'Sensing spiders'

WOW, I thought it was just me that had a 'sixth sense' about when I am within range of a creepy spider!
I have had moments where I suddenly knew that one was behind me. I don't understand it at all, but it has happened.
When I was a kid, I was terrified of spiders. Even pictures of spiders!
Now I find them very fascinating, although they still creep me out!

The short life of a spider must be full of hilarity. Watching grown adult humans, several times larger than you, scream and run in terror at the very site of you.

Benevolent Tyrant wrote:

"But I have to ask, just how big were spiders in prehistoric times? Were they much, much larger?

Big. They were BIG.
I saw an artist's impression of them (as they were in prehistoric times) based on I don't know what .... and they were the size of an average room and stood about as high as a horse, judging by the illustration. I'll leave their massively enlarged 'faces' and 'teeth' and other hideous features to your imagination. A picture of a current day man was included for comparison, to show how large the spiders would have been, back then. Monstrous. Considering how fast today's spiders are able to move, those prehistoric spiders must have been like carnivorous speeding trucks. All I could think of as I stared at the page was how HORRIBLE it must have been, to be alive in those days.

I was surprised when I saw this thread, because it's something I'd wondered only a few weeks earlier.

It was night-time. Family member and I were talking and even though I was listening intently to what he was saying, I suddenly recoiled and glanced to my right, all at the same time. Moments later I did the same thing.

Finally, a bit annoyed, the other person asked me, 'What?'

I shrugged and said that for a second, I thought I'd seen a spider.

He asked, 'Where?'.

I pointed towards the rear of the house and said I thought a spider had come through the back door.

He laughed and said: ' You can't even the see the back door from there.'

He was right. The house is open-plan. He was in the living room and I was in the kitchen. At the point where I was standing, the back door was obscured by a wall containing the pantry.

Nevertheless, the other person crossed the room from where he sat and studied the walls on either side of the back door. " I can't see anything', he said after a moment, 'It's ok. No spiders'.

I moved from the kitchen and into the living room. We continued our conversation.

After about five minutes, I did another recoil and again glanced to my right.

Nothing.

But I'd startled the other person, who said (a bit irritably) '' Gee, you need to get your nerves checked! " Privately, I was thinking the same thing about myself.

Then, after another few minutes, I jumped out of my chair, pointing to the back door.

And there, right up at the top corner of the back door (which was to my right) a large huntsman spider was in the process of making it's way inside.

We have expensive security-doors fitted with insect screens and rubberised seals, but the thing still managed to get in. That's Australia for you. We killed it, finally. Had to. None of us was prepared to capture it and return it to the wild ('wild' in this instance meaning inner city suburb).

After it was over, the other person asked me how I'd known the spider was there -- or was going to come in -- ten or fifteen minutes before it had done so, particularly as in the first instance I'd been in the kitchen and couldn't even see the door. I have no idea. It's creepy, because it suggests we and spiders are somehow on the same wave-length.

Do they 'message' us? Or are we for some reason finely attuned to the presence of spiders.

The question in both cases is: Why?

Originally posted by Toadmund
I know that if I have spiders, I have less other bugs around, if you kill spiders they stop eating those bugs you really hate, flies for one, landing on your food after they've been lickin' turds all day
Yecch!!
Hail the arachnids!

Providing they stay out of my bedroom.

Originally posted by Foxe
Wolf Spiders (the American ones) are no problem with me. I can handle them without being bitten if they are not in a grouchy mood.

Thanks for the mental imagry.

Other spiders? Don't get me started...

On the spider "sense", I believe it can be used awake too. Quite often too. Example, today when I was under and going through some wood debri... I felt as if I should pick the next wood block up carefully. I did so, a full grown female black widow, exactly where I felt it would be...

How? I'm going to go with a 6th sense, as everyone has one unique of some sort.

I noticed you said 'felt'. It's a bizarre feeling.. almost like some sort of creepy magnetic pull pointing out where the danger is.

Oringinally posted by mrwupy
God I can't stand the creepy crawlies.

