Sally Are You There?

oh Pat you poor thing!
(can I laugh since I'm not Sal?)

I'm certainly no expert, but it seems to me if it did bite you and it was really bad (spider speaking), it would react pretty quickly. Within an hour you'd probably notice a red spot swelling. At least that's been my experience in the past..

Probably scared the spider worst of all...his whole world moved suddenly huh? LOL...


Andie

Relax Pat - You probably scared him worse than he scared you. Those are not very aggressive little guys. You should be feeling it already if he bit you, and if he did, yes, it will get red and puffy but that's about it unless you have a very strange allergy. If you do find a bite, which by this time, you probably won't, just douse it with some hydrocortisone cream and it will go away in a few days.

Thank you Sal. Yes I think he was a good guy because I don't feel anything hours later - except still creepy

... and let's hope he went outside now. I am still freaked thinking he is in here somewhere.

Looking at the spider site Ken posted nobody looked like him, but there were two harmless spiders who build big giant circular webs to catch mosquitoes and etc - and that's what these guys do out in front.

I guess he is one of those. (Thank God) So maybe this one had a punk do -

Thank you - you are the first one I thought of that would know something.

Did some quick research. Sounds like a jumping spider but found
more in So. Cal. From what I read, only need to be concerned
with widow family and brown recluse. None fit your description.

Jumping spider is not poisonous. If you see him, capture him and
take him outside. Use a glass or something to cover him. Have a
flat piece of cardboard like paper to cover.

Otherwise, he'll find his way outside. I'm sure he's not happy being
where he is.


Ken

Thanks Ken. I appreciate your and everyone's concern. It would have really been worse if nobody responded.

Yeh - I love trees and outdoors and the 'country' - until the first spider.

Then I want to move back to the city where I lived all my life.

... until I remember the cockroaches.

Yes - jumping spider. They are kind of cute in their own way. They can get pretty big out here, too. I've seen smaller ones further north - in fact they're kind of common. Don't worry about him Pat, but he will come back in and out once he has a route if the weather gets bad. Just take him out to the other side of your house so he won't go back in through his passage.

They aren't aggressive, but they can startle you when they jump. They don't build webs either - they pounce on their prey. We have a lot of them in the front yard and I've watched them hunt while I'm out smoking.

Actually, capturing a jumping spider isn't as easy as it sounds. I carried
one in, not on purpose, and I tried to capture him and return him outside.

No dice. lol. I got tired of chasing him and just said the hell with it. But
I never saw him again. I guess he found a way out.


Ken

LOL - I can see Pat sleeping outside tonight to avoid that damn spider!

Just a word of caution Pat - sleep with your mouth closed and all will be fine!!!

eeeeewww.

Yes I would have a cardiac arrest I am quite sure.

I kind of had to laugh (morbid) at this description on the spider site Ken Strong posted.


Venom toxicity - the bite of Orb-Weaving Spiders is of low risk (not toxic) to humans. They are a non-aggressive group of spiders. Seldom bite. Be careful not to walk into their webs at night - the fright of this spider crawling over one's face can be terrifying and may cause a heart attack, particularly to the susceptible over 40 year olds.

Soooo....

Pat

Sleep well last night? :rolleyes:

LOL. Yes thanks to my new Vanilla 'Sleepy Time' herbal tea.

No sign of the perp.

It is raining so hopefully he split before it started and doesn't 'come back in and out' like Sally Says.

Still feeling crawly - thanks for reminding me, Andie LOL.

Yes Kay - you know it is the smaller ones that I dislike the most -

I don't think this was a jumper because Sally Says they don't do webbing and when I brushed him off I also felt the web string they have all over outside that just goes from one bush to the other.

There are quite a few big giant webs out there too. If they catch a single evil mosquito they are worth the real estate.

I am pretty sure he was in the tree I moved and I got right now under it and he got 'transferred' to my hair. (eeeww)

I once knew a Tarantula named Rose personally - She was a pet of a boyfriend I had - She was hella big and went to bars with him.

They just are not as creepy when they are big.

Well there is a guy downstairs that found a baby scorpion in his bathtub so thankfully it wasn't one of them.

Pat - jumpers are the only black and white spiders of I know of in this area. They can make silk, but they don't build webs. Trap door spiders also don't build webs to catch food, although they do build themselves a "nest", so to speak. They're about the only spiders I've seen other than some varieties of tarantulas that have "fur".

If you actually have seen black and white spiders in webs, I'd like to see a pic of them to see what they could be if you can get a pic of one. If the webs outside are big enough, they're probably what my sister calls "Charlots" (gee, guess where that name comes from). They're just a large garden variety of spider. It's a very large, brown spider with fairly short legs in comparison to the fat bodies and are pretty creepy to look at. They are also considered to be good luck - so bear with them!

And the scorpion? I had a scorpion that I found in the bathtub, too. He was so small I almost didn't see him and he almost got washed down the drain. We'd had a windstorm and this little guy must have been carried in on that as the bathroom window was open. He was too little not to be with his mom. I made a nice terrarium for him and kept him for about year and a half, then let him go. I fed him live flies and bugs so hunting for food was no different for him outside. It was interesting to watch him grow.

Yes - we do have several different looking ones out there and it may be that the ones with the giant webs are not black and white. (usually I wince and look away rather than get up close and personal, lol) - but I will take note from now on. eeeww

Actually this was the first one I noticed with prison stripes so maybe you are right about it being a 'jumper' (Oh man, I am going to have trouble going out my front door for fear now of being jumped.... eeeeeeee!

The ones that love my car and decorate with webs year round are just little ugly brown ones. They have a whole apartment behind my side view mirrors and then decorate the 'stems' of the mirrors. One day I witnessed what appeared to be a marital spat with one chasing the other one out from the back and around and around they went in and out.

The best way to avoid getting attacked by biting spiders is to quit biting the spiders.