Huntsmans

[Renenet]

Hi,

I have a whacking great huntsman spider sitting on the guttering just slightly to the right of my front door. :shock: I'm guessing it has to be larger than my handspan - and I've got pretty long fingers - but I'm not getting any closer to make a proper measurement.

Now, I'm about to do zoology, but huntsman spiders make my stomach quiver and my skin crawl. I'm not full-on afraid of them - that is, I won't shriek and run away - but I'd much rather they were elsewhere.

Where do you stand on huntsmans? Does anyone have any cool huntsman stories?

 

[snakeluvver]

I like spiders. I dislike huge maneating hairy monsters that push the definition of the word "spider". We get them in our house regularly, my mum always catches them and releases them, but recently she got sick of doing it so often that the last time she found one she just used bugspray. She used half a can of mortein and the huntsman didnt even slow down.
My mum was walking recently and felt a sharp pain in her toe, she took of her shoe and a dead squished huntsman fell out.

 

[ingie]

I like them. There are heaps at my place. The other day one ran up my arm and I tried to shoo it off me but it kept running around on my neck and shoulders and then onto my head. Bit creepy when they are on you lol.

When I was little I found a dead one and carried it around for a half hour playing with it. Then it ran away. I was horrified that it was playing dead the whole time.

 

[vampstorso]

My friend got into the habbit of calling all Huntsmans "George", after he rescued one from certain death, and the name just stuck. So now we all call them George lol

My Nana used to leave them be in the house, for months and months and months, she called them all "Matilda", and so us kids would come over and ask "Where's Matilda today?" genuinely interested, as I guess naming them made it less creepy for us. The deal was she wouldn't kill them, if they stayed on the roof/walls.

I find SA Huntsmans aren't so bad...they don't seem to jump or be as fiesty and large as the queensland ones.


I can't say I "like" them, but I'm happy for someone to relocate them from the house (my roomie is a hero for this)

I perfer them over other spiders...you can't deny huntsmans remind you of childhood! I do find the way they scrunch up kinda like a ragdoll in a corner quite eery though haha

 

[Tildy]

I love them. All the huntsmans in my mum's house have been dubbed "wincey" and they are the house pets. I haven't seen any in my house yet but the way I see it is, the more huntsmans, the less nasty bugs like mozzies, flies and roaches. I would rather the spiders cause they don't eat my food and don't hang off me or bug me.

 

[melissagalea2]

we had 2 hanging around inside our house, and hubby would catch them in tupperware and put them outside, then the next night one would come back in the sliding doors again. (we keep em open so the dogs can go out to pee when we r home)...anyway....after 2 weeks of constantly putting them outside, we went into our room late at night, and our whole roof was covered in literally hundreds of baby huntsmans. 3 babys live in our bathroom now, and not sure were the other hundreds went.

 

[phantomreptiles]

Terrified of them!!!!!
Had one in my room three nights ago, had my housemate in there gassing my room. Could not go back in until she found it.
I get the sweats, feel faint the works, even pics scare me.....:-(

 

[Hoplophile]

Generally huntsmans are pretty harmless, but there have been reports of one group, the "Badge Spiders", or Neosparassus (formerly Olios) of giving painful bites that led to nausea and vomiting. Be careful with all spiders as a precaution.

 

[richoman_3]

i love all spiders - spicially tarantulas !
except
daddy long legs, put one near me and ill ********* freak out and run and run and run haha
id hold a f/w anyday over them

 

[Renenet]

I like spiders. I dislike huge maneating hairy monsters that push the definition of the word "spider".

I love the way you put that, Snakeluvver. I'm okay with most other spiders - there's a lot of interesting ones around here - but huntsmans... no. Just no.

 

[Dipcdame]

I love huntsmen, if we find one residing in the house, we leave it be, the grandkids give them names!

 

[Renenet]

I like them.

How did you get so used to them, Ingie? It might be a handy skill to have around here.

When I was little I found a dead one and carried it around for a half hour playing with it. Then it ran away. I was horrified that it was playing dead the whole time.

:shock:

 

[snakes123]

eek i hate spiders the only things i dont like...ohh apart from horses cows and sharks im all loving towards animals

 

[Renenet]

I find SA Huntsmans aren't so bad...they don't seem to jump or be as fiesty and large as the queensland ones.

Way to make me feel better, CDB!

Unfortunately, they don't make me feel all that warm and fuzzy about my childhood. We used to get them at school. I remember how they sat in one place for days - and then disappeared. I can't quite decide if it was worse to be able to see them or have them running around somewhere unknown.

The way I see it is, the more huntsmans, the less nasty bugs like mozzies, flies and roaches. I would rather the spiders cause they don't eat my food and don't hang off me or bug me.

That's true. Do they eat cockroaches? That might make me reconsider my feelings. A little.

We went into our room late at night, and our whowle roof was covered in literally hundreds of baby huntsmans. 3 babys live in our bathroom now, and not sure were the other hundreds went.

Eeeek! Did you actually sleep that night? Though you seem to be one of those lucky people who don't mind them. I'd love to know how you get to that state of mind. I'd like to be a bit more relaxed when I see one.

 

[Tildy]

I don't think they are a staple part of the diet but I have seen ours eating roaches. Also, roaches tend to lessen if the spider population is greater, I just don't think roaches like to take the chance.

 

[Renenet]

i love all spiders - spicially tarantulas !
except
daddy long legs, put one near me and ill ********* freak out and run and run and run haha
id hold a f/w anyday over them

Ah, fears. Most of them are completely irrational. I'm sure there are people out there who wouldn't be able to understand how I can keep a snake, yet be creeped out by a huntsman.

 

[53ERX]

Love them!
Always lived in queensland and always had these critters crawling around growing up.
They generally keep to themselves, though this little guy wandered into my bathroom.

 

[richoman_3]

Ah, fears. Most of them are completely irrational. I'm sure there are people out there who wouldn't be able to understand how I can keep a snake, yet be creeped out by a huntsman.

haha yep,
when theres a daddy long legs in the house (regualy) my parents tell me to kill it but i say no lol,but they always say 'but you can pick up tarantulas'
i either end up throwing shoes, getting the nerf gun or using a baseball bat before my dad just comes and steps on it

 

[vampstorso]

Misunderstood Spider meme | quickmeme


awwwwwww

 

[Wally]

I've done a few large tree removals that have been covered in ivy and had some interesting moments. Nothing like being fifteen metres up a tree when one crawls up your arm. Great way to test out your harnesses effectiveness.