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ssidbroadcast
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Fri Aug 31, 2007 1:16 pm

arklab wrote:
If you want to avoid toxic poisons (and have a little fun), try using "canned air".
You know the stuff you are suposed to dust the keyboard with.

Just turn the can upside down, back a couple of feet away from spider, and shoot.
The fluid comes out really fast, so expect spider to go flying if he isn't holding firmly to something.

The thing is, as the fluid rapidly evaporates, it produces extream cold.
The spider is instantly FROZEN and covered with frost.

I've personally had a few fall from a wall or celling and shatter into bits when they hit the floor! (Really - no fooling.)

Other things work even better, like "chip cooler" and sports sprays - but those are harder to find and often not on hand when needed.

Spider eradication and a new sport all in one.


/redundancy alert.

Were you reading this thread at all?
 
Vrock
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Fri Aug 31, 2007 2:07 pm

I can't believe there's so many pussies on this board. :wink:
 
UberGerbil
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Fri Aug 31, 2007 2:26 pm

I have no problems with spiders. They eat a lot of insects I do have a problem with (disease vectors like flies and mosquitos) and that's a good thing. I leave them alone to do their thing.

When I was a kid living in my mother's basement I was cohabitating with a lot of hobo and similar "hunting" spiders. There was quite a large one that used to cross my bedroom floor at about the same time almost every night on his/her rounds, while I was studying; the regularity was almost comforting. At one point I thought it had died, but I realized it had molted and left its exoskeleton behind, which was kind of cool.

Later, in the tropics, I saw quite a few of impressive size. There was one I recall climbing the wall of my bedroom (when I was staying in a converted rice barn in Indonesia) that was about the size of my hand and showed a rather disturbing amount of awareness of me and the rest of its surroundings. But that's what mosquito nets are for. And I was happy knowing it was up in the thatch, hunting nastier things.

I've never been bit, and never felt threatened -- but then spiders just don't freak me out. When I was gliding in arid steppe of eastern washington I slept in my glider trailer a few times but switched to a tent after I discovered black widow webs in the trailer. That's the only time I was at all disturbed by sharing my space with spiders. (I also got up one morning and found a small rattlesnake sunning itself outside the trailer, which was fun).

Webs don't really bother me either, though I don't like running into them any more than anybody else. But then I've never encountered something like this.
 
ssidbroadcast
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Fri Aug 31, 2007 2:50 pm

Yeah, maybe you're right UberGerbil I guess I've been a little hard on the guys. Maybe someday I'll be evolved enough to look the other way when I see a hobo spider crawl under my bed or across the floor. He's just lookin' out for number one, just like me.

Until then, I'm catch-and-release. And if you are a particularly fast runner, the death penalty!
 
UberGerbil
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Fri Aug 31, 2007 3:09 pm

ssidbroadcast wrote:
Until then, I'm catch-and-release. And if you are a particularly fast runner, the death penalty!
Yeah, catch-and-release is fine. I do that too from time to time (especially on behalf of someone else) and in general they're going to find more to eat outside than in your house (dusty attics and basement crawlspaces aside) so it may be kinder anyway.
 
Buub
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Fri Aug 31, 2007 4:07 pm

I don't get all freaked out, but I have been bitten. Bites happen. They don't like feasting on humans, so I'm sure he was just calling through my bed and I scared him or something, but he didn't belong there in the first place, and I didn't enjoy the fibrous lump that lived on my hand for several weeks.

So no, they are not totally benign. I think I treat them more like bees or wasps. I don't want them around my close quarters, but they do useful things Over There.
 
mac_h8r1
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Sat Sep 01, 2007 2:45 am

Vrock wrote:
I can't believe there's so many pussies on this board. :wink:

Uhm... These are all pictures of spiders...

:wink:
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ludi
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Sun Sep 02, 2007 12:09 am

mac_h8r1 wrote:
Vrock wrote:
I can't believe there's so many pussies on this board. :wink:

Uhm... These are all pictures of spiders...

:wink:


Yeah, but pussies tend to kill spiders (and many other moving creepy-crawlies), as any cat owner can certify. So, those of us who swat spiders can wear the title proudly :D

*whisper whisper* Huh? OOOHHHHH...Vrock, you chauvinist pig!
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NeXus^
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Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:43 am

ludi wrote:
mac_h8r1 wrote:
Vrock wrote:
I can't believe there's so many pussies on this board. :wink:

Uhm... These are all pictures of spiders...

