| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| missusprim |
Posted - Feb 28 2011 : 06:04:45 AM
Okay ladies......I hate spiders. Period. I know they're beneficial outside, but I do NOT want them inside. And because we live in the country, we get more than our fair share of the little beasts.
And by beasts, I mean the big black Wolf spiders. Those ugly things that most people think of as the common house spider. They're fast and U G L Y.
I tried putting those hedge apples (?) in the basement. I don't think that really did anything. I'd like to do this in an environmentally friendly way, but if someone has a good idea than I'm all for it.
Keep in mind, though, that we have 5 indoor cats.
The one place that I think they're mostly getting in at is under the basement steps. There is webs galore all around the steps leading down so it's a no brainer. It smells of dirt there (like there is no concrete walls or anything) so it's a fair guess that this could be their ticket inside. Our basement is off limits to our kitties so we could spray/treat the heck out of it with no threat of it harming them.
Any ideas or solutions would be helpful! I'll try just about anything at this point.
OH! And does anyone have a way to kill these things without having to get too close to them? My DD tends to just wound them and is too afraid to check to see if she's finished the job. lol
Help!
"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." George Eliot
http://onceinnabluemoon.blogspot.com/
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| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| missusprim |
Posted - Mar 11 2011 : 07:39:02 AM
Oh, how lucky you are to have your own pest control buddy in your dog! The latest addition to our kitties was formerly a barn cat and she nearly tore the house apart trying to get at a mouse a week or so ago. So, we're hoping she's going to be just as aggressive with bugs, the 's' word, and such!
So far I've seen two, my DD has seen the same......one a big one that was on the wall above the stairway that we couldn't get to. Ewww........wonder where HE got to?
I'll look into Tansy and see what it's all about. If all else, we can put it in the basement that is off limits to our furry friends.
"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." George Eliot
http://onceinnabluemoon.blogspot.com/
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| melody |
Posted - Mar 10 2011 : 8:28:15 PM
No kidding....this morning I saw my first spider of the season...YCCCCHHH!
We live close to the water and get lots of spiders during the spring and summer. Truman our Jack Russell DEVOURS them when he finds 'em! I am thinking maybe he is lacking required amounts of PROTEIN?
We tried an exterminator one year and he sprayed the house, but I just didn't feel good about doing that so after that we just put up with the little beasties.
Melody
Farmgirl #525 |
| cjeanjellybean |
Posted - Mar 10 2011 : 8:07:32 PM
The bulk herb store recommends making sachets of Tansy & putting it in strategic places like cupboards, closets, etc. to get rid of rodents, bugs, spiders & other critters. Tansy is NOT edible though, so be careful!
www.bulkherbstore.com
~Cassie Jean
Farmgirl #1356
" Stand still & let God move." ~The Isaacs |
| LeighErica |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 09:27:37 AM
I didn't hit anyone, Thank God, I just pulled over and was crying uncontrollably. Left the driver side door open....he stayed in the van and people started pulling over and trying to get me to take my hands off my eyes so they could talk to me...I was a mess....once I was able to say there was a spider in the van...a man made a smart remark and ridiculed me...looked in the van..saw the spider, jumped back, and with some major cursing asked me where I picked that one up. I finally felt vindicated...he swatted at it and it jumped...but he didn't know where. I refused to drive the van for 2 weeks after that because I was terrified it was still in there....it was the most tragic episode I have had to date. My DH had to come and get me ..... this happened when we lived in Florida...and that was the same home I swatted at a spider in the dining room...she was already dead because her babies sucked the life out of her and when I hit her, they all exploded out of her carcass and hit me...I freaked out about that one...and when we were home visiting in Pa...I went to lunch with my Grandma and ordered a sub sandwich. It was cut in half and the oil on the sandwich had "flakes" in it...I thought it was oregeno...ate the half...looked down at my plate and noticed the flakes were moving around in the other half....they were spiders!!!! And I ate half of them.....I almost lost it....the waitress checked everything and they were in the lettuce....never ate there again. It is incredible the things that happen to me. I lived in an old, old farmhouse (1800's) in Pa while hubby was deployed and loved it...but was scared to death to go into the cellar because I was afraid I would see a spider. I did have an exterminator come out monthly for that house....it was just too much for me to fathom. I can deal with millipedes...bees, snakes (sort of), mice, but spiders push me over the edge. Professional spraying does work...but you should know that you will find dead ones on the floor and cellar steps, at least I did. It was a relief and shock to me to see how many were dying, but for peace of mind, I felt it was worth it. And I didn't have any spiders on the main floor or in the bedrooms/bathrooms because of the spraying. Good luck, I know how stressed out it can make you feel. Thinking of you, Erica |
| missusprim |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 08:15:13 AM
Erica, not to outdo you - but I had a similar incident with a spider in a car. On the way to the gas station I kept feeling something around my head and neck area, but several attempts at finding what it was gave me nothing. So I pumped my gas, went in to pay, back out to car and pulled out onto a state route. Shortly thereafter the big fella fell onto my lap. I was able to pull off the road but I suspect I didn't do the transmission much good by slamming it into park and jumping out. I never found him.
