Killing Spiders

Yes, I'm pretty sure a spider could survive a fall from virtually any height: because they are so light, they would reach terminal velocity (the point at which they stop falling faster) in as little as a second or two and it would only be 1 or 2 metres a second (compared to the average human, who reaches terminal velocity at about 120 mph). Also, because their mass is so tiny, their kinetic energy (the energy something has by virtue of it's motion) would be pretty tiny too. Therefore, when they do hit the ground, they would only have to absorb a tiny fraction of the energy that a human, or larger object, would.

Ergo... they'll scuttle away and carry on their life (assuming they aren't squished by pedestrians upon landing, that is).

Tommy.

P.S. - I may be calculating this wrong but, if you have a spider, weighting 1 gramme, falling at 2 metres per second, it's kinetic energy would be 0.002 joules. In contrast, the kinetic energy of a 12-stone man falling at 120mph is about 110,000 joules! That's what man goes splat and spider runs off.

No a spider will not survive a fall - their abdomens split like water balloons. I put a glass over them, slide a paper under the glass and take them out and empty the glass on the ground.

last week I found a spider the size of my fist. It was bright orange an white. I have never seen this type of spider. I live in UK and we dont really have many spiders like this. There is a fruit packing place near me, i wondered if it came from there.

I have tried to find a picture of it online but have had no joy.

I do what Sal does if any of my daughters have seen the spider (they don't like them and get a bit hysterical if I don't put them out), or I'll just pick it up with my hands if I think I can do it without hurting it. If no one's seen it, I usually just leave it where it is.

And if I met Guerilla's orange and white spider, I think I'd just... leave. Quickly. Screaming. Loudly

For sure the spider survived, spider find their way to stick their web into something.

Nature is evil

It thrives upon death & disease

Once I was working with this crazy meth addict dude. A big preying mantis was sitting on a window sill we were about to paint.

He was standing there gazing up close at this preying mantis.

I came along and squished it right in front of this dude and he had some crazy freaked out buzz on that. Its guts splurted right out.

Yep and when I was a little kid about 6 I guess one night when dad was out we had a mouse running around the house.

7 kids and the mother chasing this little mouse around and screaming - we were gunna catch it and let it go.

We chased it to the kitchen door - dad walked in the door and squashed it splat.

He wasn't too popular for a day or so.

Yeah so for insects and vermin kill'n stuff can be fun

Actually on the subject of spiders and altitude - spiders have been found in the upper atmosphere riding the jetstream and are able to circumnavigate the planet because they weigh so little - I 5hit you not.

Wow, international flying spider invasion. Now I am scared!

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM Could a spider survive that?

That might depend on whether a street is beneath your apartment window.

Originally Posted by Thomas Yes, I'm pretty sure a spider could survive a fall from virtually any height...

This might depend on the size of the spider, and whether there's a street beneath.

Originally Posted by TMG Enterprises my "if it's in my house, it's fair game" policy of flattening as quickly as possible.

This is my policy too.

Maybe it's not a UK spider...


(I can't include links yet, so...)

Poisonous spider found in bananas [UK]
search: "Tuesday, 13 July, 2004, 15:15 GMT 16:15 UK"

or
Stowaway spider is found in bananas [UK, but different story]
search: "Stowaway spider" "Publication date: 9/4/2007"

Only a couple of results should come up with these 2 searches.


Riddick

Found a black widow in my garage. So me and all the arachnids in my yard came to an understanding. If they enter the premises, they will most likely come to a quick (and painless) demise.

If they stay outside, more power to them.

So far so good.

Sounds like it could be a breed of Garden or Cross spider, but all I've seen about those is that they are pretty small. I'm remembering a post I saw a year or two back that there were some red and white spiders that were importing places via airplanes and they were parking under toilet seats where they would bite (and subsequently kill) people. I'm not sure how large those get, but it reminded me of that one. I'm trying to remember where they were from though - might be a relation between them.

Tsk... all these scardy-cat girly answers! Please refer to post #2. for the proper logical answer. (I don't care if I'm wrong, I'm still right.)

You are better than me brother. I kill them on sight!

I usually let them be haha. I dont see them doing any harm, unless their close to were i sleep, then ill probably kill it, the thought of it going into my mouth when im sleeping...

Actually I like spiders -- I wonder how they really percieve us - they are highly sensitive to vibration for example

Throwing them out of your window, i would say that yea to some degree it is a bit more humane but I think it would be better if you can make a spider box, and put them in there, then use the box to release them in a more suitable habitat such as a park or backyard foliage.

Moving outside is a kind thing to do. I try to just scare them away, but sometimes you have to get rid of them. But they do serve a purpose they are useful for getting rid of other insects.

I have softened on spiders. I used to hate them but anything that goes to war against bugs is officially on my side.

I was housesitting at my sisters and every morning when I headed to the gym I would walk through this damn spider web. EVERY morning.

One morning I was sitting on the porch and was like "no way I walk into this spider web" Right before I knocked it down I saw some grotesque flying insect heading towards me- being a guy who hates bugs I was about to dodge it when BAM it got stuck in the spider web.

So me and spiders...we cool.