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OutOfPrint posted:
You know, you make that joke but there was a weird basement under a house I used to live in. It was all brick, but the walk-able area was only like a quarter of the house plan. the rest of it was separated by a brick wall with a giant hole in it, filled chest high with sand. I always used to joke that there was a body buried under there, but I never did dig in there for real. I lived there from around 8 or 9 years old to 15. Too bad our old landlord died, I could probably have asked him to let me dig under it now. Maybe Dracula is in Southern Illinois? Applesnots posted:I guess it is better than being an alcoholic? Nah, he was that too unfortunately. Luckily (?????) the cancer got him first, but he drank like a dang fish for the last 30 something years of his life. Also I didn't expect people to be so disgusted by the spider eating? I thought it was weird, but it was more funny to me than disgusting. Guess that's what I get for growing up in small town with a bunch of weirdos. Soysaucebeast has a new favorite as of 03:12 on Jun 14, 2019 |
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Jun 14, 2019 03:08
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Soysaucebeast posted:Nah, he was that too unfortunately. Luckily (?????) the cancer got him first, but he drank like a dang fish for the last 30 something years of his life. I am sorry dude, I did not mean to bring up any sad memories.
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Jun 14, 2019 03:17
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Applesnots posted:I am sorry dude, I did not mean to bring up any sad memories. Oh no worries. It sucks and I miss him, but it happened a while ago so it's not a raw wound or anything. I'm just happy that's he's grossing people out from beyond the grave. He'd be cracking up about it too, I'm sure.
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Jun 14, 2019 03:19
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Heh, that gave me a good chuckle.
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Jun 14, 2019 03:25
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Now he’s in heaven, where he can eat as many spiders as he likes.
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Jun 14, 2019 03:27
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Ariong posted:Now he’s in heaven, where he can eat as many spiders as he likes. Is that Spider Hell? They could call him The HarvestMan
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Jun 14, 2019 03:50
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BrigadierSensible posted:What I always heard, (and I am assuming it is an Urban Legend/playground wisdom), is that ounce for ounce, Daddy Long Leg spider venom was the most potent venom in the world. But they were harmless to humans due to 1)their mouths and fangs were too small to pierce human skin, and 2) coz they are so small, and we are so big comparatively the amount of venom they would inject wouldn't be enough to kill, or even irritate a human. As others have pointed out, that's just myth. It's a very widespread and persistent rumor, in spite of the fact that you'd think you'd hear of at least the occasional case of a life-threatening bite if it were true. Instead, in addition to being terribly small and fragile and timid and cowardly, cellar spiders also just...don't have very powerful venom. This has been tested in multiple ways by multiple sources, and the overall consensus is their venom kinda sucks and isn't even especially dangerous to insects or other arachnids, on its own. They're also kind of lame at web-building; their webs lack the strong adhesives web-building spiders are known for, and they apparently rely on the chaotic webbing to act as tangling nets. Cellar spiders have been observed to literally just steal webs from other spiders that they eat, though, which is kind of funny. Amusingly, in spite of how incredibly delicate this makes them from our perspective, their incredibly gangly bodies make them excellent at fighting other spiders and bugs smaller than themselves; they can literally just reach out and wrap up prey in webbing without ever risking being close enough to take a hit, so they don't really need to invest resources in having strong venom. Harvestmen, similarly, are often rumored to be venomous, but their chelicera lack fangs (they aren't actually spiders, though they're closely related). Some harvestmen do excrete a chemical deterrent that is bitter and stinky, so you probably wouldn't want to eat those, at least.  There are many types of harvestmen, but that should be a pretty typical image of the mouthparts for most of them, which are tiny claws designed to help them pick at whatever opportune food they might find, since they're mostly scavengers. It might be less scary for some to just think of them as weird crabs instead of arachnids. On spider bites, if you've had to suffer through living with a house that has an infestation of a couple of the more troublesome varieties, you can come to recognize their bites yourself; most species of spider leave bites that are only a bit larger and more annoying than a mosquito bite, and if it's a spider you can often see the distinctive dual-puncture mark of fangs, though they're usually very tiny. The bigger danger is infection, since most regular, ordinary spiderbites occur when you're unfortunate enough to squish one of the poor bastards while putting on clothing or moving around in your sleep, and it's pretty easy for them to go unnoticed and uncleaned. All of this is mostly moot to most people, though, because spider bites are by and large very, very rare. Spiders are bumbling little assholes who are highly specialized to pick on other small critters and they want jack-all to do with you. Biting people is a really bad survival strategy when they're more likely to escape an encounter with a person unnoticed by just...not doing that.
