Last summer, I noticed a very large spider lurking outside our house. Its tunnel-like web intrigued me, though not enough to make me get too close. I always checked for him whenever I went out to dump the compost because ... well, I always felt better if I knew where he was. You'll have to click on the photo in order to get a better view. I looked online to see if I could find out what kind of spider he was, and found this:
The Funnel Web spider is a robust, hairy spider with long legs and a body length of 12 mm. It nests in the corner of garages, basements and other ground level areas. Its web is a flat funnel that leads to a short tunnel. It can deliver a painful bite but is not poisonous except to those who may be sensitive and are allergic to spider venom.
Spiders kind of freak me out. I don't mind them, as long as they stay away from me. One night in bed, I awoke when something tickled my lip. I thought it was my hair, so I brushed it away. Then I felt the tickle on my neck, and knew immediately that it wasn't just a stray strand of locks. I clutched the tickler in my fist, and threw it on the sheets. I fumbled for the switch on my bedside lamp, then frantically searched the bedding beside me. The spider's legs were all curled up, and it was now most definitely dead. I looked at the ceiling and walls for more of them, but realized that spiders don't hang out in herds, so I was probably safe.
Did you know that you'll eat about six spiders in your lifetime? For months after that night, I fell asleep with the corner of the pillow case over my mouth. I still get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it.
8 comments:
I had a biology professor who brought in tarantulas and spiders sitting on his shoulder and tell us what beneficial things they did for humanity. I have loved spiders since that time. They really are the good guys.
I envy you, Jan. I wish I could love 'em. But I do know they're good guys, and that's why I left the funnel spider alone (although he was pretty big ... big enough to eat a chipmunk or bird ... maybe)
I was going to give you bonus points for using "heebie jeebies" in your post, but it's about spiders, so that's a given.
I was surprised by that tickle on the neck thing the other day. Yes, a spider. At work. On the third floor of an office building. Creepy.
Yikes, NT, not even safe on the third floor of an office building! I think I read somewhere that there's always a spider within a few feet of us ... just waiting. Poor things, they do have a bad rep.
I am no fan of spiders. I will escort them outside under glass when I find them in my home, but I really don't like them. Yeah, I'll tell you the story of the spider in my EAR someday when I stop screaming.
Spider in ear ... have to be honest, I'm not sure I want to hear that story, Raggs. I have enough nightmares of my own. An early Star Trek movie had a scene where a rather gruesome bug was place in Chekov's ear. That was about 30 years ago, and I can still see (and feel) it vividly.
Agree with Jan. Spiders are also especially good at giving pesky little critters like ants and cockroaches the boot, as well.
I wasn't aware that spiders like to eat cockroaches, Georgie. Now there's a bug that most people could live without!
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