Spiders!

Updated on April 29, 2008
M.L. asks from Henrico, VA
25 answers

Ok, I am totally aware that I have an irrational fear of spiders. With that said, I would love any advice. My house seems to have a lot of spiders - I know it is spring and therefore they are out in full force, but it is totally freaking me out. My husband thinks I am crazy. This morning I killed 3 spiders in one spot in my house - all the same kind. Last week I was freaking out about seeing 2 of the same kind in one area. There are 2 very different "species" I guess that I keep seeing. I know they are harmless - one is a black jumping spider that is hairy and has pinchers on its front legs and totally sends me into orbit. The other is just a random blond colored generic "house spider." So, the other day, I was dressing my son and I noticed 2 red bumps on his back that looked like bites. I am convinced they are spider bites as I have seen spiders in his room before. Again, my husband thinks I am overreacting. Any advice or similar experience?

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So What Happened?

Wow. I cannot thank all of you enough - what an incredible community of intelligent women - I am honored to be a part of this forum. I have so much to think about. I do want to mention that I have made a conscious effort not to "freak out" in front of my son - luckily, he has been asleep or engrossed in a toy every time I have found a spider and I try my hardest to scream with my inside voice. My husband is certainly of the mindset that Spiders are an essential part of the food chain and they actually help us. Unfortunately, because I had a horrible experience as a child with a Black Widow, I can't seem to get past it. Thank you thank you thank you for all of your advice. Luckily, my son has a check-up tomorrow so I will be able to ask the Dr. about the bites on his back and get his advice as well. I am reluctant to use any chemicals, and while I love the chestnut idea, my house is too small and they may be a choking hazard! But seriously, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to respond to me. I deeply appreciate all of your advice, and I hope that I can be as helpful and supportive to all of you as you have been for me! XOXO
ML

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K.H.

answers from Norfolk on

It sounds bizarre, but an acquaintance of mine has a spider free house. She read somewhere that putting one or two horse chestnuts in every corner of the house will rid the house of spiders and on moving into a new house thought she would give it a try. Strange as it may seem it worked.

I haven't tried it as I like spiders, they eat the other bugs that I don't like. It is a simple solution and an organic one.

Kris 62, raising 8yr old Grandson

1 mom found this helpful
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M.A.

answers from Washington DC on

Hi M.!
If it's freaking you out so bad, go to the local Home Depot or Lowes, & buy some bug bombs. Read the directions very carefully. It makes a mess but it's worth the piece of mind (we get the creepy millipede that look like some kind of pre-historic bug). To make it a little easier, I always put all the dishes, glasses, pots etc. in trash bags before I bomb that's less to clean up. It really does work. Just take little man out for a while & enjoy Mommy & me time, & when you come back the critters will be dead.
Good luck!

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D.A.

answers from Washington DC on

I hate spiders, well all bugs. but don't like to have the inside of my house sprayed for bugs. I bought one of those new electronic devices that you plug into an outlet, my mom has one too. no more bugs, There are several brands, Riddex, black and decker etc.

I love mine.

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C.P.

answers from Washington DC on

M., While I do not share your arachnophobia, I do understand how strong the reaction can be.

I will tell you that the black jumping spiders are only there because they have a food source...and it might just be the other spiders. The black ones are very helpful at ridding a house of mosquitos and they do not like people to be near...I have never known one to bite.

THe blonde common house spider I am not sure of, there are several spiders that fit that description, but again they would not be there if there was no food for them.

I would recommend a non-chemical solution. Call you local agricultural Ext. agency and ask if they have any natural methods to suggest or go online and look for them.

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L.W.

answers from Norfolk on

Exterminator!!! I am the same way except it is cockroaches for me.. even writing the name freaks me out,, and here in VA they are BIG!!!!! Got an exterminator 3.5 years ago after 6 months of living hell (although I just saw one every 2 weeks or so) after moving into our home. So... since then dear M., NOT ONE!!!!!!!!! I paid $120 and it was the best thing I ever purchased! and spiders bite! that's worse.. tell your hubby you're calling an exterminator and thats it.. he'll probably be relieved! Good luck! You're a hundred bucks away from happiness!! haha

L.

