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Are there more spiders on boats than in houses?

Jen_P

By Jen_P
in New to Boating?

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Grace and Favour Veteran II

Grace and Favour

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I'm seriously considering buying a narrowboat to live about but have bad arachnophobia. It seems particularly bad this autumn too - an absolutely massive spider decided to join me on the sofa to watch the Great British Bake Off last week and scared the living daylights out of me.

One friend who lives aboard says she hardly ever sees a spider but then other people have told me that you get loads of spiders on boats. Which is true? If you get more spiders on boats , I'm not sure I'd cope with it.

Have had therapy to try and sort it but it didn't work!

My better half always spends 10 minutes per day clearing webs & spiders from the outside of the boat - she reckons that it reduces the number of arachnids that visit us inside the boat - - (I'm not so sure! - there are still a few every day - though I have to say that they don't 'bother' me as long as I'm not expected to share my wine with them.

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Erin42 Contributor

Erin42

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When I moved onto my boat a couple of months ago there were spiders everywhere, and I thought I'd just have to get used to them. But after just a week or so living aboard they calmed down a bit, and now I only have very small ones, or they're outside.

 

My friends found it hilarious that I have a big plastic pint glass that I have named 'Spider Jail', which is where I scoop any particularly big ones into and leave them until morning when I open up and tip them overboard. But they tend to swim straight back to the boat, so I've stopped bothering...

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

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When I moved onto my boat a couple of months ago there were spiders everywhere, and I thought I'd just have to get used to them. But after just a week or so living aboard they calmed down a bit, and now I only have very small ones, or they're outside.

 

My friends found it hilarious that I have a big plastic pint glass that I have named 'Spider Jail', which is where I scoop any particularly big ones into and leave them until morning when I open up and tip them overboard. But they tend to swim straight back to the boat, so I've stopped bothering...

I have watched Di put spiders on the bank and they run straight back to the boat.

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Jen_P Collaborator

Jen_P

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I find tarantulas hugely fascinating and sometimes literally beautiful, I read a lot about them and love staring at them in zoos and pet stores. However, certain, much smaller, types of spiders still make my heart near on stop, and I have no idea why. However, I will now handle larger spiders than I ever used to (Ok, still pretty tiny!) and am getting much better with them in general.

My boat is loads less spidery than any house I have been in, and also, you're more likely to see flecky, slow moving/still garden spiders than the giant ugly brown feckers who seem to come out of nowhere and run straight at you.

So....

As Starcoaster said it's the big, ugly feckers that aren't so nice! It's then that I can't deal with in the house. Does it tends to be more of the small bodied, long legged ones on boats? I don't mind them!,

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Starcoaster Veteran

Starcoaster

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While I am sure everyone has different experiences, I find that boats are much more prone to getting these:

(WARNING spider pictures in each link!)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Araneus_diadematus_MHNT_Femelle_Fronton.jpg

 

Ie, flecky, fat abdomen, proportionate legs, generally well under an inch long

 

and not these:

 

http://www.uksafari.com/jpeg3/sphouse3.jpg

 

ie, huge, leggy, brown to black, and generally batshit crazy and apt to appear out of nowhere with a death yell and then run right for you.

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Jen_P Collaborator

Jen_P

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While I am sure everyone has different experiences, I find that boats are much more prone to getting these:

(WARNING spider pictures in each link!)

 

That is REALLY helpful. Thank you. I can cope with the first, especially if under an inch long. The second type is the one I hate!!!!

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Araneus_diadematus_MHNT_Femelle_Fronton.jpg

 

Ie, flecky, fat abdomen, proportionate legs, generally well under an inch long

 

and not these:

 

http://www.uksafari.com/jpeg3/sphouse3.jpg

 

ie, huge, leggy, brown to black, and generally batshit crazy and apt to appear out of nowhere with a death yell and then run right for you.

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Kendal Community Regular

Kendal

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If it's any consolation Jennifer I have never seen a house spider (Tegenaria duellica) on any of our boats, they tend to be the garden ones or relatively small dark brown ones (don't know the proper names). My wife hates all spiders, so I wait until it's dark when they are all out of their hidey holes, and go around the outside of the boat with a torch sending them packing. That way we don't seem to get any that make it inside, unless we have been away from the boat for a week or two and they sneak in through the open portholes (always open for ventilation), even then it's only one or two small ones and they soon get shown the door.

 

The one thing I would add is that we don't have a stove on our new boat, so no logs or coal that's been stored outside ever gets brought in. I suspect that helps to keep the population down.

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abraxus Collaborator

abraxus

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I too have found Amiral spider spray to be an effective treatment for keeping spiders at bay, but have recently found an alternative at half the price which seems to be just as good:

 

http://www.pestcontrolsupplies.co.uk/protector-spider-and-insect-killer-aerosol-400ml?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&utm_campaign=products&gclid=CO307fCSj8ECFQQIwwodZKgAwQ

 

I spray it around all the windows and points of entry, as well as on the ropes. Years ago I also bought some battery operated spider repellers from Nauticalia and have a few of them onboard. With those and the spray I have never seen a single spider inside my boat in over 12 years.

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bizzard Veteran II

bizzard

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Yes conkers apparently drives em off. I have a bowl of them in my bathroom. Never seen one since. Must be some truth in it...

Well if they pick this up on their website and try eating them they'll have a bowel full and a terrible tummy ache. mellow.png

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