Spiders In Seattle (Bellevue: apartment complex, house, living)

[shoegal111]

Originally Posted by shadedtribulations

Hi guys, I just wanted to know from those of you in the area about the giant house spiders that make their home in the PNW. Are they really around every year, in every house? I googled them and they look TERRIFYING. I have visited Seattle and absolutely loved it (weather and all) and would really like to make the move but have been completely afraid of spiders - even small ones - my entire life. I'm afraid that this would be the dealbreaker for me (as opposed to the gray and rain or "Seattle freeze"), as crazy as it seems. Coming from the Northeast, I have never even been in the vicinity of an insect that large. I fear if I ever stumbled across one of those guys just hanging around my house, I might have a heart attack. It sounds extreme but it's just the way I've always been. Please let me know if these are really as prevalent as I am perceiving, and if they are, how on Earth does one go about dealing with them? Thank you!

I have the same phobia. I think you are referrring to Hobo Spiders and yes they are ugly. In three years in Seattle I only had one encounter- in my bathroom when construction was occurring on the lower floors of my building and they were waterproofing in addition to running jackhammers. It appears they disturbed the spider nests and they made a beeline to the upper floors and into the apartments. It freaked me out but I lived through it.

Hobo spiders are very similar to Wolf Spiders as far as where they reside (not how they look) but I understand that Hobo Spiders are poisonous where the wolf spider is not.

[treat]

I just googled hobo spider and gagged. Perhaps you could get an apartment on an upper floor somewhere? You're far less likely to see a spider of that sort or centipedes if you're a few floors up. But yeah, compared to Texas.... it's not that bad.

[SPOKENFOR]

Yes, there are spiders there. The ones I saw on a regular were 'black'..I can remember not wanting to go to sleep until I killed one, I had to know it was dead. I saw them a lot at times...

[SPOKENFOR]

Originally Posted by shadedtribulations

Uh oh!

Do they really look like THIS:

http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/nat...cs/fhsspid.jpg

It looks like a tarantula! So creepy!

YEP, that is what they remind me of...taranutlas!...except they look totally jet 'black'.............EEEEWWW..

[shadedtribulations]

Oh gosh. I am really nervous now...

[SPOKENFOR]

Originally Posted by shadedtribulations

Oh gosh. I am really nervous now...

They are not near as hairy as a tarantula, they more take the shape of them. Not the brown wood spiders I am use to here in Florida that is for sure.

I did see them about maybeeeee...twice a month...I had to kill one an average of twice a month.

But, I remember seeing most of them around the bathroom area......and I hear they will jump at you, though I did not experience that.

I have seen the baby ones and the big ones...Don't be scared though, you will get use to them.

[shadedtribulations]

I thought they only come in during the summer?

[SPOKENFOR]

Originally Posted by shadedtribulations

I thought they only come in during the summer?

No, they are out before that. I only lived in Seattle for seven months exactly and that was from the end of Sept-May of this year.. and I saw spiders off and on during those months. I left before the summer even got here, and I did hear that MORE come out during the summer.

But, I saw at least one spider a month, at least one..

I don't remember seeing any when it snowed though, now that I think about it..But, lets say at least five months I was there, I saw them..

[SPOKENFOR]

Originally Posted by shadedtribulations

I thought they only come in during the summer?

Please do not let these critters me a deal breaker for you. Seattle is a lovely place, I think the prettiest city in this country, at least on the top ten list as far as I am concerned..Expensive though... I love it and miss it so much. Hoping I will move back there by the end of this year.

Some people do not see them as much.

The truth is, the spiders I see in Florida are much LARGER and thinner..they have needle like legs... , but the ones in Seattle seem 'thicker' in size....but much smaller than the ones here..

I am actually more afraid of the ones I see here in Florida than those in Seattle, and I think it is the size.

If you can get us to the hillyness of Seattle and it is hilly compared to the basically flat East coast, you can deal with seeing a spider every now and then...I actually came to love the hills except when I wanted to go for a walk and realized I have to go to Seward Park to walk.. (which btw is beautiful and what made me fall in love with Seattle, besides Mt.Ranier ) They have a lot of parks though........

[azelismia]

I see these monsters in the house every year. they aren't hobo's they are giant european house spiders. I've never lived in a house that didn't have them. they go racing thru the living room, thru the kitchen on ceilings and in your bed. ( I found four in my bed once. that nearly gave me a heart attack.) we do have spiders here. there's even the occasional black widow that you see. we do have hobos but the european housespiders tend to eat them.