Spiders In Florida???? Please No pics! (St. Petersburg, Fort Myers: house, service, art)

[oceandreams94]

YUck oh YUck! The thread about the "monster" spider that someone posted got me wondering, Just how BIG are the spiders down there in Florida????? We NEVER see them that size here! I almost faint when I see a spider the size of my finger let alone something with hair, such hideous legs!
And what are these Banana spiders??? I think I may have seen these things in Louisiana when I was younger and I just about died!
Someone said that they get in their yard during certain times of the year. Do they ever LEAVE??
Sorry, I just have a reaaaallllly bad phobia of spiders!

Jen

PLease people dont post pics of those nasty things, LMBO!

[green acres]

Banana spiders are HUGE!!! I used to live in rural northeastern FL and they would make their webs from one tree to another. They were literally the size of my hand. You only walked into a web once though!!

[ellie]

Sorry baby, they're all over the place.

Some are common in the fall, like banana spiders, others in summer like garden spiders, and the ones like you saw in the previous post are around most of the year. Black widow spiders usually hang around outdoor water spigots. Brown recluses, fortunately, are not too common.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by oceandreams94

YUck oh YUck! The thread about the "monster" spider that someone posted got me wondering, Just how BIG are the spiders down there in Florida????? We NEVER see them that size here! I almost faint when I see a spider the size of my finger let alone something with hair, such hideous legs!
And what are these Banana spiders??? I think I may have seen these things in Louisiana when I was younger and I just about died!
Someone said that they get in their yard during certain times of the year. Do they ever LEAVE??
Sorry, I just have a reaaaallllly bad phobia of spiders!

Jen

PLease people dont post pics of those nasty things, LMBO!

It is very strange, they just seem to mysteriously show up over night and will be pretty good size. Then you begin to see dozens of them in the webs. They build the webs in layers one on top of another and can be more then a foot thick with maybe four inches between the layers. I read they can catch small birds in them. Sometimes there will be hundreds of them around then they all disappear overnight. My guess is there must be some kind of bird that feeds on them and when it discovers a bunch in one place cleans them out. There is a few around now I will try to get some pictures tomorrow.

Here is the scary part I know you won't like. They build webs amazingly fast and you can wake up and walk out your door and find a web built right across your doorway in one night. I love them and always look forward to them showing up. The webs trap thousands of termites by the way that fly at night looking to make a new nest so they do server a purpose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_silk_orb-weaver

[FedUpInFtMyers]

I didn't see too many up in St. Petersburg; however, the brown recluse and black widow were occasionally mentioned. However, Fort Myers is the most "spidery" place I've ever encountered. There are brown recluse, black widow, and wolf spiders in abundance here. What I have learned about black widows is scariest of all, and that is that they like blankets, clothing in drawers, and the like. I do know of someone who got bit by a brown recluse that was in the pant leg of her jeans. (I now only put things in drawers that are inside out so that I know there is nothing in the clothes that I am putting on.) I also pull the bed linens down every evening before getting in to do a "spider check" just to be safe, and I understand that is a good practice when living in an area where spiders are abundant. But my least favorite of all is the wolf spider because they are so very aggressive and will not hesitate to try to take you down. ha ha ha I always tell everyone that those spiders know martial arts! Beware!!!! LOLOL

[gypsychic]

I love the big spiders, especially the banana spiders, and the pretty ones with stripes that show up around spring and stay through fall. They are great spiders to have, as they eat TONS of mosquitoes and wasps! They will not hurt you! Learn to see the beauty in them as well as the value of the service they provide. I let them live in my house and will never kill one.

[FedUpInFtMyers]

Gypsychic - you are a brave soul and a good person! So . . . the pretty striped spiders observe a FL "season" too?! That is neat!

I do not like spiders and actually fear them; however, I do hate to kill them. I never kill any that are outside, even if right outside my door. Wish I could see some of the spiders that you get to appreciate. I will say that I did think that the black widow that I shook out of the carpet that my dog was lying on was stunningly beautiful. Eeeeeek! Quite a close call for me and my dog, though. I didn't know it was there. I let that spider go, by the way.

[vpcats]

OH MY GAWDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD. You guys have me very worried now. We fumigate our house and yard about every 2 mths so I never really see anything. Not even the cockroaches that everybody complains about.
But spiders????? BIG spiders????
Is there anything one can do to get rid of them?
I don't care if they have a purpose. There are chemicals for termites and whatever else.

[oceandreams94]

Originally Posted by vpcats

OH MY GAWDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD. You guys have me very worried now. We fumigate our house and yard about every 2 mths so I never really see anything. Not even the cockroaches that everybody complains about.
But spiders????? BIG spiders????
Is there anything one can do to get rid of them?
I don't care if they have a purpose. There are chemicals for termites and whatever else.

vpcats, you and me both!

OMG!!!!! what on earth do you do if one builds a web over your DOOR?????? how the heck do you get out?????? oh my gosh i think i may puke!
what do you mean, they come after you??? I need to get a gun or something, LOL!!

Jen *sitting here thinking a spider is crawling on me*

[FedUpInFtMyers]

I have heard - and I have no confirmation of this - that there is no chemical that takes care of spiders and that there is nothing that you can do about them. Can anyone confirm this?

vpcats - Perhaps they are on Butterscotch's menu (and that is why you do not see anything)?! LOLOL