Inspired by Cheesy-Kiwi's wasp post, I too have an 'pest' infestation that needs attention... but mine is spiders.
I have a whole family of spiders setting up their individual homes on my porch. I would say there was at least 10 separate webs, some large some small and in between every rung and connected to every wall possible. I didn't want to start out by killing them, so I took my dad's advice and knocked down their webs last night. While I was doing this, I saw at least five of them, each one bigger than the next (with the biggest one at least 5cm in diameter... yecke! I literally get goose bumps just thinking about it).
Even though I know they won't hurt me, they give me the eebie-jeebies and I would kindly like to ask them to relocate. I checked today, and three of the webs are already re-spun (tenacious little suckers).
I don't really want to kill them because I know they do more good than harm. So is there anything I can do short of this? Is there a way to make them leave? And if not, can you please recommend what it is I need to kill them (as my last resort)... Thanks in advance!
Look at this
thread for some ideas. A previous thread even suggested eating them - apparently they are good with fried rice ..
Just make sure..they are not toxic before you try to handle them. I had black widows in my house in the US.
As far as i know there are no poisonous spiders here, poisonous to men at least! Try not to kill them as spiders are very useful to the ecosystem and an integral part of the food chain. better have spiders than flies, mosquitoes and other flying little insects. I would just take them gently and put them somewhere else. Usually they don't come back... maybe their friends might
I would take them away before the weather gets warmer and they starts laying eggs.
Yeah, I saw that. I also saw the thread about the one who had the spider in her house with babies (or spider lice) attached to it. And the poor little kid who got bitten in the garden by a poisonous one...
But I know for a fact the nets won't work because they will build the webs within the net. It is not uncommon for spiders to build in these corner areas, but it is like a full infestation. If it was one or two, I would be fine. But 4+ is too many for the little space that is my porch...
And tkn, that is kinda another one of my concerns because one of them looked like a harmless horned spider (like I am used to in the US). But another one of them was longer and leaner and looked like a sister or brother species to the brown recluse (poisonous). So I am really not qualified to handle them so to speak. I would just like to make the area uninhabitable so they leave.
And I will reiterate again... I DON'T want to kill them. But I do want them to go away.
have you tried physically moving them far away?
If anyone finds an article about spiders poisonous to men (or arachnids in general) in Switzerland, can you post it please? The daddy long legs is the most poisonous one I know of put its poison does nothign to men. You can easily take them in your hand and they will brign no harm (did it myself many times).
Yep, you got me. I am scared of the little guys. I got all freaked out just knocking down their webs with a broom. Actually trying to corral them with my hands or a jar or anything of the sort would be disastrous for me. So no, I haven't tried to physically relocate them. And I am not sure I could.
They don't like the smell of citronella oil, so if you dilute some of that in water in a spray bottle and spray the area concerned, you might be able to get rid of them. If you don't want to spray, then put some on a cloth and rub the area down.
i'm not a big fan of spiders either, but this was typical boyfriend duty for me... if you're a girl, then get your bf to do it. if you're a boy, then MTFU and get the moved!
This post should do it... [Attention [Spider] Warning](http://www.englishforum.ch/introductions/14187-attention-spider-warning.html)
And trust me, these aren't daddy long legs. I know what daddy long legs look like and also know they are harmless.
I am a girl with no boyfriend in Switzerland. And I would like to MTFU but there are so many of them!
I would ask a neighbour to do it. He will feel happy that he is useful (i mean helpful Avoid using pesticides as if the spider goes away with the pesticide inside it, it will accumulate along the food chain and if she lays eggs, the babies will be immune (or rather more resistant) to it.
if you get rid of the spiders, be prepared for a bunch of other bugs to take their place.
i personally like spiders because they'll keep any other, grosser bugs away. and they are harmless, especially here in switzerland.
I found you a natural solution that won't harm the spiders
http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Natural-...ome&id=1748132
Another natural way of doing spider control in and around your home is to mix vinegar and coconut oil and spray the area. There is also a recipe you can use to create the perfect natural repellent for spiders if they are posing a problem for you. The ingredients are: 1 quart of water 5 tablespoons of liquid natural soap 1 ounce of neem oil A few drops of either lavender or tea tree oil Mix all these ingredients together in a spray bottle and spray the area where you have spiders. This will not harm the spiders at all and will drive them away. This is because spiders have sensors in their legs and they do not stay in an area treated with this mixture. No one really knows why, but obviously they do not like the taste or the smell.
It is something of a myth that north European spiders are not poisonous. As far as I am aware, all spiders are poisonous, and can all give you a stingy, itchy bite, including money spiders (I know - I've been bitten by one and it itched like buggery for ages afterwards).
The difference is that their bites, unlike those of their Australian and American cousins, are unlikely to result in death or permanent injury.
It's still worth taking care, though, and keeping the Fenestil on hand.
Normally I'd suggest Google but I fear in this case anything web based will give you the eebie-jeebies.
Few spiders are poisonous ... but most are venomous.
Actually, there are a few genera of spiders that are non-venomous, but many (about half of all genera) venomous spiders are incapable of delivering an effective "bite" to humans.
I heard that spiders dont like conkers. Place a conker in each corner of a room and they will leave. Replace every year (the conkers, I mean )
Daddy long legs, in Europe are not spiders. The ones with wings are insects - crane flies - this is what British people usually mean by daddy long legs. The ones who live in the corner of your room are harvestmen, which, while eight legged and arachnids, are not spiders.
The difference between venomous and poisonous is that (loosely) in the former it's harmful if it bites you, and the latter it's harmful if you bite it! There are no lethal spiders in Europe (though it's only a matter of walking from Africa, Asia...). But several, including the house-spider, can give you a bite - some quite painful due to the venom, and even require medical attention. So if you do handle them, do so with care.