:wink:


Yeah, but pussies tend to kill spiders (and many other moving creepy-crawlies), as any cat owner can certify. So, those of us who swat spiders can wear the title proudly :D

*whisper whisper* Huh? OOOHHHHH...Vrock, you chauvinist pig!


Meh, who needs a cat to kill spiders? I just didn't kill the one in the pic I took cos it was one huge MOFO! I was actually considering keeping it as a pet, but i figure it must be pretty old (not much life left in it) for the spider to get THAT big and slow. My favorite way to kill spiders, particularily the very painful and toxic biting Red Back Spider is to use a "home made flame thrower" aka Lighter and a highly flammable deodorant can :D

.. I love the smell of napalm/burning deodorant can in the morning :P
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ludi
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Sun Sep 02, 2007 5:49 pm

We don't have red back spiders, but we have plenty of its black widow releative. I kill them no matter where I find them -- there are plenty of other spiders with a comparable appetite for insects, which do NOT have a bite that inflicts several hours of severe muscle spasms.

If you ever manage to capture a pair of those red backs, try putting them in the same jar and see what they do. Female black widows are extremely aggressive about their territory, and two of them in a jar will grapple, jump, and roll around like scrapping cats until one finally inflicts a fatal bite on the other. It's quite the floor show.
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FireGryphon
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Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:27 pm

rrussell wrote:
Inkedsphynx wrote:
rrussell wrote:
What?!? Do they taste bad, or something? Picky damned spider...


The spider is probably either not hungry, or hitting it with it's venom and waiting. Spider venom starts the digestion process for the spider, as it begins to break down the prey's matter. It's like our saliva, to an extent. So the spider can't just run out and begin chomping down, they aren't designed that way.


No, I dont' mean taps it with his fangs - I mean with his feet! Pat pat pat, and leaves. Doesn't wrap him up, nothing. The ant just continues merrily on its way.

I'm thinking that's WHY we have so many *!@^$ ants in our yard ;)


You just have lazy spiders.

Buub wrote:
So no, they are not totally benign. I think I treat them more like bees or wasps. I don't want them around my close quarters, but they do useful things Over There.


Wasps are awesome. They don't attack humans unless you come too close to their nest, and they have a healthy appetite for smaller insects, so I like keeping them around if I find a hive nearby. Bees aren't as helpful, but I don't midn them either. Yellowjacks are another story. Thos'll come after you to no end, so I eradicate any hives I find.
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Opios
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Re: More eight legged freaks

Sun Sep 02, 2007 6:55 pm

ssidbroadcast wrote:
Okay guys,
This time, I got creative with my termination method, and used a can-air for computer dusting to literally FREEZE them to death:


I thought I was the only one who did that. It's kind of interesting they way they instantly turn into a spider-sicle after you stop spraying.
 
Darkmage
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Sun Sep 02, 2007 7:01 pm

FireGryphon wrote:
Wasps are awesome. They don't attack humans unless you come too close to their nest, and they have a healthy appetite for smaller insects, so I like keeping them around if I find a hive nearby. Bees aren't as helpful, but I don't midn them either. Yellowjacks are another story. Thos'll come after you to no end, so I eradicate any hives I find.
Yesterday morning I was mowing the lawn and rand the mower right over an in-ground nest of yellowjackets. Needless to say, they were pissed. I got stung just above the sock line on my ankle and again on my knee. Chased me out of my own yard they did.

I came back at 'em with some wasp & hornet spray, but it was almost empty and I couldn't really saturate the opening in the ground (when I found it). So I didn't really get 'em all. I ended up pouring some gasoline down the entrance and then dropped a mound of dirt over the entrance with a shovel. Today I went back with more wasp spray and took out the emergency construction crew they had going to recover from the Darkmage-created earthquake.
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dragmor
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Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:27 pm

Darkmage,

You should try having these things near your house/in your lawn. Ants that are 15mm long, cause some people to swell up when bitten. Their aggressive, can jump 10cm and range a long way from the nest.

http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_ants/BulldogAnt.htm
http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=251
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ssidbroadcast
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Mon Sep 03, 2007 2:08 am

dragmor wrote:
Darkmage,

You should try having these things near your house/in your lawn. Ants that are 15mm long, cause some people to swell up when bitten. Their aggressive, can jump 10cm and range a long way from the nest.

http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_ants/BulldogAnt.htm
http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=251


Crikey. Those things are like out of some RTS game nightmare. They're all left on Attack-Patrol/Attack-move!