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Jun 14, 2019 03:55
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Good point to mention how it’s mostly a western culture thing to be freaked out by spiders while eastern cultures tend to regard them more favorably. I know at one point it was believed that they spread plague but I don’t know if that created the stigma or the other way around
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Jun 14, 2019 04:33
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christmas boots posted:Good point to mention how it’s mostly a western culture thing to be freaked out by spiders while eastern cultures tend to regard them more favorably. I know at one point it was believed that they spread plague but I don’t know if that created the stigma or the other way around Is it Western or Eastern to pop them in your mouth and crunch down
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Jun 14, 2019 04:42
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Daddy long legs aren't spiders.
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Jun 14, 2019 05:13
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Shady Amish Terror posted:Spiders are bumbling little assholes who are highly specialized to pick on other small critters and they want jack-all to do with you. Biting people is a really bad survival strategy when they're more likely to escape an encounter with a person unnoticed by just...not doing that. Giant House Spiders will charge at you tho. Possibly because they know we call them Giant House Spiders and it's puffed up their egos.
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Jun 14, 2019 05:43
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I can’t imagine how many pests my filthy hovel of a home would have if it wasn’t overrun by spiders and scorpions
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Jun 14, 2019 05:47
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I highly recommend scooping up orb weavers in your bare hands to relocate them for a crowd who scream about how it's going to bite you. I also highly recommend relocating bees by hand (unless you're allergic, I guess). Never been bitten by a spider, because spiders generally respond to being picked up by trying to bungee jump away. Never been stung by a bee, honey or bumble, because they are gentle creatures, and my stepsister's boyfriend thinks I'm some sort of bee-taming witch because I picked up a bumblebee in my hand to take outside. Wasps, though, gently caress them. You can't trust them.
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Jun 14, 2019 06:06
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I had a couple Bald Faced Hornet nests on my property that were discovered by me driving nearby on my lawn mower then them chasing me down 50ft or so later to attack. It felt like I got stabbed by something and I looked at my arm to see one had bitten me to hold on then was repeatedly stabbing me with its stinger. I swelled up like crazy to the point where I almost called 911 but my breathing was OK so I didn't. I then broke out in hives all over my body that itched like crazy. It took a few days before the swelling went away. Any other sting or bite I've ever had didn't do much other than hurt for a bit leaving a small bump. When I removed their nest I wore my motorcycle protective gear with a full face helmet and welding gloves on. They were pinging of the face shield in fury. I've never seen such aggressive little things before! A few years later the same thing happened and I got stung on my ear and half my head looked like I was Andre the Giant's relative. Googling for what stings look like brings up some comical pictures.
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Jun 14, 2019 09:34
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^^^ holy poo poo! I’m glad you lived! Makes me never want to live someplace with a lawn again!Facebook Aunt posted:Giant House Spiders will charge at you tho. Possibly because they know we call them Giant House Spiders and it's puffed up their egos. I always thought this was a combination of them looking for shade/a hiding place? Although depending on the part of the world you’re in a giant house spider could be a few different varieties. All the better though since most spiders can’t really change direction on the fly, so it’s easy to corral them into something to relocate, even huge ones. On wasps, a few years ago we had a nest show up in a bush in front of our house, some red and black striped sort that didn’t build beyond the size of a large fist. At no point did they try to sting folks, not even a gardener trimming in that area. It’s said wasps recognize people, so maybe we were all non-threats? SUPERMAN'S GAL PAL has a new favorite as of 09:40 on Jun 14, 2019 |
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Jun 14, 2019 09:36
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RoboRodent posted:I highly recommend scooping up orb weavers in your bare hands to relocate them for a crowd who scream about how it's going to bite you. I also highly recommend relocating bees by hand (unless you're allergic, I guess). Agree on all. I always relocate spiders outside anyway, because they're good and cool and I have regular pest control and so it's not good for them to be inside my house. And gently caress wasps. Malice incarnate. Also, kinda gently caress carpenter bees, because even though they're basically harmless, they will gently caress up any untreated wood things you've built and also the males can be super aggressive, even if they can't back their poo poo up with action. ReidRansom has a new favorite as of 14:59 on Jun 14, 2019 |
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Jun 14, 2019 14:57
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We like to wear bright pretty colors in spring and summer so if a bumblebee is bonking into you it's 'cause you look like the biggest most amazing flower. If you don't close your hand, many bugs and spiders are not super bothered by being relocated; if you do close your hand, you're a giant mouth trying to eat them, and they will respond accordingly.
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Jun 14, 2019 16:10
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Bumblebees are chill and if one of them stings you you probably had it coming.
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Jun 14, 2019 16:19
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christmas boots posted:Bumblebees are chill and if one of them stings you you probably had it coming. Are they ones that live or die after stinging? I try to avoid bee stings more for the sake of the individual bee than anything.