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H.S.

answers from Norfolk on

Hello M.. I live in an apartment, however I know my parents have used a company that comes out & sprays all around the outside of their house which helps prevent all types of bugs.. including spiders! My apartment complex does this to our buildings as well. It helps TREMENDOUSLY with the spiders and bugs.. and as a fellow arachnophobic, I know how scary it is to have a lot of spiders! It makes it impossible to be comfortable in your own home! We noticed a huge difference with the spiders and bugs at my parents house after they got sprayed, and my apartment hardly ever has any spiders either. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the spraying is done annually. So, look in the phone book for companies that offer this type of service. I'm sure it well help your problem a lot.

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J.G.

answers from Washington DC on

Call an exterminator. One with a contract that comes on a regular basis and will come again without extra costs when you see more bugs.

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P.H.

answers from Washington DC on

M., do what I did; it's worth it. Call a reputable exterminator! Definitely worth the $$$.

Pam

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D.B.

answers from Washington DC on

An exterminator can help with this. I'm pretty sure that Horizon Exterminators uses chemicals that are safe around pets and children. I know one of the owners, and he has three children, so I'm pretty sure he wouldn't use anything harmful. But ask around: I'm sure you could get a lot out to give you a free quote and answer any questions you may have.

I don't mind spiders, but it's one thing to have them in your house and quite another to have them biting your child!

Hope this helps.
D.

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L.F.

answers from Norfolk on

Yes, spiders do bite in defense,....especially if you are sleeping and roll over on one. I have had this happen to me, didn't harm me, but did give me nausea for a few days. If you live near trees, woods, or a lake you are going to have to actively treat for spiders. Since we have black widows in our area, we spray with Ortho home treatment spray every 6 weeks and I rarely see spiders inside(unless it's in the screen porch or the kids hold the door open). Also, make sure your windows have a good seal..they usually try to get into cracks around windows and doors.
If your son appears to have symptoms you can give him a benadryl or call your doctor. If the area looks like two poke holes close together, normally red or irritated around it...it's a spider bite. Only worry if he seems allergic or sick, but definitely start treating your home to keep them out...the home sprays do work if you buy the more expensive type from Ortho.
Hope this helps,
L.

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A.L.

answers from Washington DC on

I like the horse-chestnut idea!!
I have never been afraid of spiders because when I was little my father taught us to look at them and understand them. That being said, how you react to things will be passed down to your children. They'll pick up on your fears and make them their own, irrational though they may be.
Have you tried surfing the internet for solutions? I know not everything can be trusted but you might find something worth trying that was a little less toxic than calling an exterminator (if it were me, I would also diagnose the bites the same way).
Good luck. Even though I don't have a problem with spiders, I know how I'd feel if my home was being invaded by something I don't like as well.

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K.S.

answers from Richmond on

Spiders only go where there is food for them. Do you any other type of bug infestation? I always leave spiders alone because they eat bugs and if they are setting up shop in my house there must be bugs for them to eat. I'd rather have the spiders than the bugs. It is very unlikely that the two poisonous spiders we have in this region would be found in your house (brown recluses are rare in Virginia but usually live in dark places like basements and storage places like sheds and black widows love woodpiles so if you use a wood-burning fireplace or have woodpiles in your yard it is good to be cautious when handling the wood or bringing it inside)--and even more unlikely that a spider would be biting a human. And a black widow bite is very painful so if your baby was bitten you would definitely hear about it the moment it happened. But the old adage of them being more afraid of us than we of them is very true. It is hard not to be freaked out if you have a phobia, especially where your baby is concerned, but a possible spider bite is probably pretty low on the scale of potentially harmful situations. Using pesticides indoors probably presents more of a threat than the possibility of a spider bite.

