Wish we had a like button!! Lol

Yesss we need one!

I just felt the need to mercilessly tease arachnophobes show people how awesome spiders are. :3

The only good spider is a dead spider. I killed a huge wolf spider in the break room at work on my lunch break today. It was the size of a half dollar.

Lol, I don't mind spiders because they're probably not going to give me disease-actually, they help with all the other pesky disease carrying bugs at home. Sadly, the spiders around my home are way too comfortable with humans. My sister saw one and vehemently asked for it to be killed . The spider got killed.

I can understand not wanting them in the house, but killing them on sight has always seemed a little harsh. I mean, yeah, it's just a spider, and based on our current understanding, they're purely powered by instinct, but they are still capable of showing pain and fear. Besides, we used to think the same thing about reptiles, but it turns out that bearded dragons are capable of observational learning (http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/news/2014/09/970.asp) and moths can learn to associate particular non-food odors with the presence of food (https://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/motholf.htm).

I tell my bf if he doesn't want it dead, to take it outside. I'm fine with catch and release so long as I'm not the one doing it!

I guess I've been bit by spiders enough that I don't want to take any chances.

Well, then, I think it's time you ought to know that spiders are the most likely to bite when downward pressure is applied to the abdomen- in other words, when you crush or grab them. As long as they aren't alarmed, they won't just suddenly decide to bite you when you're holding them, although a cup and paper is the easiest way to relocate them.
I've handled plenty of spiders and other arachnids in my time, and I haven't been bitten (or stung) yet, so I guess I have nothing to complain about.

I just don't want them to touch me! They're creeeeepy! Those legs.... X.x

I had a spider fall straight onto my face and crawl around... That was the beginning of my arachnophobia

Lockette

I had a spider fall straight onto my face and crawl around... That was the beginning of my arachnophobia

*runs screaming*

I am... not fond of spiders. I will let them live (and even have a horror-fascination with them) when they're outside and not near my home. But any spider that is inside will pretty much be smooshed because they freak me out. I know they're really generally harmless and actually helpful, and they aren't very likely to bite me, but I just... can't. Especially with wolf spiders? There are wolf spiders near my apartment that are like 3 inches long D: One tried to dart inside the door when I opened it to go to work one morning. I actually screamed.

Oh my. I've only had cute inch long spiders, never big and fuzzy and long ones. If there were spiders that big I'd run screaming (but not kill it because I'd be much too afraid to do that).

My worst bug encounter was when there was a wasp in my room and it decided to land on my bare neck and crawl around.... and I had to hold really still and hope it didn't decided to start stinging the crap out of me.... It didn't. It decided to fly off again. *shudder*

Yeah, I didn't kill that one. I screamed and then backed into my door and slammed it shut. My s/o went out in steel toe boots to stomp it for me because I was whimpering rather pathetically at that point.

Lockette

I had a spider fall straight onto my face and crawl around... That was the beginning of my arachnophobia

A friend of the family has an "infestation" of those little spiders that look like opiliones. He has a problem with flies, so he leaves them around.... to the point where every corner has a spider web (kinda overkill, if you ask me). They're one of the creepier spiders, since they look kind of ghostly and the way they bounce as they walk adds to that effect.
Well, one time, I brushed my shoulder against the wall as I was digging through a book shelf. Several minutes later, I felt something tickle my arm... I looked down, and a spider was bouncing menacingly toward my face like a beach ball with legs. That startled me pretty badly.
I'm guessing the reason I don't really have any problem with bugs is that I've been around them since a very young age and no one ever taught me to fear them. I was the sort of kid who kept "rolly pollies" and those bouncy spiders as pets.

My apartment is infested with moths and other bugs so spiders could really help .
I'm not afraid of being near bugs but...touching them *shudders*

Okay, I'm officially bailing out of this conversation. Too much creep!

Gingerwidgeon

Lockette

I had a spider fall straight onto my face and crawl around... That was the beginning of my arachnophobia

A friend of the family has an "infestation" of those little spiders that look like opiliones. He has a problem with flies, so he leaves them around.... to the point where every corner has a spider web (kinda overkill, if you ask me). They're one of the creepier spiders, since they look kind of ghostly and the way they bounce as they walk adds to that effect.
Well, one time, I brushed my shoulder against the wall as I was digging through a book shelf. Several minutes later, I felt something tickle my arm... I looked down, and a spider was bouncing menacingly toward my face like a beach ball with legs. That startled me pretty badly.
I'm guessing the reason I don't really have any problem with bugs is that I've been around them since a very young age and no one ever taught me to fear them. I was the sort of kid who kept "rolly pollies" and those bouncy spiders as pets.

Unfortunately, the spider that I encountered was not little It could've fit in my palm. Granted, I'm a small person (shorter than 5 feet tall) so my hands aren't that big, but it's still pretty big for a spider. And I understand that most spiders are harmless and can help deal with other bugs, but after that encounter I just can't handle them being even remotely close to me...