Wolf spiders and snakes in your house? (Loveland: 2013, camp)

[jlvs2run]

Black widows are basically everywhere, and they like dark places. In Tucson the bushes are full of them even when it's hot out, but they come out more in the evenings.

I got bit by one in the middle of the bicep a couple of years ago and it was no big deal. The height of the symptoms is after 24 hours and they gradually dissipate in the days after that. There's a swelling the size of a quarter and two puncture marks in the center. My eyes felt a little funny and there was a slight strange taste in my mouth but I didn't get sick or anything and otherwise carried on quite normally. Very weak people can be affected more, but I think a person would have to be very weak and maybe already near death to die from one. Having a good digestion helps to get rid of the toxins more rapidly.

A shoe or fly swatter are good to get rid of any uninvited bugs or spiders that get in the house.

By the way, jumping spiders are cute and attack the brown recluse, so they are quite welcome any time.

[gpraceman]

I've lived in Colorado most of my life and have never seen a wolf spider. I've seen many black widow spiders, but I saw many more while living in San Diego. They are a concern, but I wouldn't be overly worried about them. You have a higher risk of being killed in a car accident, being murdered, or drowning than you do in getting bit by a very posionous spider or snake.

I'd be more worried if we were still in the days with no indoor plumbing as I had heard of spiders hiding in outhouses and bites to the male anatomy. Ouch!

[dmtrat]

I lived in Colorado for ten years and never had any spider or snake encounters that one would not normally expect anywhere in this country. I remember stories that the closer you lived to/in the foothills where it is less populated you may expect to find rattle snakes. My brother owned and built a log home on 80 acres of land outside of Fort Collins a bit and did encounter a few snakes, but he lived on a huge open piece of land. Fort Collins is a wonerful town and you will absolutely love it. Good luck

[concoulor3]

Hey -

Yes, we have 'em. But my husband grew-up in Claremont, CA and saw far more Rattler's than living in Loveland. My first rattler was a baby on our driveway (mind you, I grew up here and this is 33 yrs). We have a corn (bull) snake living under our front porch - but we have far fewer mice now - an actual bigger nusiance. My first black widow was out here in the country, too. Both rattlers & BW are non-confrontational and will only strike when distrubed. It is true that BW bites decreased in relation to the increase of indoor plumbing. They don't like to be sat upon . My husband was bit, but the little guy was hanging out on his work gloves and was smashed against his skin. Same symptoms as the previous guy - but he had some night sweats. I don't even think the BW bite can kill a human infant - probably very sick but survivable.

Anyhow, my biggest fear is my son trying to investigate a rattler (as far as animals encounters go). You will see far more, deer, elk, raccoons, Bald Eagles, fox, coyotes, etc. One time, when I lived in a very est. neighborhood (w/ 100yr Cottonwoods) and no screens on the window, we had a bat fly-in (you're supposed to get a rabies shot if bats fly inside your home) but I didn't (over 10 yrs ago), also had a room-mate in college have a bat clinging to her bike she had outside...

The biggest down-side is the fact that we are invading there homes

So, practice ahymisa (non-violence) against yourself & others and it's all good!

Best, concoulor3

[Pax_Avatar]

City Girl,

I have lived in the Springs and have yet to see a snake here. I've known folks that have spotted them in new housing developments and areas that back to opens spaces tho.

As far as spiders are concerned, I have never seen a wolf spider here. I do get some small spiders in the garage - but my house is also trimmed in evergreen bushes which tend to attract them.

Pax

[coltoncity]

Practically growing up in FL I am very worried about snakes. I dont know what is indigenous to south CO or central CO. Ugh if you cant handle spiders dont come up here to the Pac NW! They are everywhere. They are healthy too. Snakes worry me though.

[gpraceman]

On snakes, unless you do hiking, live in a more rural setting or border open space, it is likely that you will never see a dangerous snake. You may see garden snakes, but they are small and very harmless.

Though, I did read one story on a garden snake being dangerous http://coloherp.org/cb-news/Vol-28/c...rdenSnake.html LOL

[.gif]

i get a lot of wolf spiders but i don't see any snakes. the only times i have ever seen snakes are when i've been hiking... got hissed at by two rattlesnakes on one hike.

[summerlozon]

Originally Posted by spleen

It's a good thing that you aren't moving to Maryland. Here's a wolf spider I found in my bathroom last year, it startled me when I stumbled in there, sick with the flu. Here's a picture my hubby took, warning! It's extremely graphic and scary: http://danspan.blogspot.com/2005_10_...n_archive.html (scroll down to the spider post).

spleen

now i live in westminster maryland. i moved from southern california 3 blocks from the beach. so you see im new to the wolf spiders. i moved here in june last year and by fall i was killing about 3-5 of the wolf spiders and brown recluse spiders EVERYDAY. now this is my first spring here and last night i go outside and look at the back door. and guess what i find....it looked like one of those two i mentioned but it was kinda dark so im not sure which one. but i do know that i woke my husband to look at it and he came outside and said wow thats weird. the spiders body was about the size of a silver dollar....so that picture you had looks like a baby compared to the one i saw last night. i tried to splash bleach on it. i was not going near it to kill it. i splashed the bleach on it about 5 times and it just kept running off. once it got to the grass i couldnt see it anymore. oh god i cant take it here in maryland. i wish someone had told me before i moved here.

[McGowdog]

Wolf spiders; I see them from time to time. I kill them. They freak me out. I don't mind them so much if I see them first. Kind of like Snattle Rakes! I don't hate them. I just like them better when they're not around.

Here's my Wolf spider experience: I was living with my parents in an apartment during my first semester of college. Needless to say, I wasn't "home" much. That apartment complex was like Party Central, too (Carriage Hills apartments in Thornton)! If you wanted a particular drug you needed, there was an apartment number to accomodate that need. Well, one night I was returning from door number ## and it was like 3:20 in the am. I remember s-n-e-a-k-i-n-g into my room that night -er morning and noticed that my parents' bedroom door was WIDE OPEN! THEY WEREN'T HOME THIS PARTICULAR EVENING!!!!!!!! That was a good thing as I wasn't going to sleep that evening. I get settled down into my room and look at the ceiling. This was after I put my favorite Black Sabbath album on and cranked the volume up to 8. Well, I look at the ceiling and see this Wolf Spider staring at me. If I leaned left, the spider turned left. Lean to the right, it turned to the right. I thought...this isn't happening. It was a very LARGE wolf spider too. Well, I thought just in case... I reached behind me and on the wall I've got these two swords mounted on my headboard. I grab one down and hold the tip with my thumb and finger and go THWANG! I cut this thing in half! Then I enjoyed the rest of my Black Sabbath album.

I was with my bro in Long Boat Key just on his patio cleaning his place up and I felt this thing wrap around my leg...