And re-usable stingers? Those things have a huge advantage over the relatively docile ants of the USA. Keep those things on that island where they belong or they'll take over our world!!
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NeXus^
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Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:04 am

ludi wrote:
We don't have red back spiders, but we have plenty of its black widow releative. I kill them no matter where I find them -- there are plenty of other spiders with a comparable appetite for insects, which do NOT have a bite that inflicts several hours of severe muscle spasms.

If you ever manage to capture a pair of those red backs, try putting them in the same jar and see what they do. Female black widows are extremely aggressive about their territory, and two of them in a jar will grapple, jump, and roll around like scrapping cats until one finally inflicts a fatal bite on the other. It's quite the floor show.


Talking about putting a red back in a jar.. years ago my brother and I had watched a Red Back spider versus a Daddy Long Legs spider, and the Daddy Long Legs with it's hair thin legs got bitten on one of its eight legs!

It was a short battle when the Red Back bit the Daddys leg and within about 10seconds it completely stopped moving. Mind you the Daddy Long legs was only just put in the Red Back's jar, as the Red Back had an advantage with many webs made over a few days time, apparently my bro said.
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FroBozz_Inc
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Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:23 am

dragmor wrote:
Darkmage,

You should try having these things near your house/in your lawn. Ants that are 15mm long, cause some people to swell up when bitten. Their aggressive, can jump 10cm and range a long way from the nest.

http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_ants/BulldogAnt.htm
http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=251


http://www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/images/f ... /f251d.jpg

Jeez - Big eyes and big mandibles - and they jump at and follow you. No thanks. Those would eat carpenter and fire ants for lunch. Wow. :o
 
mdalli
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probably not a hobo spider

Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:41 am

ssidbroadcast, if that spider is as big as your photos show, it's almost certainly not a hobo spider.

Let me guess, you live in the Pacific NW, right? That's almost certainly a "giant house spider", a relatively non-poisonous relative of the hobo spider:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_house_spider

Giant house spiders come out to mate from about the end of August to October. In fact, the one you have is a male -- notice the little palps near it's head? Go to the store and get some glue traps and put them along the walls where you think they are getting in. They have very poor eyesight, and crawl along the edge of the floor.
 
ssidbroadcast
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Re: probably not a hobo spider

Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:02 am

mdalli wrote:
ssidbroadcast, if that spider is as big as your photos show, it's almost certainly not a hobo spider.

Let me guess, you live in the Pacific NW, right? That's almost certainly a "giant house spider", a relatively non-poisonous relative of the hobo spider:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_house_spider

Giant house spiders come out to mate from about the end of August to October. In fact, the one you have is a male -- notice the little palps near it's head? Go to the store and get some glue traps and put them along the walls where you think they are getting in. They have very poor eyesight, and crawl along the edge of the floor.


Damnit. I'd rather be taking my chance with Hobo Spiders. You sure they aren't Hobo Spiders? I thought the frontal palps were unique to Hobo Spiders until I checked that link. Both look very very similiar. I have spotted "messy" webs, but no distinct funnels, nor have I spotted any to dwell there. The Hobo Spider, on the other hand, is known to leave their web frequently in search of pray. I'm not saying you're wrong or off, they very well could be Giant House Spiders. Regardless, I don't like 'em.

Anyways, I spotted another one of the same size about 10 minutes ago, just before I was going to brush my teeth for bed. I grabbed the closest "vessel" I could find: the cylindrical plastic top lid for a spool of blank DVDs. True to my resolution, I trapped him and released him outside. Hopefully he won't crawl back inside.
 
GeekyGirl
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Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:26 pm

We used to get spiders in our basement that were of a good size. They were pretty hairy too. They come from the drains most of the time so if you just routinely dump clorox down the drains around your house, it keeps most of the big spiders from coming around.

I usually don't bother with spiders unless they are crawling on my bed or on me. My sister freaks out with them though so I routinely get called to take care of it in the middle of the night.

In college, besides the huge roaches, we had these bugs that we called stink bugs because when you killed them, they let out this horrible smell. I became known as the one to call to get rid of the bugs in the dorm rooms because it didn't bother me. My hall mates even made a sign for my door announcing that I was the resident bug killer.

