Bugs Bugs Bugs

[minha_raposa 0]

Anyone ever seen a Garden Spider (aka Banana Spider)? If a spider can be pretty, this one certainly is...and it is very beneficial since they eat a lot of bugs. These things are absolutely huge and if you frighten them they begin to "bounce" their web back and forth to scare you away. Very much intimidating this bouncing is! Anyway, they are very common in most areas of the US but are harmless...unless you are a bug. Here is a picture:

[Kathryn41 3,205]

We have these in our front garden. I found one in its web last Summer while clearing out dead leaves. The interesting thing is that even though I detest and am terrified by spiders normally, this one is so big that it didn't seem nearly as bad as the smaller ones do. I really like the latticework they set up in the centre of their webs. Since they are harmless, they are welcome.

[mary&tom 0]

Anyone ever seen a Garden Spider (aka Banana Spider)? If a spider can be pretty, this one certainly is...and it is very beneficial since they eat a lot of bugs. These things are absolutely huge and if you frighten them they begin to "bounce" their web back and forth to scare you away. Very much intimidating this bouncing is! Anyway, they are very common in most areas of the US but are harmless...unless you are a bug.

That's beautiful. I have not seen a spider that colorful in Michigan. The ones in my house are just average size and tan colored. I think they are called grass spiders. I don't bother them and they don't bother me.

now if a wasp gets in the house i freak out!

mary

[almaty 19]

i thought they were a poisonous type

[minha_raposa 0]

i thought they were a poisonous type

Not poisoness to humans (mostly); however, like many spiders they do use a neurotoxin into their prey. In the unlikely event you were to get bitten by one it would be slightly painfull at the bite and cause very minor symptoms like headache and maybe some nausea (according to the books).

We have these in our front garden. I found one in its web last Summer while clearing out dead leaves. The interesting thing is that even though I detest and am terrified by spiders normally, this one is so big that it didn't seem nearly as bad as the smaller ones do. I really like the latticework they set up in the centre of their webs. Since they are harmless, they are welcome.

Yes, they do spin an incredible web! They usually web at night and make quick work of it. I've seen these perfect webs probably 2-feet wide in a place they weren't the evening before. It's also interesting that they will move the web to a new location if they are not catching enough prey. I don't know how they actually move the web, but my father once told me they will actually eat it, move to another location and spin a new one.

[Ban Hammer 12,880]

when i was young..i use to get chiggers on my nuts...damn...

ditto. dang that hurts

[PsychoKat 0]

You know although that banana spider is beautiful in it's own way IT"S S-S-STILL A SPIDER!

I have full blown all out arachnaphobia, when I was a teenager I used to catch those in jars for extra credit in biology class (10 bugs would raise your grade by 1 letter), I also hoped that doing so would help my fear but alas no luck whatsoever. They were easy to catch though, if you JUST touch the web with a jar centered over the spider they will jump right into the jar eeiiiwwwww yuck I can't believe I did that.

These days the most frightening spider for me is this one

Yellow Sac Spider

Just finding an image of it has my teeth clenched and my shoulders tensed up looking at the walls around me as I type this so I posted the link rather than the picture itself.

They are smallish, house spiders of a sort, they make small cocoon type things in the corners of the house usually up near the ceiling and tend to wander about at night. Many years ago I had some nest in my car. The night they were discovered I had someone in the car with me and nearly wrecked it thinking I saw JUST ONE near my face. I asked them to check the car and they had me walk back home...we were close. We sprayed the interior and left the lights on and they were just dropping from the ceiling all over inside the car. I was so happy to see that car go, driving it at night was impossible and in the daytime a nightmare.

[Ban Hammer 12,880]

You know although that banana spider is beautiful in it's own way IT"S S-S-STILL A SPIDER!

I have full blown all out arachnaphobia, when I was a teenager I used to catch those in jars for extra credit in biology class (10 bugs would raise your grade by 1 letter), I also hoped that doing so would help my fear but alas no luck whatsoever. They were easy to catch though, if you JUST touch the web with a jar centered over the spider they will jump right into the jar eeiiiwwwww yuck I can't believe I did that.

These days the most frightening spider for me is this one

Yellow Sac Spider

Just finding an image of it has my teeth clenched and my shoulders tensed up looking at the walls around me as I type this so I posted the link rather than the picture itself.

They are smallish, house spiders of a sort, they make small cocoon type things in the corners of the house usually up near the ceiling and tend to wander about at night. Many years ago I had some nest in my car. The night they were discovered I had someone in the car with me and nearly wrecked it thinking I saw JUST ONE near my face. I asked them to check the car and they had me walk back home...we were close. We sprayed the interior and left the lights on and they were just dropping from the ceiling all over inside the car. I was so happy to see that car go, driving it at night was impossible and in the daytime a nightmare.

that looks, at first glance, like a brown recluse. eeek!

