Brown Recluse Spider: Wonder Why You Fear Spiders?

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Ah the poor old spider. The most misunderstood and the most feared creature on God's Planet. Soren you story about waking up with a spider on your nose reminds me of a mate of mine who has a serious Phobia about spiders. He was over at his girlfriends place at the time. He was having a nice warm shower and after the shower my friend decided to dry his face with a lovely clean fluffy towel his girlfriend had set out for him.So upon drying his face he couldn't quiet understand why the clean fluffy towel was rough in areas across his face. Upon further inspection he found this huge Huntsman Spider inside the folds of the towel. He not only had used the Spiders backside to dry his face but as I said to him later on him relating the story to me, my friend had given this Spider a type of possible sexual gratification.

As for spiders I don't fear them I treat them as I would a snake. RESPECT. But unlike a snake I just go and get the Surface Spray and kill the spider its eggs and web. Its bloody European Paper Wasps I despise and thank you Soren for sharing those little bastards with us from Europe. For your utmost considering for sharing the European Paper Wasp with Australia Soren count on a several large boxes containing Funnel Webs from Sydney Red Back Spiders who love dwelling around the toilet seat and a box of female Grey Back Mosquitos which are so large you could enter the English Derby on and guaranted to win a poll position on by riding the Mosquito as you would ride a race horse
 
spiders are not a prob for me or ants but you mention wasps, I just knocked off a Bald face hornet ( Black yellowjacket) nest off my carport roof just inches from our back door. the thing had a couple building the typical grey paper like rounded nest with hole at the bottom it was about 3x3 inches so just in the immature stages but so what..................womp !! gone in a flash the poor suckas, now to check the eaves of the house on the morrow after the long ride
 
Didn't say I feared the Wasps Erich. Just don't bloody like them around the house or in the garden. Wasps and their nests get a similar treatment from me. Sprayed with a good Surface Spray then the nest is removed promptly. Annoying little bastards they are
 
Be careful with that night attack, Erich. When I was about 13 my dad took me out at night to get rid of a few nests. He use to hit them with freon that he would bring home from work (he was PC tech at Sperry-Rand and this was the 70s - no freon regs then). Well, I'm holding the flashlight and he's off to the side in the dark, hits them and the buggers that lived came right up the beam of the light. Must have been hit about 30 times. Never forget that!

And Emac, I thought Rule #2 for being an Aussie was to Respect The Snakes!
 
Geez I never would have thought this thread would have received so much traffic. I guess spiders are not just my nemesis only.

What is it about the reptilian part of the human brain that makes us so afraid of little creatures like the spider. Makes me think that long ago the humble spider might have been even more venemous than they are now.

Thoughts??
 
Not so Catch most of our fears of small creatures isn't so much of a Biological reason as to a phobia based partially on quasi religious ideas of creatures like snakes reptiles and spiders. They represent a blackness or an evilness in the human mind which we can relate back to religious ideology or a basis to semi religious stories and legends. 1 example of Reptilian or snake like creature comes to mind. The Serpent from the Garden of Eden representing Evil or Satan. And snakes reptiles insect and acracnids have been used in symbols in ceremonies in many civilization through out the history of man kind and mostly it was an ceremony to ward of evil. But of course not all such civilizations saw the Snake as evil. For example the Ancient Eygptians venerated the Cobra, But other civilizations have stories and legends involving Reptiles like Dragons and Griffins. St George battling the Dragon of legend and the Griffin the symbol of Wales. Saint Patrick of Ireland banishing evil from Ireland by banishing all snakes from Ireland etc. So not every thing can be related phobia wise to evolution of man but more to the ways of religious phobias and ceremonies that are entrenched in our minds on grounds based on religion based fears
 
I have arachnaphobia and I contracted mine through a bad experience. When I was a kid I was bitten by a spider. My arm swelled up pretty bad and started turning purple. The doctors said it was a brown recluse. Fortunatly my bite did not develop into necrosis and I have no major scars or defects because of the bite.

Ever since then I have been frighted of spiders. I am getting better however, because I am forcing myself to interact with spiders. I understand that 99% of them can not do anything to you and with that knowledge I am forcing myself into situations where spiders are.

Eventually I either want to do one of 2 things. 1.) My wifes university offers programs for people with arachnaphobia, where they put you through "therapy" with spiders and cure you of your phobia. 2.) Buy myself a tarantula or bird spider and force myself to feed and interact with it until my fear is gone.
 
Well, guess I should confess.

In my job I have tackled wallabees, buffalo, alligators, 10+ ft snakes, and vicious 100+ lb dogs, etc, etc.

But there is one thing that takes me out. I go into seizures and spasms, have had ambulances called for me, even just pictures can get me going. Its a true phobia. Good enough for the Maury Povich show.


I have a phobia for catepillars.

(waits for laughing to subside and screens to be wiped off)

A few things happened as a child and its a mental thing. I laugh about it because it is soooo ridiculus and besides its nice entertainment for my friends. This probably should be in the Bio thread but WTH.
 

Can't say I'd like to meet either one hungry....

I've been to a Croc farm in Queensland and when those fellas see food they move damn fast
 


Hey, take it easy, it's all one big misunderstanding, the wasps took us hostages you see, we were forced to bring them along.. now take that grey back mosquito back out of that box, for gods sake don't send it!

 

Emac, I don't think that is accurate. If you put a fuzzy object or anything resembling a spider on a small child (baby), they come unglued. This is a brain stem (reptilian brain) reaction. Why? Who knows, probably lost in the eons past. But I would suspect that our history has been shaped by black crawlies killing our sickening our young.

Religious reasons? Naw. That's bogus.
 
God, I hate spiders ! I would rather deal with a scorpion than with a Black Widow or any other deadly spiders... At least they are easier to manipulate... Lift it by its tail and nothing bad will happen.

I saw in a documentary that there is a race of spider that has such good "teeth" that they could bite through a boot... Holy sh*t !

I'm lucky there is no deadly spiders in Canada...

**Note to self** If ever I go in Autralia, make sure to bring a .45cal with me.
 
Can't believe I just got an email from a buddy telling me to watch out for these things. Here's a pic for comparative size.
 

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That is somewhat true Matt, but about the baby:

Show a spider to a baby and they usually don't get afraid, instead they will try to touch and manipulate it, or explore it so to say, maybe even try to put it in their mouth. Its if they see a parent or other grownup react violently and scared towards a spider/scorpian/mouse what'ever that they start to develop a fear for the thing, either that or they get bit and develop their fear that way. A Fear or phobia is a learned thing.

Another example is to put a nasty bug, like a roasted cockroach in a glass of water and show it to a two year old, then watch his reaction. At first he will look abit at it and then look at you, knowing that the bug isn't supposed to be in the glass, so you remove it for him, and guess what he drinks it. Try this with a 5 year old and he won't drink it after you remove the bug, cause he unlike the 2 year old has learned about contamination.
 
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