Creepy Crawlies

[denverd0n]

First off, there are over 3,000 species of spiders in North America, and exactly two of them can be a danger to humans: Black Widows and Brown Recluses. Of course, I realize that a fear of spiders has nothing at all to do with any rational consideration about the risk of harm from them.

The second thing is, the primary diet of spiders is other sorts of insects. Which means that the only reason they are there is because you have other insects for them to eat. If you want to get rid of the spiders, the first thing you need to do is get rid of all the other insects. Focusing first on the spiders is a waste of time. As long as the other insects are there, the spiders will keep coming back. But if you get rid of the other insects, the spiders will leave on their own, in search of happier hunting grounds.

So, bottom line is, a spider now and then is a good thing, they will control the other insects on the boat. Lots of spiders is a bad thing, because it means you have a major infestation of other insects.

Good luck.

[MichaelB1969]

Originally Posted by Wayfarer

A creature straight from the depths of hell. It was black, furry, bigger than my hand, and i'm pretty sure it's eyes were glowing red. Then I realized that there were about three more in the room with me. One had a knife. I screamed bloody murder.

You're pretty funny. This made me laugh, especially because I feel the same way about spiders!

[Capt Kangeroo]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

If you want to get rid of the spiders, the first thing you need to do is get rid of all the other insects. Focusing first on the spiders is a waste of time. As long as the other insects are there, the spiders will keep coming back. But if you get rid of the other insects, the spiders will leave on their own, in search of happier hunting grounds.

DenveredOn, Your right about the relationship between spiders and bugs but clearly you have never boated on the great lakes, particularly Lake Erie or Georgian bay. The insects here outnumber the grains of sand on the beach, you would have as much luck eradicating them as counting those grains of sand. Lake Erie on parts of the Canadian side is a spider hell of every imaginable type, probablly due to the bugs. They are virtually everywhere inside or outside, boats, cottages, cars, hanging from trees. They especially love boats!

Now fish/may flys, thats a whole thread by itself, Erie gets billions of them to the point you can not walk on your boat or anywhere without crunching dozens at a time and the roads become slick with them. They are so thick the swarms can be tracked on weather & ship radar. Welcome to Canada eh?

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. hh. Re: post #20... "I had to deal with tarantula breading season..." Interesting. How are they actually cooked after breading assuming they ARE cooked? Deep fried? Sauteed? Roasted? I missed the chance at trying deep fried scorpions on one of our China trips. I'm assuming deep fried as I did see oil filled woks. We didn't have a translator with us at the time and I was unsure of the eating protocol. Eat the stinger or leave it? Aw snap! NEXT time for sure!

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Capt Kangeroo

DenveredOn, Your right about the relationship between spiders and bugs but clearly you have never boated on the great lakes, particularly Lake Erie or Georgian bay.

True. I never have.

Originally Posted by Capt Kangeroo

The insects here outnumber the grains of sand on the beach, you would have as much luck eradicating them as counting those grains of sand.

And you have clearly never visited Florida, if you think that we don't have PRECISELY the same situation when it comes to bugs!

[Wayfarer]

Originally Posted by healhustler

... When living in the Dominican Republic, I had to deal with tarantula breading season and angry cacatas. Somehow here on this over-groomed Gulf Coast, FL island, they throw enough insecticide around to control everything but noseeums. We’ll all probably die of deet over-doses, but I’m thankful.

Yeah, no. Tarantulas are just out of the question. Breaded or no, I would literally rather drink a gallon of hot deet than find one of those things.

Originally Posted by denverd0n

First off, there are over 3,000 species of spiders in North America, and exactly two of them can be a danger to humans: Black Widows and Brown Recluses. Of course, I realize that a fear of spiders has nothing at all to do with any rational consideration about the risk of harm from them.

Logical Dave knows that it's a pretty irrational fear. I'm not necessarily worried about venom, or even being bitten. I just see them and go straight into fight or flight mode. It's some instinctive leftover monkey sh!t. Maybe in my last life I was a mosquito and was murdered by a spider.

[.QUOTE=MichaelB1969;630274]You're pretty funny. This made me laugh, especially because I feel the same way about spiders![/QUOTE]

That's quite high praise in my book. Thank you!