I can usually handle most bugs/spiders, etc. Just don't call me when you see a bat! I was young and stupid....when a bat was in our house, I did the natural thing - yelled. Bad idea because the bat came right to me and got caught in my hair for a moment. When I was free from it, I ran upstairs and locked myself in my room with a towel along the door. The bat died that night when it was in the heat ducts.
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ssidbroadcast
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Spider Update

Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:50 am

Came across a new spider tonight after getting home from work. It was on an interior glass door. I captured it alive and took pictures of it in the bathroom sink (for lighting reasons):

Image

As you can see, it's a bit smaller than previous specimens, stretching to be about nickel-sized, with a body just a wee bit smaller than Jefferson's crib. The others were over a quarter or even pushing a fifty-cent piece. Still looks like a hunter spider, but I'm not sure what it is. Note that it's frontal palps are somewhat bulbous but not nearly as prominent as previous specimens. Also the color is more uniform, with a sleeker thorax/head unit. The others had a spottier, almost leopard-like complexion.

As you can see it is missing a leg (or two). It's quite likely this injury was incurred during capture, as I was sliding the cereal bowl against the glass. I still let it go (outside) even though it was sluggish to move at times. It is not likely it will survive for long out there, but oh well.

If anybody can ID that spider for me, great. I'm outta guesses. Is it possible that this spider was a Hobo Spider and the others were "Giant House Spiders"?
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GeekyGirl
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Re: Spider Update

Fri Sep 14, 2007 9:46 am

ssidbroadcast wrote:
Came across a new spider tonight after getting home from work. It was on an interior glass door. I captured it alive and took pictures of it in the bathroom sink (for lighting reasons):

Image

As you can see, it's a bit smaller than previous specimens, stretching to be about nickel-sized, with a body just a wee bit smaller than Jefferson's crib. The others were over a quarter or even pushing a fifty-cent piece. Still looks like a hunter spider, but I'm not sure what it is. Note that it's frontal palps are somewhat bulbous but not nearly as prominent as previous specimens. Also the color is more uniform, with a sleeker thorax/head unit. The others had a spottier, almost leopard-like complexion.

As you can see it is missing a leg (or two). It's quite likely this injury was incurred during capture, as I was sliding the cereal bowl against the glass. I still let it go (outside) even though it was sluggish to move at times. It is not likely it will survive for long out there, but oh well.

If anybody can ID that spider for me, great. I'm outta guesses. Is it possible that this spider was a Hobo Spider and the others were "Giant House Spiders"?


At this point, your apartment is turning into a huge spider nest-that is just freaky how many you are getting! I'd be calling my landlord. There must be a nest somewhere close.
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NeXus^
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Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:48 pm

Either that or get a cat, or a dog that will eat them :lol:
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FireGryphon
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Re: Spider Update

Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:12 pm

GeekyGirl wrote:
At this point, your apartment is turning into a huge spider nest-that is just freaky how many you are getting! I'd be calling my landlord. There must be a nest somewhere close.


On the other hand, he could be living on a bug nest, so the spiders decided to move in and eat them. Either way, it's probably a good idea to spray inside and out for bugs (bug poisons kill spiders, too).
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just brew it!
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 12:03 am

GeekyGirl wrote:
They come from the drains most of the time so if you just routinely dump clorox down the drains around your house, it keeps most of the big spiders from coming around.

I suspect that's a bit of an urban myth. Drains generally have gooseneck traps in them to prevent sewer fumes from coming back up the pipe, and from what I've seen, most spiders don't like to (or can't) swim.
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dragmor
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 2:35 am

just brew it! wrote:
GeekyGirl wrote:
They come from the drains most of the time so if you just routinely dump clorox down the drains around your house, it keeps most of the big spiders from coming around.

I suspect that's a bit of an urban myth. Drains generally have gooseneck traps in them to prevent sewer fumes from coming back up the pipe, and from what I've seen, most spiders don't like to (or can't) swim.

You guys really need better spiders. Most of the spiders over here that go near water are either light enough to walk on the water surface or have the ability to create an air bubble to that lasts for a couple of hours.