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Jun 14, 2019 16:32
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Brawnfire posted:Are they ones that live or die after stinging? I try to avoid bee stings more for the sake of the individual bee than anything. those are honeybees, they are more likely to sting than bumblebees but still not particularly agressive. only time I've ever been stung is when one was in my shoe when I put it on
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Jun 14, 2019 16:35
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gey muckle mowser posted:those are honeybees, they are more likely to sting than bumblebees but still not particularly agressive. only time I've ever been stung is when one was in my shoe when I put it on Oh gently caress, you reminded me of my Summer of Wasps. Somehow, wasps invaded my apartment through some unknown path. Several shoe stings, a couple of times they'd just appear and tumble down your clothing stinging the whole way... gently caress wasps. gently caress the Summer of Wasps. gently caress life.
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Jun 14, 2019 16:40
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Brawnfire posted:Are they ones that live or die after stinging? I try to avoid bee stings more for the sake of the individual bee than anything. And deny them a glorious afterlife in bee Valhalla?
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Jun 14, 2019 16:54
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Wasps vary wildly in aggression. Around where I live we mostly have Dirt Daubers (I don’t know the proper name) which are about as docile as anything. They’re pretty cool. The only bad thing about them is that their nests are made of dried mud instead of clay, so once their gone it can be a little tough to get rid of the abandoned nest. We also have a few Yellowjackets, which are the exact opposite and will happily sting you if you don’t give them a wide berth. I don’t hate them, though. They’re just doing what Mother Nature told them to do.
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Jun 14, 2019 17:01
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My buddy had a bee hive in his wall in his old apartment. His HOA refused to cover exterminator costs, so cue long summer nights of a fly swatter in one hand and a rotating cast of increasingly empty beer cans in the other.
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Jun 14, 2019 17:04
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When I was in Guyana ages ago, I was staying at a rented house for a while that had a huge beehive in the backyard. What I learned on my first night there was in the evening, the entire swarm would relocate into the kitchen of the house. I woke up the first night hearing a buzz, thinking the fridge was acting up or something. I walk into the kitchen, flip on the light, and was frozen in horror. Every surface was covered in bees. I stood staring for about a minute, then quietly turned off the light, headed back to my room, and shut the door and blocked up the space at the bottom with a towel. Turns this had been happening for ages and the homeowner never bothered to do anything about it. And the bees ended up being pretty chill. Never bothered me at all and didn't mind if I came into the kitchen at all.
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Jun 14, 2019 17:17
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Ariong posted:Wasps vary wildly in aggression. Around where I live we mostly have Dirt Daubers (I don’t know the proper name) which are about as docile as anything. They’re pretty cool. The only bad thing about them is that their nests are made of dried mud instead of clay, so once their gone it can be a little tough to get rid of the abandoned nest. My experience with Yellowjackets is the opposite. They mind their own business almost as much as daubers, but red wasps... Man, gently caress red wasps. Evil things.
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Jun 14, 2019 17:32
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Want to know why black widows have such a dangerous reputation? Becuase where they are most common, the American South, a lot of people only had out houses and because there were tons of flys there, the widows would make their nest. So people would go to the outhouse to do their business and get sensitive areas bit by the widows that had made webs inside the hole. Because hospitals weren't easily accessed at the time as well, people died because they couldn't get treatment quickly. Think about that next time you take a crap at your uncles fishing shack.
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Jun 14, 2019 17:42
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I currently have a cellar spider in my bathroom closet. Its leg span is easily the size of my hand, and its abdomen about the size of a corn kernel. It's hiding at the moment but when I went to check I spotted my friendly resident jumping spider! It had been in seclusion for about a week (I suspect it enjoyed the beetle I gave it) and when I said hello it loving dabbed at me. I offered a grain moth that was flying around but I think the mirrors confused the poor thing so I corralled it into a cup with the moth and the little buddy pounced on it with gusto 
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Jun 14, 2019 17:49
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Jumping spiders are objectively the best spiders. If you like jumping spiders and also like science fiction, I highly recommend Children of Time as some good reading. Originally recommended to me by a goon in the cute thread, of all places.
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Jun 14, 2019 18:54
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Regarding Giant House Spiders and Cellar Spiders, I had experiences with both living in Germany. In Heidelberg, living close to the river where the bugs were plentiful, I used to get absolutely loving massive house spiders in my house and garden. When cutting down a shrub I once found a massive specimen living beneath it that could have easily stretched out to the side of an adult hand. They're also one of the fastest-sprinting species recorded, if you needed more nightmares. I moved to Wiesbaden, into an apartment with a basement storage unit. That storage unit was positively infested by thin, delicate cellar spiders that webbed all over the ceiling. But, for two years I never saw another giant house spider (or any other species that I can recall). The cellar spiders managed to outbreed other species, eating all their food or the spiders themselves if they got too close because they make for excellent arachnid assassins. Rather than beefy, fast, nightmarish house spiders I had goofy little thin guys who were content to stay upside down in their ceiling webs because they could barely bumble along if they had to actually walk somewhere. Weirdly, when I moved to Diego Garcia, a tropical atoll right off the equator in the Indian Ocean, I was worried about gigantic tropical spiders. The island hardly had any! I saw the occasional smaller banana spider out in the jungle, but only in deep tree cover where the birds missed them. Instead, most of the island's insect and arachnid niches were filled by small lizards and crabs of all sorts of size and species, from tiny little ghost crabs, tall red warrior crabs, and even gigantic coconut crabs. I had four small white crabs (maybe 3" across) dig burrows outside my front door who would emerge at night to eat leaf litter who I named Larry, Curly, Moe and Shemp. Unrelated to the above, but how about this for a headline? Scientists were excited to spot a huge spider eating an opossum, but you might have nightmares.
