Spiders in Japan? urrghh....

[neko_girl22]

Hi everyone

Yesterday I found a HUUUUGE spider in our apartment. It was about as big as my spread hand (if you know what I'm saying).

I'm wondering, if there are big spiders everywhere in Japan, or just down here in Southern Kyushu because it's hotter??

Thankfully as far as I know there are no poisionous ones, just a poisonous black snake, but then I like snakes heh.

I'll try and attach a photo of the monster spider. uuurggh

[Chipi]

That picture reminds me why I like living in Finland..we donｴt have any _that_ big spiders or bugs just crawling around..

But itｴs a fact then, that the spiders etc. in Japan arenｴt poisonous? I sort of hate spiders (all though I do respect their lives as well), but they wonｴt stop me from travelling to Japan. I just have to armour myself

[lineartube]

Hollyy!! There are puppies smaller than that!!

If you're more cool about the experience by now, you can try to id it through this link: http://www.cyberoz.net/city/sekine/zukax00.htm

It looks to me as a Leucage subgemma (kirara shirokane-gumo) though I'm not sure: http://www.cyberoz.net/city/sekine/zukax219.htm

[thomas]

Impressive indeed. How did you get rid of that beauty?

I think we had another thread about insects in Japan. Yummy.

[neko_girl22]

well..... it ran into the bedroom and I couldn't see it anywhere and I wasn't going to search for it cos I hate how they suddenly jump out at you.... so..... I waited for hubby to come home so he could get rid of it hehe...... well, that's what husbands are for, right?

I hate killing anything, but I wasn't going to let that spider stay in my bedroom.... so あっちゃん sprayed him with really strong insect spray and sprayed him out the door..... he did die eventually, sadly. Dead he was the size of my fist!

thanks for the link lineartube, I'll have a look after I've had my dinner hehe....

[Maciamo]

Hi nzueda,

Isn't you who've also lived in Australia ? When I was in Oz, I saw lots of spiders bigger than my hands (and I have big hands !). On my first day, I got one in the toilet next to my room. Brr... spooky. Then, during a storm we got 4 tarentula-like spiders rushing inside the house and watching TV with us on the living room wall. Fortunately only 2 spiders are deadly in Australia : a big black one, the "funnel web" that lives in the Sydney area, and a small black one with a "red back" (that's also it's name). The 2nd is a problem as it hides in mailboxes or garages... Luckily there is antivenom available everywhere.

[kirei_na_me]

I detest spiders. I mean, I don't run and scream and panic if I see one, but almost...

Around here, we have a number of poisonous spiders, including the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse. A student of my mom's died not too long ago from a Brown Recluse bite. Both of those love damp, dark places such as the basement, garden, or garage. I wear gloves to do everything around those areas.

I've found other spiders in my house. We have a huge "garden spider" as we call it here, and those things are about the size of my hand. They look extremely intimidating, but not poisonous, thank goodness. I found one on my pillow not too long ago!

[Maciamo]

Rachel, you are not making me want to visit Virginia soon ! I also abhor spiders, even though there aren't any deadly or even poisonous ones in Europe, I think.

I had a tough time in Australia. Just the idea that one of these giant monster could climb on my bed at night is enough to keep me awake all night.

Some people should start an organisation for the elimination of spiders in inhabitated areas. But then I forgot I am a friend of nature and animals (well I got my WWF membership when I was a child), so I shouldn't say such things.

[kirei_na_me]

Originally posted by Maciamo
(well I got my WWF membership when I was a child), so I shouldn't say such things.

Me too!!! No kidding! I have my panda stickers to prove it!

[jeisan]

well the brown recluse and black widow are the only 2 poisionous spiders in the states, black widows dont bother me ive been bit several times by them but it didnt do much. i do see tarantulas running across the road around here. australias red back is a cousin of the black widow and also theres the white back but i dont know too much on them. ive also seen huge ants in oz. watch out for the jack jumper ant, it can kill humans. i think its native to tasmania.

[Hanada Tattsu]

X_X

I hate spiders too, that one was huge, I've never seen anything bigger except for the tarantula. It's probably native to South Kyushu and maybe Okinanawa, probably cause its much hotter down there than in the north.

[maji]

in germany we got only 2 poisonous spiders who can bite through your skin. one is just like a wasps sting while the others can hurt for up to two weeks, but its pretty rare.

and why spraying at spiders? no reason to do so. you can just put a bowl over the spider, slide a paper under the bowl so its trapped and then carry it out without kiling it. i prefer spider over mosquitos or wasps or anything like that.

[Hanada Tattsu]

In America, we have so many different animals in so many different states that I've lost count. ^^

But I do know that we do have a number of poisonous spiders here in the States, I don't remember which, but I know we have quite a lot.O_O

[kirei_na_me]

Well, I know of 4 poisonous spiders found in the US. The Hobo, the Brown Recluse, the Yellow Sac and the Black Widow and they all can be found where I live...

