I know I might be in the entirely wrong place. I just need advice and figured someone on here might be able to help me. I’m afraid of spiders (I know this is the wrong audience to admit that to). Last night in bed reading to my daughter a tiny little spider came down on a web from the bedroom ceiling, I caught it in a plastic tray and put it outside. Then I noticed a second and then a third. Then my daughter started screaming because she had noticed about 20 on the bedroom ceiling. We had to sleep on the sofa. I know this must sound ridiculous I really do, but fear is fear even if it’s irrational. I am guessing a mum spider laid eggs that hatched. What can I do? Will there be more in the coming days? Will they all grow and live in my bedroom as adult spiders? Does it mean I already have loads living in there somewhere? I feel sick with the worry and not sleeping and my daughter said she felt like she was in Aragogs lair. Please help.
Mumbean
It is a little late in the season in UK for an egg sac to hatch out now?
You could source a plastic bottle (cut in half, and discard the bottom half) and a paint brush, and go round gently sweeping them up, and release outside.
Or you could try bio control and release praying mantis to predate on them (they only have six legs not eight).
Or wait for house spiders to pick them off.
Or go round with a vacuum (this will probably kill them)
Personally, I like having spiders around, I just don’t like walking into silk strands. They will pick off the odd invasive fly.
I could try to proof your house with insect screens across gaps etc to prevent invertebrates for entering.
Good luck
You could source a plastic bottle (cut in half, and discard the bottom half) and a paint brush, and go round gently sweeping them up, and release outside.
Or you could try bio control and release praying mantis to predate on them (they only have six legs not eight).
Or wait for house spiders to pick them off.
Or go round with a vacuum (this will probably kill them)
Personally, I like having spiders around, I just don’t like walking into silk strands. They will pick off the odd invasive fly.
I could try to proof your house with insect screens across gaps etc to prevent invertebrates for entering.
Good luck
Thank you. I also thought it was too late as I keep reading they usually hatch in spring, but I’m confident that’s what happened because we found another 5 on the window and when we opened it there was the egg bag in the crack of the window with some in the web. We removed that and hope that has solved most of the problem but now I’m just worried about any that might still be roaming around, I don’t mind while they are tiny but I don’t know how big they will grow,
Some will not survive, some may make their way outside. If you can get a picture of one you catch in a container, reasonably close up, then you might be able to get an ID over on arachnoboards.com, which would help gauge the size they get to. Bear in mind the ones you're seeing aren't the 'baby' babies - they've already had, likely, 2 molts at this point. So they may not get very large.
If the environment is right and a spider is ready to make a sac, they will. Outdoors it follows the climate, but indoors we adjust ours so they'll adjust in kind.
Your spiders will spread out, and of those that make it to adulthood, the males will likely be the first to mature. Its theorised that this is to minimise sibling pairings. They'll then go looking for mates, so if still in the house they'll probably leave anyway in their search. Any females then will mature and need decent food stores so may move to where food is most abundant. This may be around plants and such.
None of this may be comforting, however I've always found learning more helps to reduce fear associated with the thing in question. They do spread out, and sacs have many in order to combat the fact that many don't survive to adulthood.
You could use this opportunity to teach your daughter how to manage her fear, and try to manage your own at the same time. They aren't a threat to you, and they manage flies - which can bring illnesses and crap. They're immensely vulnerable to us, we can easily squash them. However they're also super important parts of our ecosystems, and often specialise as per the microhabitat they live in - there are habitats with huge varieties of spider species due to this, each only capable of living in specific areas. Due to where they sit, as both predator and prey, they can be fundamental elements of these habitats and directly related to the survival of other species. They are really very fascinating, and close ups of their faces often look adorable, or pretty goofy. Jumping spiders are good ones to look at. This is just a suggestion. I would say trying to get a clear picture, and seeing if arachnoboards.com can help with identification (put under True Spiders and other Arachnids), or another relevant site or FB page, could help at least assuage your fears regarding the size they may reach.
If the environment is right and a spider is ready to make a sac, they will. Outdoors it follows the climate, but indoors we adjust ours so they'll adjust in kind.
Your spiders will spread out, and of those that make it to adulthood, the males will likely be the first to mature. Its theorised that this is to minimise sibling pairings. They'll then go looking for mates, so if still in the house they'll probably leave anyway in their search. Any females then will mature and need decent food stores so may move to where food is most abundant. This may be around plants and such.
None of this may be comforting, however I've always found learning more helps to reduce fear associated with the thing in question. They do spread out, and sacs have many in order to combat the fact that many don't survive to adulthood.
You could use this opportunity to teach your daughter how to manage her fear, and try to manage your own at the same time. They aren't a threat to you, and they manage flies - which can bring illnesses and crap. They're immensely vulnerable to us, we can easily squash them. However they're also super important parts of our ecosystems, and often specialise as per the microhabitat they live in - there are habitats with huge varieties of spider species due to this, each only capable of living in specific areas. Due to where they sit, as both predator and prey, they can be fundamental elements of these habitats and directly related to the survival of other species. They are really very fascinating, and close ups of their faces often look adorable, or pretty goofy. Jumping spiders are good ones to look at. This is just a suggestion. I would say trying to get a clear picture, and seeing if arachnoboards.com can help with identification (put under True Spiders and other Arachnids), or another relevant site or FB page, could help at least assuage your fears regarding the size they may reach.
If you are genuinely feeling nauseous due to anxiousness about the spiders, then I think it's probably fair to suggest you have a bit more than a fear here and it's branching into genuine arachnophobia. There are many companies that run spider phobia workshops that may help you and your daughter in the long term as spiders are unfortunately, a fact of life.
That being said, many of us simply dislike them and would prefer them not to be around us where we're sleeping which is fair enough really. To answer your questions - no, they won't all reach adulthood anyway and they won't stay in your bedroom in the long term, unless you have lots of beasties harbouring in your bedroom, for them to eat. Spiders are attracted to the warmth of houses in winter which will be why you are finding them. Any that do stay around will be hunkered down as far away from you as possible, usually.
That being said, many of us simply dislike them and would prefer them not to be around us where we're sleeping which is fair enough really. To answer your questions - no, they won't all reach adulthood anyway and they won't stay in your bedroom in the long term, unless you have lots of beasties harbouring in your bedroom, for them to eat. Spiders are attracted to the warmth of houses in winter which will be why you are finding them. Any that do stay around will be hunkered down as far away from you as possible, usually.
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