[PsychoKat 0]

You know although that banana spider is beautiful in it's own way IT"S S-S-STILL A SPIDER!

I have full blown all out arachnaphobia, when I was a teenager I used to catch those in jars for extra credit in biology class (10 bugs would raise your grade by 1 letter), I also hoped that doing so would help my fear but alas no luck whatsoever. They were easy to catch though, if you JUST touch the web with a jar centered over the spider they will jump right into the jar eeiiiwwwww yuck I can't believe I did that.

These days the most frightening spider for me is this one

Yellow Sac Spider

Just finding an image of it has my teeth clenched and my shoulders tensed up looking at the walls around me as I type this so I posted the link rather than the picture itself.

They are smallish, house spiders of a sort, they make small cocoon type things in the corners of the house usually up near the ceiling and tend to wander about at night. Many years ago I had some nest in my car. The night they were discovered I had someone in the car with me and nearly wrecked it thinking I saw JUST ONE near my face. I asked them to check the car and they had me walk back home...we were close. We sprayed the interior and left the lights on and they were just dropping from the ceiling all over inside the car. I was so happy to see that car go, driving it at night was impossible and in the daytime a nightmare.

that looks, at first glance, like a brown recluse. eeek!

They actually are very small, but very very scary to me! I'm still all tensed up from finding a picture of one hehe

well....not VERY small, about 1/4 of an inch maybe ? HUGE when you're scared of them!

Edited June 14, 2006 by PsychoKat

[sukie175 0]

Sarah, you just need some good 'ole salve!!!

Certainly Gary can help you out with that!!!

Thanks for the tip Robert

Seriously there are some great posts here and great info on my 'pet' chiggers too

For any others suffering with chigger bites, I have conducted alot of research and spent a good few dollars on how to stop the damned itching the past 3 weeks and clear them up fast. Here are my results:

After Bite - Good for immediate relief of itching and it feels sooo good when it stings on the itch, but does not seem to reduce them quickly and needs reapplying quite often.

Chiggerex - don't bother!

Chigger Rid - Only seems good for about 5 hours maximum and then the itch returns badly, but it does seem to dry them up quicker than others as it seals them. Hard to get off though and your legs end up looking dirty.

Alum with water - Average for the itch but clears them up very quickly

Anti Itch - only good for the itching

Clear Nail Polish - only good for clearing them up quickly and helping the itch a little

Calamine - Good for itch but average on clearing them up

And the No 1 remedy is....a combination treatment of

'Anti Itch' lotion applied with cotton wool to bites, this totally stops any itching for 12 hours plus...and then

Clear Nail Polish applied directly to every bite once the Anti Itch is dry, this seals them for 18-24 hours and also clears them up really fast.

I did this late last night and did not itch for 24 hours, I have now cleaned off the nail polish and am about to apply this remedy again, I think this will be the last time I need to - so cleared up in 48 hours if I am right. I will report back tomorrow night

Edited June 14, 2006 by sukie175

[workin4somethin 0]

Is anybody else finding the bugs an absolute nightmare in the USA.

It is soooo much worse here than the UK for bugs.

Welcome to the jungle. Just wait until tornado season. There are reasons the Indians were relocated to Oklahoma. Although, perhaps you are more fortunate than you know. Here, in Arkansas, if the bugs and storms don’t get you, the poison ivy will (or, some inbred red-neck).

[silvanski 1]

All was fine until the rains came

Invasion of the mosquitoes

[thndrdancr 0]

Ewwww, talking bout spiders...the absolute WORST spider for me is the Wolf Spider and not only are they ENORMOUS, they JUMP! Eeeks, just typing about them make me crazy.

Mom said she saw one run out of the blankets after we had them hanging out last summer, and I absolutely tore the cabin (we were at our lil trailer up on the river) apart trying to find it, and couldnt sleep that night til we closed it up and l bug bombed and let it sit for 3 weeks! Ended up leaving it earlier than planned, just cuz they scare the bejeebers out of me. I saw one in the basement 15 years ago, and at first I thought it was an extra huge mouse but then realized it had 8 legs! :Shudders:

[Jaylen Brit 0]

This topic is still freaking me the f### out

I may order clothing made entirely from steel-screen mesh or just go everywhere dressed in purdah (that should freak out the rednecks, ) or a bee-keepers outfit.

*still shuddering over Reba's last post*

[giddy34 0]

Ok have recieved my pintarsol from home and Im a happy camper scratching and itching gone, rash gone.. Also invested in some good ole telfast and that seems to dull the itching as well .. but the bathing certainly helps all my rash and iches were gone within 2 days praise the lord .... Oh and almatey my sones got that complaint right now LOL poor little fella