howling blizzards of winter that could do one in, as well.

I have no desire to go to Florida where the bugs die of old age. I would rather freeze them out up North....

DeWat · 08-28-2013, 04:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by downeaster

Thank you for the encouraging words that "they look more scary" than they are harmful, but the thoughts of one crawling over me while I am sleeping is lets say, more than a bit unnerving. We've set a trap to hopefully catch it. Hubby made a small wire cage and put a grasshopper in it. It is surrounded by numerous sticky pads that are designed to catch rodents. Not to worry, no sacrificial grasshoppers as the spider won't be able to get through the cage to him. We're hoping that in the morning we will find him stuck to one of the pads. We are at our home and the motorhome is parked a couple miles away. Fingers crossed this does the trick. Hope this one is not traveling with a companion.

This will be a very interesting scenario. I always thought that spiders did not go after prey. That's what their webs are for... they build the web and wait for the prey to come to them. Sure they will occasionally come across something in their travels, but I was just under the impression that their primary means of feeding was by web trapping.

so47 · 08-28-2013, 05:51 AM

Had a house rule. Leave the wolf spiders alone. I don't like other bugs in the house so I was willing to have the spiders. An added benefit was none of my kids friends wanted to spend the night.

DonDee · 08-28-2013, 10:53 AM

This was on our screen door in the stick house last night...inside!

Muddypaws · 08-28-2013, 11:06 AM

That explains why I find them in the shower so often. I usually rescue them and put them outside if I can. If they were actually smart they'd realize I was helping them but they never do. Fast little buggers!

MartySQ · 08-29-2013, 04:14 PM

Only orb weavers make a web to snare flying insects... the ones you see crawling around on the ground are hunters.
It always frsutrates me that people want to kill them. I don't like living with them, so I use a clear glass and slide a piece of paper under it and take the spider outside and release it. They eat so many annoying insects, I just can not think of them as annoying themselves.
I understand some folks have phobias. I also have limits and recluses are killed if spotted. Widows I leave be unless there are children around who wouldn't know better than to corner one. Most spiders will only bite a human out of self defense.