Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Are you afraid of spiders or any other insects? My big downfall are craneflies and they can send me into panic attacks. When I transition this is something I'm afraid of. I don't want to be seen as a wimp and cry just because of a cranefly.

Joey

Eh, don't worry about looking like a wimp, tons of guys get the heeby jeebies from bugs.

I am afraid of cockroaches.. they terrify me. I don't like spiders either, but I think tarantulas are kinda cool and don't creep me out that much.

Petrified of spiders. Long story I don't want to relive. Hate the damn things.

You mean like this spider?

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwritewhat.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F08%2Flargest-spider-goliath-tarantula.jpg&hash=3178ed5060b4cea200cc8cfc92bfb3e123bfde8a)

I'm not afraid of spiders, but do dislike several rodents.

Thanks for that haha. Just nearly shat myself. Yeah, like those. That picture was enough to give me the shakes lol.

Joey

Not afraid, but we have more Black Widows, scorpions, and brown recluses around here than you can shake a stick at!

We get the scorpions in the house a lot, and the rest everywhere else (along with the scorpions).

I'm rebuilding our deck right now, and while I was concerned about finding a rattlesnake den under it - when I got to tearing into it - it turned out to be a Widow's Ball instead.

Anyhoo - not afraid, but cautious about where I stick my hands and feet.

cockroaches x.x Ever since a bad experience with a flying one...

don't worry - this not actually a gendered issue

I have two cismale roommates, and I'm the one who has to kill spiders that appear.

Not anymore but a few years ago I figured out I want absolutely nothing at all with cockroaches. None of that.

Quote from: Joey. on March 09, 2013, 08:28:05 PM
Are you afraid of spiders or any other insects? My big downfall are craneflies and they can send me into panic attacks. When I transition this is something I'm afraid of. I don't want to be seen as a wimp and cry just because of a cranefly.

Joey

How would you like to wake up to one of these, staring at you?

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm5.staticflickr.com%2F4099%2F4797623953_5b24d701fa_z.jpg&hash=202f6279ead9ae4bc8bb50b2b3de466ce9c1016f)

I don't mind spiders. My cis-male husband though hates them and I am the designated bug killer (though I usually pick them up and gently place them down outside). I only got nervous with spiders donw in Florida when this giant yellow and black one made it's home in my car, I just wasn't sure if it was poisonous or not.... turns out they're not.

Quote from: Dean on March 09, 2013, 08:49:35 PM
cockroaches x.x Ever since a bad experience with a flying one...

Oh gosh yes! I hate cockroaches, they used to live under my stove and in the air vent above my bed. Now, even living in a cockroach free place I am always watching my toes while I am cooking. I hate those flying ones too.

One time my husband and I caught a non-flying one and decided to be evil and burn it to death in our bathtub.  >:-) So we wrapped it up in paper and set it on fire -- and this was like an hour or so after my husband explained to me that some types of cockroaches can grow "emergency wings" if they're trapped -- when suddenly a bit of flaming paper went flying up but I didn't realize it was paper so I started screaming "Ahhh! It grew emergency wings!"  and started trying to hit at it with our junk mail.

Needless to say, karma bit me in the butt and now I don't burn little buggies to death.

Quote from: Jamie D on March 09, 2013, 09:52:21 PM
How would you like to wake up to one of these, staring at you?

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm5.staticflickr.com%2F4099%2F4797623953_5b24d701fa_z.jpg&hash=202f6279ead9ae4bc8bb50b2b3de466ce9c1016f)

Oh it's cute, I like its eyes!  :D

Nah man, I freaking LOVE spiders. They're awesome little buggers.
What do I not love? Bees, wasps, hornets, yellowjackets- anything black and yellow that stings. Why? I'm allergic to them and they love hanging around me. It's a good thing I can somehow outrun them as I'm screaming like a little girl >_>

I hate them....I saw a spider once that got away and I had to take my mother's prescription to calm me down.  I always check for spiders before I got to sleep and when I go into the bathroom.  I even scrolled down this thread quickly because I had a feeling that pictures of spiders will be posted (so I probably won't come back to this thread again lol)

When it comes to spiders, I kill first and ask questions never....unless it's a daddy long legs.  They are cute but I even kill those too.....though I feel bad about it afterwards.  I've been seeing small spiders in my bath tub lately so I've been scorching them with hot water.  They don't pay rent or help with chores so they don't deserve to be in my presence.