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Jun 14, 2019 20:29
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Applesnots posted:When I first saw this picture as a kid I never saw the ghost, I just saw the glowing thing with three eyes and screaming Same, even as a kid I knew the picture was faked but that...sconce? creeps me out even now. ToxicSlurpee posted:Speaking of more or less harmless horror bugs may I present to you the dobsonfly, otherwise know as the hellgrammite? I used to live by a river and these guys hung around our porch light constantly. I never in 7 years of living there saw a female.
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Jun 14, 2019 23:03
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SUPERMAN'S GAL PAL posted:I always thought this was a combination of them looking for shade/a hiding place? Although depending on the part of the world you’re in a giant house spider could be a few different varieties. All the better though since most spiders can’t really change direction on the fly, so it’s easy to corral them into something to relocate, even huge ones. Our local Giant House Spider is Eratigena duellica. Completely harmless, but a little scary looking and they have huge "fangs". (Actually palps, and they are only huge on the males who use them for sexy times not biting.) At a glance they also resemble Hobo Spiders, which have been in all the scary news for years now.  Not huge by world standards maybe, but the biggest spider I've ever seen in the wild here in Canada.  Those loving palps! Not much difference between relocating them and killing them unfortunately. They only come into houses in the fall, because they can't survive winter nights outside. So if you want to be a spider bro the the best option is just to ignore them. They hide most of the day so you'll only see them moving around the house at like 3 am - the absolutely best time to unexpectedly encounter a big scary looking spider!
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Jun 14, 2019 23:55
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RoboRodent posted:Jumping spiders are objectively the best spiders. the spiders that inspired the ones in that book are amazing. they are capable of planning ahead and formulating complex ambushes, letting them kill prey (other spiders) that are much larger than they are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDtlvZGmHYk not exactly creepy, I think they are great (and cute as far as spiders go). the book just got a sequel if you didn't know.
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Jun 15, 2019 00:18
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i lived in southeast ohio for a couple years. every night for a couple months a giant wolf spider would walk out into the middle of the carpet and stare at me for awhile i watched tv. we were pretty good buds
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Jun 15, 2019 01:30
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uber_stoat posted:
Yes, I'm reading it now! It's great so far. I'll probably explore the rest of the stuff this author's written after.
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Jun 15, 2019 03:36
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RoboRodent posted:Jumping spiders are objectively the best spiders.  They're so weirdly robotic but to me they don't seem like a spider because I'm so used to ones with the typical house spider/wolf spider characteristics. I love how curious they are too, they never seem to have a problem getting close & checking people out, they're like the puppies of the spider world
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Jun 15, 2019 04:34
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When I was a kid my mom was a huge arachnophobe who would freak the gently caress out whenever there was a spider but she also didn't mind daddy long legs spider-like bugs and also coexisted with a jumping spider who lived on and around her lamp at work. For some reason they convinced me that jumping spiders could detach their abdomen from their butt and that's how they jumped. No I can't parse what they told me any better now compared to then. Here's a spider crab  Here's a regular sized man holding a spider crab 
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Jun 15, 2019 07:41
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ToxicSlurpee posted:The adult form of it is rarely seen. They spend most of their lives as big, gross larva that live under rocks in the river and eat other creepy crawlies so most people never encounter them at all. Don't doxx me quote:Here's a regular sized man holding a spider crab 
Phlegmish has a new favorite as of 11:44 on Jun 15, 2019 |
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Jun 15, 2019 11:33
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no posts about giant bugs are complete without this terrifying creature: A Cicada Killer, a parasitic wasp that doesn't attack people. The worst thing they do to people is dig up their yard:  edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=331G7HeQBTU Peanut President has a new favorite as of 17:14 on Jun 15, 2019 |
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Jun 15, 2019 17:11
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Facebook Aunt posted:Hobo Spiders [...] have been in all the scary news for years now. Which - as has been noted to be the case with most "scary" spiders - they probably shouldn't be. More recent studies such as Binford (2001) have shown a significant lack of evidence for the supposed dermonecrotic effects of their bites. Alehkhs has a new favorite as of 17:38 on Jun 15, 2019 |
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