Spiders, Ick!

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I have a (possibly irrational) fear of spiders. Any kind of spider. ALL spiders! They give me the heebie-jeebies. My son used to tease me by touching them, knowing it would not only make my skin crawl but it would also make me feel nauseated. Just the sight of the above photo makes me shiver! Weird, right?

I check my bed every night before I go to bed. I check the sides of the bed. I check the walls and the floor in my bedroom. I shake my clothes and bang my shoes on the floor before I put them on. If I feel a tickle on my skin, the first thing that comes to mind is that a spider is crawling on me. IF a spider really is crawling on me, you would see me doing the “OMFG get it off me” dance and I would be freaked out for the rest of the day!

If I see a spider right before going to bed at night, all I can think about as I lay in the dark is that there’s a spider coming down the wall, or there’s one crawling up the side of my bed. I know it sounds absolutely nuts, but I can’t help it!

I was bitten by a Brown Recluse several years ago, not once. Not twice, but 3 damn times! I made the mistake of not checking my sweater before I put it on and it took 3 times before I realized I was being bitten. It felt like a “nerve tickle” and didn’t hurt. I was freaked out for weeks after that! Thankfully, I didn’t suffer any adverse effects from the bites. They say some folks are immune to the venom of the Brown Recluse. (Yes, I went to the doctor!)

I was up until 3 am one time a few years ago, just trying to get a spider. I saw him in the kitchen on my way through. He scampered across the floor and went right into my bedroom, and under my dresser! That fucker had to go! No way could I go to bed with him in there. Now, just so you know this was NOT a small spider! This creepy bastard was the size of the palm of my hand. If I let him get away, there’s no telling where he might turn up! I grabbed my broom and my handy spider spray. I had to move the dresser and I managed to spray him, which slowed him down considerably. It took hours, but I finally got him and still didn’t get any sleep that night!

When I was working as a Medication Technician at a nursing home in the 90’s, a huge spider came running out from under the snack machine in the hall. Someone had placed a plastic cup over it and called the charge nurse to get rid of it. Since this was late at night, the maintenance crew was gone. They normally took care of the icky stuff for us. The charge nurse picked up the plastic cup, thinking she was going to smash it or something but that spider took off running so fast she couldn’t get it. What did it do? It came right towards me! I let out a blood-curdling scream that woke several residents from their slumber and I ran like hell!

I know, I’m such a baby!

When I wonder why I’m so terrified of spiders, my mind always goes to the story my mother told me many years ago. She said that one day when I was small, I was playing outside on our driveway, just outside the kitchen. Mom told me that she caught me trying to pull a black widow spider out of a crack in the cement and she hollered at me to stop. She said I had been afraid of spiders ever since. I don’t remember the incident so I don’t know what she yelled, but I often wonder what she actually said to get me to leave the spider alone? Could that be the reason I’m ready to crawl out of my skin upon seeing a spider?

Give me snakes, cicadas, grasshoppers, beetles, rats, mice….cockroaches even! Just keep the damn spiders away from me!

What are you afraid of? Do you feel that it’s irrational? Do people laugh at you? I know a guy who is afraid of butterflies and moths. Go figure. Too bad I couldn’t trade fears with him.

25 thoughts on “Spiders, Ick!”

  2. Great post. I was afraid of spiders too. Then I met my wife who loves insects. She actually will gently catch the daddy long leg spiders that come into the house.. with her hands! I’m not that brave. I use a cup!

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  3. We don’t have any really dangerous spiders here, although I’m not a fan of white tail spiders. Our younger son lives in Melbourne and takes delight in sharing stories of various spiders (particularly very big Huntsman spiders) and snakes he has come across. The only thing I am really not keen on in NZ is something called a Weta.

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  4. Not all spiders give me the ickys, just black widows, all the others I can deal with. Did you know if you use hair spray it will freeze them? Then you can pick them up in a cup and take them outside and………..stomp the shit out of them! I do this, it’s a trick I learned when I saw a spider on my bathroom sink as I was getting ready for work and didn’t have any bug spray, so what did I use? Suave hair spray I had in my hand, and it tried to run but then I saw it start to slow down and then it just froze. Just a suggestion, this way those little bastards can’t run away from you, lol.

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    • OMGosh! Wish I’d have had that tip many years ago! Thanks bunches! Was that aerosol spray or pump? I can deal with spiders that stay in one place….like black widows. I see them in the window cracks on occasion. They stay there so I don’t worry so much. We have a spider that lives behind our toilet tank. Not sure what kind he is, but he shows himself in the Spring and Summer. He doesn’t go anywhere but there. He doesn’t bother me. When they crawl everywhere in the house, now that’s another story! The house is MY domain. I don’t bother them if they’re outside. We get those huge garden spiders and sometimes if they’re too close to the front door I’ll have Dad or my son relocate them but we don’t kill them if they’re outside.

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      • It was pump hair spray, that’s all I had but it worked. I don’t have many spiders visit my house, but last summer I was inundated with freaking ants! In my closet and all over my clothes! No body I MEAN NO BODY MESSES WITH MY WARDROBE! It too ask night but I had to take each piece of clothing and take it outside shake and make sure the ants were gone. Then I emptied my closet and I sprayed ant killer all over the closet. It was the grossest thing ever especially since I found out ants can carry salmonella, yuck!

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  5. I have to admit that spiders don’t bother me too much except when they are crawling over me fast. It’s the not knowing where they end up thing that gets me. I’ll happily pick one up if it stays put. I’m one of those crazy people who like insects. They are fascinating. Our sunroom always has a few hornets hanging out and it freaks many people out, including my husband. So I have to let them crawl up on my finger and take them outside. Unless I want to be alone. If I want that, I just let the hornets stay and the people go. The hornets are never too chatty and I don’t have to share my snacks with them! Usually…

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    • Snakes don’t bother me unless I don’t know they’re there. I would be startled by one but as long as it’s not poisonous, I’m ok with them. Shit, we had one in the cat room last year, just a little one. Startled me but we got him outside where he belonged. I’m afraid of heights and water, as well. 😮

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  8. You are not a baby and I understand you totally.i don’t check my bed every night but sure when I see one I jump in disgust……now actually you make me wonder how I am not as skinny as a stick with all this jumping as ireland is the kingdom of spiders 😩

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