No cops involved or car accidents here, but luckily I had no one behind me and there was plenty of space to pull over. But yikes, a banana spider! I'm almost breaking out in a sweat thinking about them.
Holly, I've searched the net and found lots of spider killing 'machines.' Well, mostly just capture the little beasts - but I don't want to capture them.......I want to kill them. I can't even bear the thought of transporting a live one let alone getting close enough to suck him up in a vacuum tube.
Sprays might kill them somewhat quickly, but that would leave a residue on the wall, carpet or whatever and our cats might think it'd be worth a try to taste.
Hubby is thinking of just calling in someone to spray the heck out of our foundation, basement and especially under the basement steps. Scary thing is, the basement is where I'm going to store my canning goods. Yuk.....trekking up and down those dreadful steps has a big 'ew' factor.
But I'll look into the peppermint and Neem Oil. Like I said, I'll try anything but first want to try something safe and friendly to the environment.
Thanks!
"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." George Eliot
http://onceinnabluemoon.blogspot.com/
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| LeighErica |
Posted - Mar 03 2011 : 03:49:18 AM
As I have a paralyzing fear of spiders....it is true....I can't even fathom dealing with them myself....so if hubby is gone for an extended period of time....an exterminator is hired.....I know it isn't the right way to do it, enviromentally speaking, but I truly cannot deal with them. I don't know why I am so scared of them, have even had some ver odd and untimely incidents with spiders..had a banana spider in my van under my visor and almost wrecked the van when he came out while I was driving....cops came, traffic stopped, it was a mess..long story...but anyway, in cases such as these, sometimes its best to seek out a professional....a spider would laugh and feel very superior because I would die first before him....from fear of course. Good Luck....hugs:) |
| HollyMaker |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 9:51:10 PM
I don't like spiders either but I do tolerate the daddy long legs. We used to spray the corners where the spiders would congregate and it worked great. The only thing was, is that this spray was extremely toxic stuff. It smelled terrible, everywhere! So, I don't recommend using it, especially with animals around. You could try spraying them with a mixture of Neem Oil (comes from the Neem Nut), water and a little bit of soap (to help emulsify). You would have to saturate them and it may not be immediate. There is also a natural peppermint spray that I bought at a hardware store for killing wasps. The peppermint was toxic to them. Maybe you could find something like that?
As far as not getting close to them, there are contraptions that you could buy that trap them. You could also take a paper towel tube, put some duct tape (sticky side OUT) on the end and then secure with more duct tape. The spider would stick to the tape instead of falling behind the bed. Duct tape fixes everything, LOL!
Farmgirl Sister #2699
http://www.chartreuseproducts.com/hlennon.html Natural and organic cleaning products, bath and body, natural mineral makeup, righteous reusables and more! Be sure to put my name (on homepage of website) in the 'How did you hear about us' section. |
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