When I was very young we lived on the west coast. One night I refused to go to bed and kept crying when my parents were telling me to go to bed. They finally asked why i didn't want to go and I told them a really big ant was on my bed. They got off their lazy butts finally to check it out. It wasn't an ant, It was a scorpion.

Not sure what to say to that.. I have a look of horror on my face though. I guess this applies to sensing scorpians as well then..

Later on in life my father was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider. They had to take his leg off just below the knee.

God I can't stand the creepy crawlies.

Wupy

I'm sorry that he lost some of his leg. Thats awful.

Originally posted by seagull
Spiders? Even the word is frightening...

I am 6'4" tall, 250+ lbs., and nothing amuses people more than seeing me running shrieking into the night because a little spider has gotten within 20' of me. Yep...reeeeal amusing.

I'm laughing.

The fear I think originates way back when our remotest ancestors lived in wilderness and had no recourse to medicines. An ingrained primordial fear like that would be transmitted through our genes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, otherwise it means I'm a coward. I mean scared of an itty bitty little spider *shudder*.

You didn't run from a cute little jumping spider did you..?

Originally posted by BLUELol
Great, now I'm going to have the shivers all night thinking about them

I cringe every time I click on this thread. lol

It seems I'm in the club here of hating spiders, alot. I just wish I could sense them. I usually only see them out of the corner of my eye when they decide to move, and that's when I realise just how digustingly close they were to me.

Close to you is better than on you.. your alarm works imo.

Good stuff on the senses. Shame it has to involve spiders, though.

Yeah.. I was googling about it this arvo. Couldn't find any real answers yet.. apart from "yes spiders are creepy" stuff. If this is true and it seems it is.. it means that many of us have some level of ESP.

Edit. That would make ESP very easy to prove. How many ATSers are willing to catch spiders and test this theory on friends and family? It's for the greater good!

[edit on 14-4-2007 by riley]

dreamed of spiders again.

hot tip. when you 'feel' something crawling on you.. no matter what you think it is.. squash as flat as possible and ask questions later.


ew

[edit on 13-4-2008 by riley]

Originally posted by seagull

I am 6'4" tall, 250+ lbs., and nothing amuses people more than seeing me running shrieking into the night because a little spider has gotten within 20' of me. Yep...reeeeal amusing.

Meet your twin

Only difference here was being in the military and having to sleep outside in places like the desert and the jungle. I used to zip my sleeping bag right up over my head. It was difficult breathing and a little too warm but hell it kept them out. I didnt used to check my bag before getting into it.. That was until a nice little scorpion down at the bottom of my sleeping bag decided to sting me on the toe one night.

Man just reading this thread i have felt them walking on me and have had to check myself more than once

Some spiders scare me and some dont. When I was a kid I would lay down and let the little field spiders crawl all over me while watching grass hoppers, but those big hairy barn spiders I was scared crapless of. My son has been bitten by a black widow before which happened on his first birthday. I have been bitten 2 times by recluse spiders. But My fear started when I was young because my brother would chase me with big old barn spiders and put them on me if I got caught. (had to learn to outrun him real fast)

My worst fear is a big old jumping spider. we have had a few come in before and I would run and scream until hubby would come home and kill it. I know when they are around though like today when I was working in the yard I sensed there was one there before I even saw it.

As for daddy long legs, be careful many people have been killed by them, because people believe they wont harm them. They still have venom but they usually dont use it. Unless if they feel threatened.

Hilda

Originally posted by Cheech
WOW, I thought it was just me that had a 'sixth sense' about when I am within range of a creepy spider!
I have had moments where I suddenly knew that one was behind me. I don't understand it at all, but it has happened.

This really has me fascinated.. thankyou for helping to verify this.

When I was a kid, I was terrified of spiders. Even pictures of spiders!
Now I find them very fascinating, although they still creep me out!

I started this thread but I'm always very reluctent to read and respond to it as everytime I do I start thinking about and imagining spiders. Catch 22.

