DutyCat Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Was out helping the wife water some plants tonight and some motion caught my eye close to a nearby tree. I went to take a closer look and discovered this....> Me being very brave.... Google search shows this to be an Orb Weaver. According to Wikipedia, there are thousands of variants and represent 25% of all spiders. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve N Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Looks like some variation of the common garden spider, although I've never seen one that fuzzy before. Kinda creepy..especially in the dark! SN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne S Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Cool looking spider, did the wife make you kill it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mingwin Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 such a beast is a blessing for your garden, hope your wife didn't make you killing it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChernayaAkula Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 KILL IT! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Raymond Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 :lol: :lol: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peebeep Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Cute spider. My mother hated spiders but she was pretty superstitious and wouldn't kill them - 'If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive'. peebeep Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ross blackford Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 :D, I've heard it said that if it weren't for the spiders our world would have been completely overrun by insects eons ago. , Ross. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Golden Orb Weavers are gorgeous, and totally harmless spiders (unless you're a small bug). It's a good sign to have one in your garden or yard. Leave her be!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve N Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I was reading up on orb weavers recently, and never knew that they re-spin those webs every night (after eating the original.) That's why you see so many pristine webs covered in morning dew. We've got a security camera at work that looks over the gate to the parking lot..during the summer months it seems like there's always an orb weaver parked right in the middle of the lens. Gives me something to watch on those long weekend overnight shifts. SN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hawkeye's Hobbies Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 As long as they are outside the house, in the trees and bushes leave them be. They capture and dine on unwanted bugs. If they take up residence on your house (siding) wash them away as spiders are the cause of unsightly staining. Use some insecticide (HomeDefense which won't stain you siding yet offers protection) to keep them from building webs and taking up residence on or in your house. If you find you have an abundance of bugs, spiders and other insects, this is a clue that you have given them a reason to be there...plentiful food and habitat. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I HATE spiders but I am fascinated by them when you find them outside like that. I never bother them outside but if they're in the house they're free game. We were redoing our dining room a few years back and there was a gap at the ceiling between the drywall and the ceiling. One day this wood spider came out and was on the wall and I crap you not it was as big as a coffee cup plate you'll see at restaurants and places. Biggest spider I've ever seen in a house that wasn't a pet. We didn't know what to do because we didn't want to smack it and leave that big mess of a stain on the wall so we tried to suck it up with the vacuum. It partially got away though and tried to get back in the wall. Think we killed it but either way it was creepy. Used to have a picture where I held my shoe up next to it and it was as wide as my size 11 sneaker. I'm shuddering now thinking of it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
peebeep Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 We used to have one like that that lived under the settee. I was happy to let it be, but Mrs PB used to go crackers at the thought of it being in the house. 'Bob' would only come out during the evening if he thought nobody else was around and you'd be lucky to see him when the lights were on, although he would occasionally make a sudden dash across the floor to other hiding places. Sadly one of our cats got him in the end. The thing with spiders, if you have a phobia then confront it. Handle spiders and you come to realise it isn't a big deal. Naturally if you live in a part of the world where they might be venomous and deadly, be careful! peebeep Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve N Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Like most homes in the midwest, our basement is full of spiders. I occasionally see one on the wall or ceiling in the main parts of the house, but Mandie and I tend to ignore them. The things the creep me the crap out are those earwigs..it's about the time of year that they start showing up all over the place. I understand they're harmless..but they're just nasty looking things. Darned near indestructible, too! SN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JasonW Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I generally leave spiders be, whether it be in the basement or the house proper, definitely out in the yard. That being said however, one particular species that I will kill immediately and without a second thought is the yellow sac spider. We get a good many of them during the spring and fall. They make a cocoon of silk in which they hang out during the day emerging at night to hunt bugs. They can and do bite and the bite can be pretty nasty as they have a necrotic venom that can cause a lesion wound which can then get infected. It's pretty unpleasant from what I understand. I simply do not run the risk, they get stomped or squashed any time I see them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blunce Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I grew up in the CA desert, on a ranch, and we had plenty-o-black widows always. I also flew RC (gliders) and used #64 rubber bands to hold the wings on. Well, a #64, a black widow, and a kid who doesn't like spiders makes for a dead black widow! I got pretty good at gettin' them with one shot. One summer day I decided to go for a ride on my bike, and just before getting on, I noticed movement under my seat. Well, turns out there was a MONSTER of a BW living under there, and everytime she saw me coming, she'd disappear down the tube that held the seat up. Needless to say, it was quite a while before I was able to ride my bike, but one day, she was slackin', snackin', or sleepin, and I finally got my mark. Nowadays, I used to kill em' if they are in the house, but now have a different method. I use a clear container with a lid (the kind you get from the deli section at the supermarket) and just capture and release them outside. Every once in a while, while all the lights are off and I'm layin' on the floor playing Playstation, I'll catch movement outta the corner of my eye and sometimes it's bigin' running across the floor. They don't usually get the complimentary relocation plan. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Unit19 Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Besides the danger of letting the spider count your teeth, or even worse learn your name to write it in her web, is walking into the unseen web at night, feeling the sticky web on your face and wondering... where the heck is that 3" long spider? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
C-130CrewChief Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Besides the danger of letting the spider count your teeth, or even worse learn your name to write it in her web, is walking into the unseen web at night, feeling the sticky web on your face and wondering... where the heck is that 3" long spider? or a 5" spider like in Florida!! When i was stationed at Hurlburt Field and living on Egland AFB we used to get HUGE mean looking spiders that liked to make webs across your front entrance way. What a shock at night! I was told that they are harmless, but they looked like they could eat a C-130, so they usually got a smack with a stick... In my shop here in California, I have tons of Black Windows. I just leave them alone. I had one next to my desk for about 2 months that I fed. One day she went on her merry way. The ones that freak me out are the ones that settle down in the tire treads when we have an aircraft tire on the rack for a while! That was a huge surprise the first time I saw that after rolling the tire off the rack!!! I wear gloves now! I almost never kill any spider. If i let them be, they let me be! Curt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DutyCat Posted June 14, 2011 Author Share Posted June 14, 2011 The 5" spiders here in Florida are commonly called banana spiders. They are big and nasty looking. They look like prehistoric monsters hanging out in trees. I let the orb spider alone after I took the photos. I am just glad we don't see many spiders in the house. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfgun33 Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 KILL IT! I agree!!! Kill them all!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aaronw Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Nice looking spider. I'm the designated spider (stink bug, scorpion, large ant etc) relocator of the house. The only spiders not on the plan are black widows (outside they are ok, but in the house they have to deal with my wife). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Imo Black Widows are welcome nowhere. Can't wait to retire out west and be constantly freaked out. Those are some nasty bugs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grant in West Oz Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Nice mossie (and other bitie) eater. Here's my last home spider. He didn't drink much and ate up all the slow bugs and many flying ones. G Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Nice looking spider. I'm the designated spider (stink bug, scorpion, large ant etc) relocator of the house. The only spiders not on the plan are black widows (outside they are ok, but in the house they have to deal with my wife). So now you are hereby renamed SPIDERMAN and the SCORPION KING.. Duty Cat ...Thise are quite noce photos of the fuzzy spider..I am glas you did not kill it.....unless it was one of those that LIKES TO KILL Humans ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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