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C.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Welcome to the club. I'm also have a fear of spiders. Big or small it doesn't matter. I can't even watch spiders on tv. I know they can't come out of the tv but I still get this really bad fear when I see them. I'm so glad I don't live in your house. The other day there was a spider sitting on my arm looking at me. I yelled there's a spider on me. My son was laughing at me. I don't think you are crazy. I would think the bite marks might be from spiders. My husband also thinks I'm crazy. So from one crazy person to another (hahaha) I don't think your crazy or over reacting.

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H.R.

answers from Denver on

You can buy granules to put down around the outside ofthe house but I would also get a exterminator to come in and spray the inside. We have the same issues excpt where we are in the woods we also get black widows and brown recluse all over. I am petrified that one will bite one babies or me. So I make it a point to get the house sprayed regardless of cost. I figure its cheaper than risking their lives (w/ the widow or recluse) because if either of them were bit they would surely not make it. My kids ae are 17 mths and 10 days old.

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K.C.

answers from Norfolk on

I personally hate bugs in the house, so we use A1 Exterminators. They spray inside (mostly baseboards) and outside with a "safe" chemical. They recommend letting it "dry" for about an hour (I think it's best to leave during this time) and then not cleaning the area for 48 hours. Supposed to be okay for the kids to be around. I have had great success with them in ridding my home of bugs. It does need to be done about 2x a year. If I remember, it's about $125. Good luck! BTW, watching Charlotte's Web might help you appreciate spiders a bit more too :)

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M.S.

answers from Washington DC on

M.,

Have your place exterminated. That should take care of your spider problem. When spring breaks such as it has in the past month everything comes out.

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W.S.

answers from Norfolk on

Try sprinkling boric acid around the edges of windows, floors, etc., basically anywhere that isn't too close to water (it's a mess when it gets wet). This is the same ingredient that is in many roach powders, and it basically dries out the bodies of insects, without being so toxic like exterminator sprays. We use way too many toxins in the environment as it is, and boric acid is relatively harmless. Just put it in places where your child cannot get at it, and where you see spiders.

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R.H.

answers from Norfolk on

What you need to focus on is not giving your fear to your child. I know that is hard but you need to make sure you don't show that kind of fear in front of them.
Of course they need to have respect for them but NOT straight up fear.
Something that might help you is to each up what you see on the Internet. Get more information. Sometimes lack of knowledge is the key.

D.S.

answers from Allentown on

Hi M.,

Get an exterminator to come to your house and spray. Let them know what your concerns are. They will take care of that problem for you.

Good luck. D.

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D.G.

answers from Washington DC on

I, also, have a fear of spiders. Reading your problem is giving me the chills. Call an exterminator! It will be worth the cost! If you found that many, then they may have a nest. Keep an eye on your child's bites. Go to the Dr, or Dermatologist. Make sure there are no red streaks near the bites. Good luck. Make the call to the exterminator ASAP!!!

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S.P.