Originally Posted by RT Firefly

Greetings,
Mr. hh. Re: post #20... "I had to deal with tarantula breading season..." Interesting. How are they actually cooked after breading assuming they ARE cooked? Deep fried? Sauteed? Roasted?

Perhaps a spider picatta, with a lovely light white wine, butter, and lemon sauce, with some capers. I just threw up in my mouth a little.

[Peter B]

Originally Posted by Wayfarer

Perhaps a spider picatta, with a lovely light white wine, butter, and lemon sauce, with some capers.

Or maybe "with some liver and a bottle of nice Cianti?"

To unashamedly steal from a certain iconic movie line...

Actually, some South American tribes do eat large tarantulas. They crisp them on a fire, and eat them a bit like one might attack a crab, I think. Sort of variation on the old Crocodile Dundee's "throwing a shrimp on the barbie" theme...

[markpierce]

Hate spiders with their poop and webs. It took them several years before taking residence. They are worse than birds pooping on the boat

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
On a slightly different note, I've found the best spider poop remover to be Scrubbing Bubbles, the bathroom cleaner. Seems to be the best "solvent" for the job...

Insects are an excellent, as yet generally untapped, source of protein. Ugh you say? Well, the average person already eats 1 to 2 pounds of insects per year. So hold that thought about the spider picatta.

Just think about it as the perfect revenge...."Poop on MY boat will ya'? HAH! into the soup you go..."

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com...grubs-as-grub/

[High Wire]

In the Chesapeake, we were infested. Florida hardly any.
Our best offensive weapon is the vacuum. When they come out at twilight, suck them up with the vac. A cordless Dustbuster worked good enough. 10 minutes work for 2 or 3 nights and they are all gone without chemicals!

[psneeld]

I have zero detectable bug infestation on my boat.

The spiders I have on ky boat spin webs to catch flying insects near the docks such as gnats. The gnats are so plentiful that the spiders are more than happy and as Mark points out, poop to their hearts content.

On my boat, they spin their webs mostly outside because thats where most of the gnats are..

Nope, I concentrate on the spiders as they are the target and Ortho Home defense does the job for weeks...then a new batch of spiders crawl and or float aboard (air and water....havent you ever seen them air travelling by a thread of web?).

[Wayfarer]

I’m not sure how many of us use the mobile app for TF, but if you do, and you’ve subscribed to this thread, you keep seeing that damned nine foot hellbeast huntsman spider every time you scroll by. I’m posting this as a little eye bleach to fix that:

[hmason]

I don't know if it's true but I once read that you are never more than six feet from a spider.

[Andy G]

Originally Posted by hmason

I don't know if it's true but I once read that you are never more than six feet from a spider.

That's OK, we are metric down here.

[BruceK]

I once had a secretary(not in the biblical sense, though there is a term "Desking the Secretary") who had been married to a lawyer, surname Crawley, who had the nickname "Creepy".

[AusCan]

We get plenty of huntsman spiders around around and in our dirt home, although they don't really bother me.

I've never seen a spider of any type in our boat, though. I get the odd small web, but have yet to see who or what is making it. It's not a redback web, so I'm not really concerned.

Actually - we get very few insects of any type in our cruising grounds. Perhaps the occasional mosquito or fly, but it is rare. We did have a praying mantis hitch a ride on the boat for a couple of days. Maybe he took care of the spiders for us.

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by psneeld

I have zero detectable bug infestation on my boat.

The spiders I have on ky boat spin webs to catch flying insects near the docks such as gnats. The gnats are so plentiful that the spiders are more than happy and as Mark points out, poop to their hearts content.

On my boat, they spin their webs mostly outside because thats where most of the gnats are..

Nope, I concentrate on the spiders as they are the target and Ortho Home defense does the job for weeks...then a new batch of spiders crawl and or float aboard (air and water....havent you ever seen them air travelling by a thread of web?).

No pesty insects here except for pooping spiders.

I'm thinking of moving from water spray and going "nuclear" with poisonous sprays. Spiders, surrender and move on or meet oblivion!

Not sure how to deal with bees plugging fuel and water vents. Paste netting over vents?

[knotheadcharters]

I have been using dryer sheets for years, keeps spiders and bugs in general away. I put them in all lockers and drawers and in vents etc.