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September 09, 2006
Behavioral Modification & Arachnophobia
I have never liked spiders. But really, who does? But I think my fear had started to border on the level of arachnophobia. It started in Japan when a tarantula ended up in our apartment. It must have been someone's pet on the loose because I could never find any information about native Japanese tarantulas.
Then about 6 years ago when we were living in Kansas City we had found a few brown recluse spiders inside our house. I would stay awake in fear that one was going to bite my baby Henry. Then when we moved to Boston we had an infestation of yellow sac spiders. One mighty egg sac must have erupted because over about a 10 day period we were killing nearly a dozen a day. Not many people have heard of this spider but it does have the wonderful distinction of being the 4th most poisonous spider in the US.
Finally, here in New Jersey I came across 3 black widows while I was cleaning out the garage last spring. (The hair on my arms is standing on end as I type this.) By this time my fear had gotten to the point where I could not stand to even look at pictures of spiders, not even drawings. I would call for Eric everytime one needed to be removed from our home. Sometimes I would freeze up and my mind would go blank when I saw one.
Then one of the boys brought home a library book about spiders. They asked me to read it and I sat down and just decided that I could do it. I was going to read that book! I don't remember exactly which one it was, but it was very interesting and well written. We learned quite a lot of neat spider facts and it actually calmed some of my fears.
Well last week my next door neighbor was clearing out some of her garden and came across the pretty girl in the picture. She was going to compost her with the wilted perennials. I was feeling particularly brave that day so I rescued her and found her a nice home in my Black-Eyed Susans. The kids and I had fun finding her and her latest web everyday. That is until yesterday, because she has disappeared. Maybe she has reached the end of her spider life or she has just moved on.
Anyway, I still am not a big fan of spiders. I certainly won't share my home with any that I find inside. But now I can at least kill and dispose of them myself. And maybe even save a few spider lives along the way.
Posted by Julee at September 9, 2006 09:43 PM
Comments
eww. Spiders and insects. Eww. We have brown recluses down towards southern Indiana, but we've found them up here. I hate spiders. And Japanese beetles. And FLIES. I hate flies that swarm around my head and make my home theirs. Actually I just hate insects, how about that? ;)
Posted by: Suzanne at September 10, 2006 12:11 PM
Oh, I HATE spiders. And snakes. It's a good thing I have a glass of wine in my hand as I read your terrifying post.
Posted by: Lisa at September 10, 2006 09:11 PM
That was my thing when my boys were born. I decided to squelch my irrational fears that were handed down to me mostly by my grandmother. We watch shows and read books about snakes and mice and rats and creepy crawlies. And really it's true; the more you know about something the less you fear it. Holds true across many aspects of life. :-)
Posted by: Amy at September 12, 2006 12:28 AM
I used to play with spiders when I was litle. That probably does not surprise you. I would collect spiders in a glass jar and then toss the spiders out of my bedroom window to watch them float down to the ground 2 stories. They never got hurt though, which is good. Here at Andrews, they grow them big. Very big. Get yourself a bug vaccuum at Target. You can suck them up and look at them all you want, then find a new home for them outside without killing them or touching them!
Posted by: Colleen at September 12, 2006 03:12 PM
egad..we have those in our garden and i've seen their huge eggsacks...bleh.
Posted by: letti at September 13, 2006 01:55 PM
I dislike mosquitos more than I dislike spiders, so I am all happy to see spiders protecxting me and the family.
Ofcourse, I would never know if one were poisonous and therefore technically worse than a mosquito.....
Posted by: clickmom at September 13, 2006 07:43 PM