Earwigs and Spiders in my house!

Gamer Bhoy 89 · 11-09-2011 03:27PM #1

WARNING: There are pretty nasty details in here if you don't want to lose your appetite.

I have been getting them pretty frequently now since July or August.
Every day I have killed at least 1 wig and 1 spider.

The spiders don't bother me as much as the earwigs though. I've had to pretty much DISINFECT the dish-rack because I saw one crawling around dishes I recently washed and I also had to throw a bag of bread out because there was one lurking around inside.

I'm getting the odd BIG spider aswell recently. Not ones that are as small as a rice-krispy now, these are about as long as a bookie's pen and as wide as a euro coin (bad comparisons. I know, sorry *snigger*) and I've only saw 4 in total since July. And the fright I get when I run into one is ridiculous. They're the biggest spiders I've seen inside my home.

Where are these wigs and spiders coming from and what is their purpose? (like, what is attracting them?). I think dirty clothes attract the spiders (like clothes sitting in the washing basket waiting to be thrown in the machine). But I have no idea what is attracting the earwigs.

If anyone is unsure what an earwig is, I won't post an in-your-face picture here it's pretty disgusting.

Here's 2 links for each:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwig

http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-page-main/ehow/images/a07/ft/e0/identify-common-household-spiders-oklahoma-800x800.jpg

Now, that is the spider that, I THINK, looks like the ones that have been crawling around my house.

(and I am constantly reflectively itching myself every 5 seconds because i'm getting squeamish!)

Thanks *shivers*

BBDBB · 11-09-2011 03:27PM

maybe you are some kind of parselmouth and dont realise it

Emiko · 11-09-2011 03:29PM

You could put some conkers under your furniture to scare off the spiders.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6255510/Spiders-v-conkers-are-arachnids-really-scared-of-horse-chestnuts.html

puzzle factory · 11-09-2011 03:30PM

theres a spider in my bathroom the size of a dinner plate

delly · 11-09-2011 03:42PM

Those crazy big spiders are very common these days. They don't spin webs like your regular friendly spider, therefore they wander around hunting for prey. I know the site of them scurrying across the floor can be offputting, but if you move quick enough they can make a tasty snack.

badabing106 · 11-09-2011 03:43PM

Does anyone try to rescue flys or wasps that get trapped in spiders webs. It always warms my cockles when I save a fly from being embalmed to death.

pow wow · 11-09-2011 03:44PM

My flat was infested with maggots and flies from my decomposing dead neighbour upstairs a few years ago. The horror will leave you eventually, don't worry.

JONJO THE MISER · 11-09-2011 03:57PM

I hate earwigs and there seems to be rakes of them in my house at the moment, i killed about 8 of the things last night alone.

Wooden Jesus · 11-09-2011 04:04PM

puzzle factory wrote: »

theres a spider in my bathroom the size of a dinner plate

Throw a dinner plate at it and see if it survives

Duckworth_Luas · 11-09-2011 04:09PM

badabing106 wrote: »

Does anyone try to rescue flys or wasps that get trapped in spiders webs. It always warms my cockles when I save a fly from being embalmed to death.

What? Why? Spiders are our allies in the never ending battle against flying, buzzing nuisances.

pragmatic1 · 11-09-2011 04:10PM

One of those little earwig mother****ers pinched me the other day. And yeah the spiders we've been getting over the past few years are definitely bigger than what I remember.

Kevin Duffy · 11-09-2011 04:19PM

So they're in your house, so what? There's worse places for them. When I was a kid I took a big swig from a milkbottle that had been standing in the back garden for a while. A total mouthful of hundreds of earwigs, swallowed a few, got some up my nose, spat the rest quite some distance.

Gamer Bhoy 89 · 11-09-2011 04:34PM

Kevin Duffy wrote: »

So they're in your house, so what? There's worse places for them. When I was a kid I took a big swig from a milkbottle that had been standing in the back garden for a while. A total mouthful of hundreds of earwigs, swallowed a few, got some up my nose, spat the rest quite some distance.

Well, if that's true, I actually get very creeped out by spiders, and the earwigs are disgusting to look at. I wouldn't care if it was just one earwig every few weeks but 2-3 every few hours is p*ssing me off.

Comparing it to you allegedly drinking them out a milkbottle is a bit silly because it....isn't very common :S

westendgirlie · 11-09-2011 04:46PM

I couldn't open the earwig link and I'm not sure what they look like.

Don't mind spiders. They kill the flies!! And its bad luck to kill em so put them in a matchbox and bring them to bingo!

If earwigs are what I think they aren then I have loads. But I have been cutting my own sticks this year and I think they are still on the wood when I bring it into the house.

marcsignal · 11-09-2011 04:57PM

Go to the hardware, and buy Ant killer, or any similar spray that contains permethrin, or deltametherin. At home, before you start spraying, move all furniture etc, into the middle of the room and spray around the skirting boards of the entire ground floor of the house. (You may need more than one bottle)

Initially you will appear to see more spiders/insects in the few days following spraying, as they will be dying off, and wandering around under the effect of the chemical, but after about 48hrs this will subside. These sprays have a residual effect that last about 2 weeks. That should solve your problem.