[edit on 22-4-2008 by riley]

I am in queensland, australia and we have these rather massive spiders called 'huntsmen' spiders. thet range in size from about thumb size up to small hand size. some are really furry and hence immune to insect spray as it just coats their fur without really doing anything to them, which can be scary if you try to rely on spray to kill them.

having had years of experience with them, i'd like to make 4 points -

1. Killing them by squashing them releases pheromes which immediately attract more of them so it is much better to trap them using a plastic container and thin bit of cardboard and release them outside.

2. tapping the floor or wall to try and scare them away generally backfires as they are attracted to vibrations and will move towards the source of vibrations.

3. some huntsmen spiders, maybe 1 in 1000 exhibit high and extraordinary intelligence or intuition particularly in terms of sensing or watching what is going on around them. these ones can also jump extremely quickly literally bouncing across the floor, and can make very weird alomst barking type sounds. I have had cat and mouse type games with these anomalous hunstmen that has lasted days and i can tell you now, once you see one like this, do not take your eyes of it until you either trap or kill it because it will come for you. I kid you not and when I have more time may explain the story the makes me say this.

4. If anyone knows what it is like to stay up for a couple of days with 'chemical' assistance they may relate to this observation. By doing this I believe completely that you inadvertantly increase the vibration or frequency of your consciouisness that somehow starts to attract or communicate somehow with arachnoids and in particular huntsmen spiders. If this resonates with anyone else or you have had similar experiences, plz let me know as i am very keen to hear similar stories.

Wow... ok, not only have I already had to kill 3 spiders tonight in my living room, but now I'M feeling them crawling on me TOO!! Thanks so much.. now I'm totally creeped out. ha ha

I can usually be sleeping really well and just THINK I feel something on me and I go from sleeping to standing up, blankets off, light on, and in predator mode within .0001 seconds. I HATE SPIDERS! lol

reply to post by riley


Riley. I share the phobia. I have been incredibly phobic of spiders even as a young child. I actually literally ran right up my brothers arm attempting to flee one as we all sat on the couch watching tv at three yrs old.
They are somewhat enimatic. They know when you spot them with their eight little eyes. My revulsion of spiders borders on mania. I just read on yahoo a small hospital in australia was shut down for fumigation for red back spiders. Due to a dry and warm autumn down there.
I was bitten by a brown recluse 3 yrs ago on the forearm that took 3 months to heal. I dosed it with peroxide packs every few hrs. Left a nice hole. It was ugly. Very ugly. Fortunately I didn't get the massive necrosis sometimes associated with brown recluses but I was very ill for months.
Their is a small vacuum device on the market. Capable of sucking and chipping them up even in the most difficult positions. Corner of wall etc.
I would suggest going to a professional exterminator. I'd rather live with pestiside than those little creeps.
The only good spider is a dead spider. In one's house. Outside I leave them be. I too dream/nitemare of spiders as well often. Leaves me disconcerted for most of day. Funny thing, I have no other problems even with mice. Trapped and freed on in my female bosses office once. And felt bad because I think I damaged it's leg in the process.

[edit on 4/23/2008 by jpm1602]

[edit on 4/23/2008 by jpm1602]

[edit on 4/23/2008 by jpm1602]

I woke up this morning with something landing on my face. It was a little jumping spider. I picked it up (it kept jumping off my hand) and eventually put it on the floor next to the bed. (it's all i could manage to do first thing in the morning) Only for it to jump on my face again a couple of minutes later. I figured it wanted to go the other side of the bed so I put it on the dresser. Went back to sleep and and let it go on its way.

Luckily I;m in england,and we don't have any spiders that can hurt you* (too badly,we get the fasle black widow) And this little fella ws no bigger than the end of my finger. So I'm not fussed with them. Can't say I love the big house spiders crawling on me,but I will pick them up and put them somewhere nice and warm if i see them (to stop my partner killing them) They're useful,as they help to keep the insects down. When one kills a wasp in my house,it is knighted and made into a demigod. (as wasps are my fear insect)

*I did once,at work,find a suspicious looking spider. I took a picture of it and sent it to a spider specialist online. Turns out it was a brown house spider (looks like a black widow,but was chestnut brown all over) From Australia
one of these little ladies
australian-insects.com... (obviously don't click this is you're an arachnaphobe) Unfortunatly,she ran away before i could pick her up and move her somewhere where she wouldn't do herself (or me) any harm. I've seen several little ones of the same type in the warehouse here at work since then too.