[jeisan]

well when i said poisionous before i meant fatally so, and i didnt count the daddy long-leg either since it cant pierce through skin. i dont mind spiders they eat the other bugs, in fact ive got one living in my room right now, hes just a little jumping spider about the size of a quarter. he pretty much stays on the window blinds, to eat anything that comes his way.
ive had some experiences with big spiders in australia, one time when i got out of the shower and grabbed my towel a big huntsman spider fell out of it and on to my foot. that really caught me by surprise and i kicked it off my foot and into the wall then it ran under the door. i was still checking my towel for spiders weeks after that.

[Erik]

1) One of the THOUSANDS I saw on Shikoku, Japan. About half the size of an adults hand almost. I don't know what kind of spider it is, but I saw them out at all hours of the day. Not sure if they're aggressive or bite or poisonous etc... I just know I liked poking them with a stick. =D

2) A typical area where I found them.

3) A spider crawling on my floor I found a few months ago in Vancouver, Canada. Havn't seen any since then and it's pretty uncommon to see them wandering around. It's called a Wolf Spider and grows also about half the size of an adult hand. they are fairly blind and are nocturnal. They usually can be found around baseboards hugging walls. They rarely climb up things. They pretty much stay on the ground. They bite really hard and can have poison that will only cause arms to swell at most on adults for a few weeks and can leave a mark on the skin where they bit along with a huge bruise. They're mistaken often for a brown spider which is pretty harmless compared to the wolf spider. I kept him in a glass jar for a day to show off to friends, then let him go into a neighbours garden.

[Erik]

Originally posted by jeisan
well the brown recluse and black widow are the only 2 poisionous spiders in the states, black widows dont bother me ive been bit several times by them but it didnt do much. i do see tarantulas running across the road around here. australias red back is a cousin of the black widow and also theres the white back but i dont know too much on them. ive also seen huge ants in oz. watch out for the jack jumper ant, it can kill humans. i think its native to tasmania.

You should take pictures of the trantula's walking across the road for us! Be interesting to see! Make sure they're alive!!! hehe

[neko_girl22]

I only remember seeing one huge spider when I was in Australia - the big fat hairy harmless huntsman spider.( I was in Oz for just a year.)
In New Zealand we only have really tame small spiders, but every now and then they find a poisonous spider that's hitched a ride in an Australian banana crate.....

I'm glad we don't have to worry about poisionous spiders in Japan, (just mukadae and snakes.....) Sounds like you guys are all used to scary spiders in your home country - but I'm not!!!

[Maciamo]

Well, I only stayed 5 months in Australia, but had the priviledge to see at least 10 of these huge hairy spiders (2 kinds, light brown and black ones). I remember another time when one fell when a friend of mine closed the kitchen blinds. The problem in some parts of Australia is that you can get those ugly arachnids anywhere in your house : toilet, bathroom, kitchen, living room and bedroom... That's maybe why I'll never decide to live permanently in Oz.

[neko_girl22]

wow you were pretty unlucky
I was in Brisbane, where were you? I do remember a few red backs, but mostly I remember gross cockroaches and poisionous toads lol

[den4]

reminds me of a spider I had in my room in Yokohama a decade or so ago...damned thing was as big as my outstretched hand, and it would sit upside down from the top of the window. Tried using a broom to force it out the window, but it kept trying to bite the broom, so no way I was going to use my hand to force it out!
had a hard time sleeping the first night, but it stayed up there...when I left for work, it was gone....but would return to the same spot every night...I think it ate them 2-inch long cockroaches I'd find lurking about the apartment complex...though I'm not sure where it went during the day....

spiders don't freak me out, but that thing was huge! finally forced it out one night, and haven't seen it since.....

although one night during summer, on the way home, I did see another (or the same) spider running around on a bushy area of the same suburbs of Hodogaya ward...so who knows? maybe they have the makings of another arachnophobia movie around there....

of course, bugs are pretty large in Japan, so....

[jbm1x]

damn i hate spiders

i'll kill any spider i see... i hate them grrrrrr

[X-Japan-FanGrl]

okay thaty just scares the hell outta me..bugs are not my friend..and that didn't help any..where do you live again? so i know not to go there lmao *shudders*...i wouldnt kill it or wait..id run outta the house and wait for some random person to walk by and make them get it out lol..im a wuss when it comes to bugs yet i own snakes and iguanas

[Erik]

Originally posted by X-Japan-FanGrl
okay thaty just scares the hell outta me..bugs are not my friend..and that didn't help any..where do you live again? so i know not to go there lmao *shudders*...i wouldnt kill it or wait..id run outta the house and wait for some random person to walk by and make them get it out lol..im a wuss when it comes to bugs yet i own snakes and iguanas

Don't snakes and iguana's eat bugs? Don't you feed them? =)

[den4]

these guys scare me more than them spiders....
http://www.muenster.org/hornissenschutz/manda.htm

saw one up close once that got stuck in a car I was in, and after the driver knocked it outside and stepped on it, you could hear the carapace crunching several times as he stomped on it, and the damned thing still wasn't dead! that's evil....