Not your common garden variety spiders (Lounged)

[Jah Lush]

Yeah wasps with small wasp syndrome are right little bastards. Sting you as soon as look at you they would. Bah! to them.

I don't mind bees, at least they make honey but wasps are irritating little thugs.(6)

[Crokes]

My phobia of spiders is back with a vengeance (I suspect I haven't helped myself reading this post).

To explain, I have those electronic plug-ins to deter insects/rodents etc from the vicinity but my confidence in them has just plummeted.... A HUGE spider has decided to pay me a visit (maybe to escape the deluge outside??)... sorry to any insect/animal lovers but as the options of killing it (too big/scary)/letting it go free (not a chance)/putting it outside (so it can come back in again?!) are all out, my temporary solution is to cover it with a casserole dish (a pint glass wasn't big enough!) and call him Boris (apparently Boris the big black spider was something I watched as a child), whilst I figure out what next - any ideas welcome please???

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

feed it to the slow worms

[PeckhamFeathers]

I have just had a giant blue butterfly land on the milk bottle on my porch, a bit odd at this time of year.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Slide a big piece of cardboard underneath the casserole and then carry cardboard, casserole and Boris outside - and then let Boris go.

[ben]

Dear Crokes,

Something to groove to while you work on your dilemma

Boris the spider

[mockney piers]

I'm slightly disturbed by "a pint glass wasn't big enough". I'm sure we shouldn't have spiders that big in this country. Did you accidentally carry it here from Italy in your luggage?

Can we have a photo please? :-)

[Crokes]

Ok, here's Boris!

[mockney piers]

Sh!t a brick, he's huge!!

But at least he's not furry or looks like he could do you in an arm-wrestle. Cardboard technique should do you fine.

[bagpuss78]

My, what a big spider you have! ::o

[Asset]

I think this is a picture of a House Spider Tegenaria domestica. Mr Asset and I have been having an argument about spiders now for about half an hour.

I've been looking at my Observer's book of insects and spiders.

[Crokes]

Thank you one and all.... Boris is now roaming free (thanks to the cardboard technique!) and so far hasn't payed me a return visit. I must confess I couldn't work up the nerve to move him myself (I hold my hand up, I am a total wuss).

Asset, if it helps with your spider argument at all, I looked up a few Tegenaria types and as you might expect (as even looking at pictures now scares the pants off me), I couldn't tell which was Boris. I did note one comment that might placate your discussion: "Unfortunately Tegenaria is one of the tricky genera of spiders; meaning that even with microscopic examination of the adult genitalia they can be tricky to tell apart, so you certainly won't get them to species from a photo I'm afraid (unless it's a photo of the adult genitalia!)".

[Domme_Jay]

I have a spider that's huge living in my shed, I gave him the name Tyson, it suits him. Tyson is great he deals with any rodents that might consider moving in.

I would never deliberately harm a spider.

Haven't read the whole forum but have you considered capturing one and taking to thw Wildlife centre Marsden Road?

Jay

[davidhealy]

Well I can testify that these hairy little blighters have made their way indoors. The other night I was sitting on my sofa when I felt a little "tickle" on my leg ..... paid no attention ..... then said "tickle" was further up my leg! I went to investigate and in doing so must have angered the arachnid as it bit me three times on my posterior!!!

It really hurt! I stupidly thought that british spiders couldn't really bite ... put that notion to rest!

Believe me this was not the sort of insect (especially given its size) that you want to find in your jocks!

I am sure this has raised a smerk (or 20) but trust me it was NOT funny!

[Jeremy]

Oh my god. If that happened to me, I would never go into the room again.

[downsouth]

Last week a horde of Lady Birds decided to pay me a visit. One I can handle 50 is too much for me.

[PeckhamRose]

There was an item about Spiders around the home, on The One Show last night on BBC1.

I believe you may be able to watch it again.

It was very interesting.

I sound like a kid who's written an essay about "What I did on my holidays..."

[Jeremy]

Has anyone seen any more of the green-fanged spiders this year?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7573530.stm

"In spider terms, it has to be said that this is an aggressive spider. If you approach it, it raises its legs and bares its fangs. Most spiders will back away - this one will jump at you and bite."

[Catcher-in-the-rye]

They are all over the place. Since my first post last year we've seen a big increase in them. Usually if you find one tube shaped web there will be another very near, I think they like company. We've had ours so long now they've become part of the family. You see them out and about near their webs but they are very shy and run when they see someone approach. They don't come indoors (which is why I'm so relaxed about it all, otherwise I'd be screaming my head off).

[Asset]

why if the chap says they've been in the UK for 100 years, is this now a news story?

[Jeremy]

Asset, nasty creepy crawlies *always* make a good news story.

Still, it is a relief to hear that they don't jump on your head and bite you to death on a whim.

[Brendan]

Someone?s nicked my headphones again so I can?t listen to that clip. Are these spiders poisonous? I?ve not seen these tube shaped webs before in the garden but we used to get a spider back home that spun tube shaped webs and could leave a nasty abscess if they bit you. They were white though with black fangs but looked a similar shape and size.

[mightyroar]

Catcher- where are you and your spiders in ED?

[Jeremy]

They venonous, yes - apparently the bite is very painful!!

[zephyr]

If you click the link on the BBC page for other insects invading the UK you get the ladybirds which are very prominant in Dulwich/Nunhead

I even saw a Rosemary Beetle last month - I have reported it earlier today - very pretty but I did not realise how much damage they do.

Not seen any spiders though