It is important that you WEAR A MASK when using stuff like that, it is bad for your nervous system to inhale it.

Late Edit: IMPORTANT - Permethrin is Very Toxic for cats OP. If you're going to use a spray that contains it, and you have a cat, leave it with a neighbour for the night.

discus · 11-09-2011 05:19PM

A good read here...

http://prospect.rsc.org/blogs/rsc/2009/10/09/jon/are-spiders-scared-of-conkers/

11-09-2011 05:22PM

Remember OP, for every earwig and spider you see, there's 50 more in hiding in your house* :cool:

*This may be actually made up.

MerryLegs · 11-09-2011 05:45PM

gamercfc wrote: »

WARNING: There are pretty nasty details in here if you don't want to lose your appetite.

I have been getting them pretty frequently now since July or August.
Every day I have killed at least 1 wig and 1 spider.

The spiders don't bother me as much as the earwigs though. I've had to pretty much DISINFECT the dish-rack because I saw one crawling around dishes I recently washed and I also had to throw a bag of bread out because there was one lurking around inside.

I'm getting the odd BIG spider aswell recently. Not ones that are as small as a rice-krispy now, these are about as long as a bookie's pen and as wide as a euro coin (bad comparisons. I know, sorry *snigger*) and I've only saw 4 in total since July. And the fright I get when I run into one is ridiculous. They're the biggest spiders I've seen inside my home.

Where are these wigs and spiders coming from and what is their purpose? (like, what is attracting them?). I think dirty clothes attract the spiders (like clothes sitting in the washing basket waiting to be thrown in the machine). But I have no idea what is attracting the earwigs.

If anyone is unsure what an earwig is, I won't post an in-your-face picture here it's pretty disgusting.

Here's 2 links for each:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earwig

http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-page-main/ehow/images/a07/ft/e0/identify-common-household-spiders-oklahoma-800x800.jpg

Now, that is the spider that, I THINK, looks like the ones that have been crawling around my house.

(and I am constantly reflectively itching myself every 5 seconds because i'm getting squeamish!)

Thanks *shivers*

Ya conkers on ur windowsill will work I swear by it! Or in the corners of the ceiling, theres some chemical in them spiders can smell that they dont like.

marcsignal · 11-09-2011 06:24PM

MerryLegs wrote: »

Ya conkers on ur windowsill will work I swear by it! Or in the corners of the ceiling, theres some chemical in them spiders can smell that they dont like.

Was just looking at the vids in the link discus posted. There could well be something in that. Maybe it's a natural chemical in the white part of the skin around the chestnut, that protects it from worms when its growing.

Pyrethrins are made from plant extracts, afaik.

Jaxxy · 11-09-2011 06:41PM

There's been a huge increase in Giant House Spiders in the last few years, and I think most of us have seen one or two lurking ominously around the house. I wouldn't be too worried about these OP, though they have a nasty enough bite they can't harm you.

As for the earwigs, as far as I know they're attracted to dusty, damp areas. They like moist conditions. Make sure all your windows are fixed and that they can't gain entrance to your house through your ground level windows or loose doors. Boric acid works well and it's harmless to humans and animals (if you have any pets).

If all else fails, the vacuum is your friend.

Sofiztikated · 11-09-2011 07:09PM

JaxxYChicK wrote: »

There's been a huge increase in Giant House Spiders in the last few years, and I think most of us have seen one or two lurking ominously around the house. I wouldn't be too worried about these OP, though they have a nasty enough bite they can't harm you.

As for the earwigs, as far as I know they're attracted to dusty, damp areas. They like moist conditions. Make sure all your windows are fixed and that they can't gain entrance to your house through your ground level windows or loose doors. Boric acid works well and it's harmless to humans and animals (if you have any pets).

If all else fails, the vacuum is your friend.

Or a hammer. Smash the bastids!

westendgirlie wrote: »

I couldn't open the earwig link and I'm not sure what they look like.

Don't mind spiders. They kill the flies!! And its bad luck to kill em so put them in a matchbox and bring them to bingo!

If earwigs are what I think they aren then I have loads. But I have been cutting my own sticks this year and I think they are still on the wood when I bring it into the house.

Wait, what?

carlybabe1 · 11-09-2011 08:55PM

marcsignal wrote: »

Go to the hardware, and buy Ant killer, or any similar spray that contains permethrin, or deltametherin. At home, before you start spraying, move all furniture etc, into the middle of the room and spray around the skirting boards of the entire ground floor of the house. (You may need more than one bottle)

Initially you will appear to see more spiders/insects in the few days following spraying, as they will be dying off, and wandering around under the effect of the chemical, but after about 48hrs this will subside. These sprays have a residual effect that last about 2 weeks. That should solve your problem.