On of the summer rituals I hated as a kid was fishing the live spiders out of the pool before you go swimming (from the surface and the bottom of the pool). Worse was emptying the basket in the filter because that would always have a spider that was sucked in and still alive in with the leaf matter.


http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/spiderspar ... ider14.htm
Unlike some spiders they cannot swim either, but can stay alive in pools for many hours supported by air bubbles trapped amongst their body hairs
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Re: Spider Update

Sat Sep 15, 2007 3:31 am

ssidbroadcast wrote:
Came across a new spider tonight after getting home from work. It was on an interior glass door. I captured it alive and took pictures of it in the bathroom sink (for lighting reasons):

Image

As you can see, it's a bit smaller than previous specimens, stretching to be about nickel-sized, with a body just a wee bit smaller than Jefferson's crib. The others were over a quarter or even pushing a fifty-cent piece. Still looks like a hunter spider, but I'm not sure what it is. Note that it's frontal palps are somewhat bulbous but not nearly as prominent as previous specimens. Also the color is more uniform, with a sleeker thorax/head unit. The others had a spottier, almost leopard-like complexion.

As you can see it is missing a leg (or two). It's quite likely this injury was incurred during capture, as I was sliding the cereal bowl against the glass. I still let it go (outside) even though it was sluggish to move at times. It is not likely it will survive for long out there, but oh well.

If anybody can ID that spider for me, great. I'm outta guesses. Is it possible that this spider was a Hobo Spider and the others were "Giant House Spiders"?


When I do see a spider in my house, it's most often this one right here. I live in Southern California, so that should eliminate the giant house spider as its species. These spiders seem to be active hunting types, as I have seen them skittering across walls and haven't found any "home" webs for them.
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paulWTAMU
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 4:21 am

I don't know what species that is, but my grandfather sent me one as a pet several years ago. Cool little buggers, but I don't think I'd want tons of them running around my place either. They're not one of the dangerous ones, so no real worries, but I don't know what they actually are either.
 
GeekyGirl
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:41 am

just brew it! wrote:
GeekyGirl wrote:
They come from the drains most of the time so if you just routinely dump clorox down the drains around your house, it keeps most of the big spiders from coming around.

I suspect that's a bit of an urban myth. Drains generally have gooseneck traps in them to prevent sewer fumes from coming back up the pipe, and from what I've seen, most spiders don't like to (or can't) swim.


Actually, I've seen them come directly from the drain especially from the main drain in the house. We used to take off the grid and you could find a few sitting there. The main drain doesn't have constant water in it so the spiders aren't swimming to get there.
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moog
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Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:16 am

ssidbroadcast, let me make you feel a bit better.

As someone already pointed out, the first spider is a giant house spider.

Coincidentally just the day before I saw my first house spider I had googled about poisonous insects in WA and I learned about the hobo spider (giant house spider is commonly misidentified as such). So when I first turned on the light and saw the largest sucker I've ever seen not behind glass, my heart nearly stopped. Then I started cursing my luck as to why I would be faced with mortal jeopardy just after moving and at 2 am of all times. I was also cursing the fact that I slept on the floor, not having bought a bed (I got one after a month, couple weeks back).

Anyhow, I potted it and transferred it into a glass (these guys have very poor traction so they can't get out). Then I slept on the floor.

Next day I identified it wasn't a hobo spider, most of them aren't!

To identify:
- Those chevrons are too distinct. Hobo spider chevrons are fuzzy.
- Once in the glass, look at it from the bottom. If you see little black dots on it's legs close to the body, it's not a hobo.

(I used this to identify http://pep.wsu.edu/pdf/PLS116_1.pdf)

So I released it outside my home. Giant house spiders eat hobos and compete against them, so the more you have the better off you are.

I have seen these guys in my house a couple more times and I've grown used to them. Once you look at it, it just sits there, letting you pot it.

In summary
- They are not that fast
- They just sit there
- They can't crawl up smooth surfaces (my bed frame is varnished wood, and I make sure my linens don't touch the floor, so I sleep easy now)
- They keep away hobos
- The more other types near you, the less hobos, the less you freak out

So do not kill them or lay sticky traps, just evict them.

Also, apart from hobos and brown recluse you don't have anything else to worry about in Seattle. And the hobo is losing to the giant house spider so the chance of seeing a hobo is not that high. That second spider (don't know what it is) is not worth your time, just throw it out.

I think spiders coming up the drain is mostly a myth, they have poor traction, once they fall in they can't get out (first one I caught was sitting there sucking on a leg, it liked the moisture I guess).

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