answers from Washington DC on

So, I just want to say that your fears, in my opinion are not totally irrational. Although MANY are, not ALL spiders are good! I live in Northern Virginia, and a couple of years ago I was in the car w/ my father and he felt like something had just bitten him. We never found the culprit. He had pain that worsened, nausea, and the site where he had been bitten became inflamed, started turning blue and moving from his foot up his leg. The doctor told him that he was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider, one that is not thought of to be common in this area but who's habitat is spreading to encompass this state. They drew a line on the top of his leg and was told that if the medicinal treatment he was given failed to stop the spreading of the venom (if his leg continued to turn blue above the line they drew) they would have to amputate his leg. Thankfully it reached the line but did not go over and with continual treatment eventually subsided.
I'm not telling you this to worsen your fear, though. Because of the incident w/ my dad, I do not hate spiders and let a fear of them control me. These types of instances are rare comparatively and the amount of good that many spiders can do cannot be ignored. But the fact that they can be dangerous can not be ignored either. Just as snakes are good in many ways, too, you don't want the rascals in your house, and we also have poisonous snakes just like poisonous spiders in our area (rattlers which I have also seen personally) and so we have to be responsible and knowledgable about their habits, habitats and identification of different species. The trick w/ this fear is educating yourself about the spiders, then you feel a sense of power and the fear is no longer "irrational" because you are knowledgable and know how you need to react when you see a spider or a spider bite. You know when there is a real threat or just an emotional reaction. To educate yourself there are many internet sites that you can research to get pictures and other info - or go to the library. I'll say, too, that even w/ my scary personal experience I have/will not have my house exterminated to rid us of spiders. There are health risks there, too, that we must also be responsible about and are probably more common than the poisonous spiders, themselves! (Use some of the suggestions from the internet sites to discourage them from living in your house, be aware when you are in a situation where you might inadvertantly threaten them and make them want to bite (out of self defense), get some spider traps, etc. instead.)
Good luck and you're not crazy!
Try to remember to keep a perspective about it!
S.

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R.B.

answers from Washington DC on

Not to put it too bluntly, but I would call an exterminator, particularly given your fear of spiders. I know it's hard not to see ANY in your house, but it seems you are seeing far too many and that doesn't have to be the case. You probably don't want them to treat your son's room though. We have our house treated except for our kids' rooms and we see very few if any spiders - mostly an occasional ant.

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S.S.

answers from Norfolk on

Hi M.,

As far as reducing the amount of spiders, like the idea of the electronic pest gadget over spraying pesticides.

To address your 'irrational fear of spiders', you can often process through the energy and clear away the fear. To do this just sit and close your eyes and feel where you notice the charge the most. Feel where that is in your body. Then just sit with it and allow yourself to feel into the core of the energy of the feeling...we often stay on the outside of it and try to push it down. If you stay present to it and go right down to the deepest energy of the charge and just sit there with it...nothing to do but be present to it and feel it fully, over usually a short bit of time, it will begin to dissipate. Stay with it until it's completely cleared, where there is no charge when you think about spiders. You can even imagine your greatest fear with them to provoke to see if you are fully clear. DO NOT do this until you've worked through it for a while, just in case you (or anyone else trying this) may be subject to anxiety or panic attacks.

This is a really effective technique that I use in my ADD/ADHD and Wellness Coaching and Consulting practice. You can use it for just about anything that's bothering you.

Best,
S.
greaterclarityandproductivity.com

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L.B.

answers from Washington DC on

i find it really horrifying that so many people are suggesting an exterminator. Gee, an irrational fear of spiders? How about exposing your family to toxic chemicals instead?

I would suggest that you try to conquer your fears and use natural methods for removing the offending arachnids from you house. I know that you are afraid of them so you don't want to go near them but try not to pass your, as you admit, "irrational fear" on to your little boy. Be brave, you can do it!

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J.N.

answers from Houston on

Oh M.,

Get an exterminator! When my oldest daughter (now 4) was between the ages of 1 & 2, we lived in a very infested house. She would wake up in the middle of the night screaming & the next day, lo & behold, big red welp on her body. We had multiple types of spiders, and I did research on the internet. Her welps looked like brown recluse spots, but they would just go away. I tried to find out what kind of spider it was that was doing it & the only thing that I could find was the jumping spider. We had them & they sometimes caused the welps. Now, I did have to keep in mind that mosquitos also gave her welps, but the spider bites lasted much longer than the mosquito bites. To this day, she is deathly afraid of spiders, because she knew that they were hurting her. I personally hate spiders myself, but if they keep to themselves, I can overlook them. It's when they are in the bed, biting my children, that I have a problem with them. I'd try to find an exterminator, or some type of bug spray that you feel safe putting in your house. I know it's tough to find something that will not harm your son, but I'd still try. Good luck & God bless!

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