I like spiders,they make me shudder when they run over me. I like how something so small can provoke such strong reactions. nature is cool.

[edit on 23/4/2008 by Acidtastic]

Acidastic. I had a freind down the street who's mother was from Thailand. Great Mammasan who could make the most awesome spring rolls. She would scoop spiders up with a paper and place them outside. For s ang g's go google brown recluse spider bites. The horror of massive necrosis is horiffic.

[edit on 4/23/2008 by jpm1602]

omg, they scare the crap out of me all the time...i get these spiders(wolf spiders) in my house during certain times of the year and man, even though they leave me a lone they are too big and creepy..



I havent been able to sense them, I seem to be the opposite...I walk into my bathroom and bam! they are there...like some one said earlier it may be something linked to long ago, but possible everyone is sensitive to certain bugs or animals???

reply to post by jpm1602


I got half way through your post,and thought you were going to say she made spring rolls out of the spiders

I'm not so sure I'd be so brave if faced with a man eating spider. I did once when I was very young,put my hand in a cage at the zoo (whilst my parants back were turned) inside was a bird eating tarantula,apparently making its way over to my hand. (I didn't know,I was about 2) All i remember is getting snatched away from the cage.

O.K. Here's my arachnoid narrative.

I used to kill them all the time, as a matter of course. One of my ex's would go into absolute shaking terror at the sight of a huntsman, and I hated them too.

I especially loathed having to kill them with a shoe or something else, especially on the ceiling, but I killed them.

I developed the spider sixth sense that you describe. In comlplete darkness, I would always know when there was a huntsman around.

Now for the unexpected part. I had a lucid dream.

There was suddenly this largish spider, which - believe it or not - spoke/communicated with me telepathically. I know that sounds bizarre. First of all it/she said that she was a kind of "mould" or "template" of spiders. She was a spider, but unlike any other spider, her body was of a beautiful crystal amber. It was tranlucent, like jewelled glass, but very much alive in an unthreatening sort of way.

Now, for something even more bizarre. This spider being in my dream SHOWED ME A SPIDER PUBLIC RELATIONS MOVIE!! Has anyone else seen the spider's PR movie? It's a fascinating and completely absorbing dream film about all the good things that spiders have done in the history of the world. Billions of locusts and flies and plant-destroying insects and another ecological role which is hard to describe... at the end, well, I was pro-spider!

There is an easy way to deal with them. What you do is you buy one of those large 4ft cylinders/tubes with plastic push-in caps for sending posters etc. through the mail. Keep the plug in one end and hold the open other end towards the spider. The spider will usually go inside the tube. Then you cover the open end with a book or something. You take the tube outside and swing it through the air, sending the spider into orbit, if you like. That's much kinder. Like the OP said - and good post by the way - the more you kill them, the more you will encounter them. So don't kill them - throw them out by the poster tube method.

Lol acid. Not in the habit of eating spiders. Although I did find one curled up a the bottom of my coffee cup at my girlfriends house. Gave it a nutty flavor. And revolted me beyond belief.

[edit on 4/24/2008 by jpm1602]

LOL UNDERMIND...not saying the dream isnt good but as soon as you said pr spider movie,i think i would even laugh in my dreams cause it would seem so odd.But I think it was a great dream to have..gives you a little more awareness.Sounds very native american dreaming to me.

I'm not a big spider or insect lover .. absolutely hate ants .. i'd be glad to sense if a spider or other insect was near me while i slept .. i also have many bugs where i live, we live in an old millhouse with lots of wood around, we just recently had a carpenter ant issue .. they're big .. i'm originally from UK and the insects/spiders are tollerable there so these things freak me out .. anyway .. my post isn't of much use.. sorry .. but as i say i'd love to be able to sense them if i was a kip .. oh and "sensing spiders" would be a cool band name .. hhmmm ... i am a musician looking to join a band .. lol .. take care friends..