It is important that you WEAR A MASK when using stuff like that, it is bad for your nervous system to inhale it.

Late Edit: IMPORTANT - Permethrin is Very Toxic for cats OP. If you're going to use a spray that contains it, and you have a cat, leave it with a neighbour for the night.

:eek::eek: thats horrendous!!!! If ye must kill them, and I seriously wish ye wouldnt (the size of them ffs, they are a fraction of your size) then do it quickly, and dont leave them in bits, put them outta thier misery.........
I like spidies......:(

JaxxYChicK wrote: »

There's been a huge increase in Giant House Spiders in the last few years, and I think most of us have seen one or two lurking ominously around the house. I wouldn't be too worried about these OP, though they have a nasty enough bite they can't harm you.

As for the earwigs, as far as I know they're attracted to dusty, damp areas. They like moist conditions. Make sure all your windows are fixed and that they can't gain entrance to your house through your ground level windows or loose doors. Boric acid works well and it's harmless to humans and animals (if you have any pets).

If all else fails, the vacuum is your friend.

Ummmmm, nooo?? I dont think spiders here bite, ants, earwigs ,wasps etc all have venom of some degree, but dont think our spideys bite

W.Shakes-Beer · 11-09-2011 08:59PM

Funny this thread had been started.

Im sitting in the front room now, a half hour ago my mam sat down and almost had a heart attack because there was a spider walking along the top of one of the walls. This thing had the diameter of a tennis ball, huge fecker.

I caught him in a glass and launched him out the window.

The Arnie of the house spider world.

Geekness1234 · 11-09-2011 09:04PM

Get a brick and bash the big fcukers head in.Remember when your facing a spider the size of a plate,its like Christmas,it's all about the giving!

Kevin Duffy · 11-09-2011 09:07PM

W.Shakes-Beer wrote: »

Funny this thread had been started.

Im sitting in the front room now, a half hour ago my mam sat down and almost had a heart attack because there was a spider walking along the top of one of the walls. This thing had the diameter of a tennis ball, huge fecker.

I caught him in a glass and launched him out the window.

The Arnie of the house spider world .

He'll be back.

Jaxxy · 11-09-2011 09:09PM

carlybabe1 wrote: »

Ummmmm, nooo?? I dont think spiders here bite, ants, earwigs ,wasps etc all have venom of some degree, but dont think our spideys bite

The woodlouse spider can bite humans effectively. AFAIK most of our spiders here are unable to actually pierce skin and I'm not sure if the Giant House Spider is big enough to draw blood but I've heard reports from people that unknowingly disturbed them only to get a sharp jab.

Those feckers jump too.

Sofiztikated · 11-09-2011 09:11PM

carlybabe1 wrote: »

:eek::eek: thats horrendous!!!! If ye must kill them, and I seriously wish ye wouldnt (the size of them ffs, they are a fraction of your size) then do it quickly, and dont leave them in bits, put them outta thier misery.........
I like spidies......:(

Ummmmm, nooo?? I dont think spiders here bite, ants, earwigs ,wasps etc all have venom of some degree, but dont think our spideys bite

Sorry to do this, but darlin, all spiders bite. It's how they subdue their prey. The seriousness of the bite is all that differs.

carlybabe1 · 11-09-2011 09:13PM

JaxxYChicK wrote: »

The woodlouse spider can bite humans effectively. AFAIK most of our spiders here are unable to actually pierce skin and I'm not sure if the Giant House Spider is big enough to draw blood but I've heard reports from people that unknowingly disturbed them only to get a sharp jab.

Those feckers jump too.

:eek::eek:
ok, officially know what the phrase 'making your skin crawl' feels like...*shudders
Think the phobia is hard-wired into the brain...evolutionary sumthin sumthin
Ive moved spiders so big that you can clearly see the hairs on thier legs ...

Yakult · 11-09-2011 09:14PM

Duckworth_Luas wrote: »

What? Why? Spiders are our allies in the never ending battle against flying, buzzing nuisances.

Even tho I hate spiders, this.

They are better than dirty ****ing flies landing on your food etc.

revell · 11-09-2011 09:16PM

I had to move out of my previous ground floor flat and moved to a tall building a few years ago because the giant spiders. they were everywhere and even I had a one sight-one kill policy against them

Jaxxy · 11-09-2011 09:17PM

carlybabe1 wrote: »

:eek::eek:
ok, officially know what the phrase 'making your skin crawl' feels like...*shudders
Think the phobia is hard-wired into the brain...evolutionary sumthin sumthin
Ive moved spiders so big that you can clearly see the hairs on thier legs ...

Same here! I'm surrounded by people who have serious spider fears and I'm always getting rid of them! Even though I actually like the creatures (they're pretty fascinating and the eat all the other creepy crawlies) reading some of the posts here does give me that shivery feeling. It's definitely hard-wired!

Earwigs and Spiders in my house!

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