Kamie26

Right I have decided since I am moving to the land of many spiders, that its most probably be best if I try an cure this little problem. I may not be really bad, but I do tend to scream if one sneaks up on me and run (last time ran into the closed patio door giving the in-laws a very mighty laugh). If I see one and there not really that near me, then I can cope, albeit sitting ridged, with one eye on it at all times, although if its one of the nursery wed spider, all bets are off...those things jump

Now here is the stupid bit, despite my fear, I utterly refuse to kill them. Now here is the crunch, my mil (after me showing my disgust and her killing one that was just chilling in the corner), said to me that I'm going to have to get used to it other wise I was most probably have a heart attack as they get lots in the house.

Well I thought, my sensible side knows that the marjory don't actually don't actually physically harm me and they are all good for the keeping the other bugs down naturally. So maybe I should try and get my fear in proportion and try to like the hairy monsters, as they are quite interesting any way.

No fear is going to rule my life, so how do I stop being such a pussy and get over myself? Have any of you been through the same thing and conquered it and if so...how?

Any advice will be appreciated

Grayling

I have treated dozens of people with spider phobias

Find a therapist here:

www.babcp.com

It is pretty straightforward.

bcworld

Your fear doesn't sound that bad, as you suggest.

What will happen is you might be on edge when you first arrive...and as time passes and you never see one of the things you'll forget all about it. Most of the ones I've seen indoors are smaller than UK house spiders. Of course there are the very noteable exceptions (the last one was in the car!) but I'd put my scary encounters down at once every 2 years or so. Depends where you live of course.

eddie007

Hate spiders but wont kill them

When we arrived I NEVER left clothes on the floor, checked my shoes, under chairs I sat on and generally scanned the whole area before entering...

You get over it....

I sit and watch them.... Golden orbs in the garden. They are fascinating... The daddy long legs, who I'm told are the most poisonous spiders in the world, are actually quite graceful, and they havent found a way to envenomate us yet,, I still wont touch them... Some one else has to evict...

Maybe its because we live in wa and everyone is laid back here... They dont seem to move very fast.... Maybe thats because the abundance of flies in wa means they havent had to evolve to move very fast to catch dinner...

I dunno, they just arent as scarey as they used to be

oz bound

I have quite a fear of spiders but I have learnt to manage it sort of. If they are small then I am ok, I either kill them (sorry) or I get a container and a piece of paper and catch them and relocate them outside. Anything bigger than a 10c coin and forget it, it's spray time. I am now possibly more terrified of cobwebs and I hate it if I walk into one I get really paranoid that there's a spider on me.

BTW I saw more spiders in a month in the Uk at xmas 2009 than I have in 2.5 years in Aus, no joke.

roaringmouse

I largely got over any fear I had for most of them by being bitten by a big white tail on my back! Very minor local reaction, just unbelievably itchy for a week or so.
It's an urban myth that daddy long leg spiders are poisonous - which probably comes from them eating red back spiders, which are known to be poisonous, so it was thought daddy long legs must be even more poisonous. They, along with huntsmans, are good spiders to see around as they eat the nasty ones! Of course, you still don't want to get bitten by a huntsman - not dangerous at all, but hurts a lot.

scottishcelts

- I still do all of the above. Don't think that'll ever change for me.

As far as golden orb weavers are concerned - off with their heads! I spray them when I see them in the garden, they are just too scary, as are their webs. My kids are always out running around and those webs are too big and it's just too easy to run right into the middle of one.

lesleys

I didn't like spiders in the UK. I always asked my OH to kill/remove one.

I'm quite happy to remove them myself now (card and bowl method) or to spray them if they are accumulating along the skirting board in the kitchen. If they are outside on their own territory I'm more than happy to watch them and photograph them. There are so many with attractive markings - not just nasty little black ones.

Don't worry. Ants are much worse.

furbacchione

I regularly find spiders in the house that are as big as the palm of my hand. The farther north you go the bigger and more numerous all the bugs get.

To the OP... you're going to love this place. LOL

furbacchione

Spend a day in my house and garden... I have spiders as big as my thumb making webs across the paths daily. Have walked face first into them many times in the night. I just stop and give them the time to find their way off me and then go on my way. A walk though the house I will find at least 15 daddy long legs and one or two wolf spiders (or what ever they're called) hanging out... Wish I could train them to eat the ants

bcworld

4 years in Brisbane...never saw a huntsman in the house. Massive one under the house in the laundry once. Cockroaches were more of a pain.

eddie007

Hate cockroaches more than i hate spiders nowadays, but unlike spiders I'll kill the barstewards qhen i get the chance

Kamie26

Thanks everyone.

I lived in Australia for a year and a half once before and I don't ever really recall seeing them so it was no big deal. I was bitten by a red back (my own fault for not looking under a garden chair) but that just made my legs swell up to about five times the normal size but that was it.

On my last visit through, it seemed like they were everywhere and thats why I'm a bit worried. I think my biggest fear is either walking in to a web or having one in the car, I have no idea what my reaction would be and I'm terrified that I may panic and run the car off the road or something. Maybe I should just buy a bike.

Now cockroaches (especially the flying kind) send me into a blind panic, but I only saw one on my last visit. Unfortunately it was hiding in the toilet roll when I was on the loo at my sil's house and dropped out when I pulled at the roll...que me jumping up and running out of the loo screaming with my shorts still round my knees right into a room full of people.

I'm not scared of snakes or any other creepy crawlers so why just these two creatures.

bcworld

Had a largish one in the car on Friday night (bugs seem to be attracted to our cars this year!). Looked down and it was silhouetted against the radio display! I was driving but OH managed to get it to walk onto a piece of paper then flick it out the window.

medwaymark

I'm surprised we don't get more in the house. All our windows are open 24x7 in the summer, no screens & the front & back doors are open whilst we are at home. Maybe it's because we have a fair few geckos (they come in to the house too)! Even the outside loo only has one or two daddy long legs in it!

I hate spiders, but I'm fascinated by them & always photograph them.