I'm not a big fan of hopping crickets either.

Not to freak out anyone, but ...

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_2fDreU0sM1Y%2FSLVuf8G7UZI%2FAAAAAAAAAkE%2Fj6PJUeer0xI%2Fs400%2Fspider.jpg&hash=7006aebe7d85781ed270224859f996105322c466)

I grew up in Southern California in a rural area so we had scorpions, centipedes, tarantulas, black widows, rattle snakes ... the works! Centipedes really freak me out. Scorpions I don't like (and certainly don't like them in the house) but they don't freak me out as bad as centipedes. I really do not like spiders. And what freak me out the most of course are the poisonous ones. Black widows generally keep to themselves and like really dark places. Their nests are easy to spot too because they're just hodge podge webs. So they're easy to avoid. Here in the Pacific Northwest they have hobos (a recluse type) and I think more than any other spider those freak me out not only because they're poisonous but because the don't keep to themselves. They have funnel webs all over the outside of the house, in the garage, in the yard and they come out and you'll have run ins with them where they will run AT you rather than away. The first one I ever encountered in person was on the stairs and I would have stepped right on it had the light not been on. It took me about 15 minutes to work up the nerve to go back to those stairs with a shoe and kill the bastard. Regular house spiders I usually kill on sight as well. I just don't like how they're unpredictable and fast but at least they don't unnerve me like the poisonous ones.

Depends on the size. If I can ride it it's too big.  :laugh:

I don't like things that can fly faster than I can run.

i used to be afraid of spiders so i caught one put it in a Tupperware and stared at it until i didn't get scared anymore.

I'm not fond of wasps when they blunder into my house. Don't like black widows, either; their bite can pack one helluva wallop. My father and one of our horses were both bitten by black widows--nasty.

I really hate cockroaches but don't run into them very often. I especially hate it when they run TOWARD me instead of away.

I do think spiders are awesome, but I don't allow many to live in the house.

Lots of cis guys are afraid of insects. I was at work one day when a harmless dragonfly got into the room. Nobody wanted to touch the thing, including some male students and my male coworker. I guess dragonflies are pretty scary-looking, although this one was a big, beautiful blue guy. I had to trap it and let it outside. I felt pretty butch after that.

not really.
i have to kill spiders and other insects for my boyfriend since he's freaked out by em.

Jumping spiders are particularly cool.

When I first got my loft bed there was a spider hanging out right in the corner up there. It was a big fella with long legs. It could have crawled onto me easily, if it wanted to; and I could have easily killed it, if I wanted to. But, I decided to live and let live. The spider didn't move from his post and I didn't bother it. He was my buddy for a couple weeks. Then one night I go up there and he's just gone. Took his web with him and everything. I haven't seen him since and it was actually kind of a bummer. (though I did thoroughly check my bed just in case)

If there's a spider in the house, but in a web I tend to just leave it alone. But if it's crawling up a wall or in my pajama pants (happened recently...) I reach for the TP every time.

The only insects that really freak me out are centipedes and silverfish. I'll kill them myself, but they disgust me to no end.

Quote from: insideontheoutside on March 09, 2013, 11:04:04 PM
I grew up in Southern California in a rural area so we had scorpions, centipedes, tarantulas, black widows, rattle snakes ... the works! Centipedes really freak me out. Scorpions I don't like (and certainly don't like them in the house) but they don't freak me out as bad as centipedes. I really do not like spiders. And what freak me out the most of course are the poisonous ones. Black widows generally keep to themselves and like really dark places. Their nests are easy to spot too because they're just hodge podge webs. So they're easy to avoid. Here in the Pacific Northwest they have hobos (a recluse type) and I think more than any other spider those freak me out not only because they're poisonous but because the don't keep to themselves. They have funnel webs all over the outside of the house, in the garage, in the yard and they come out and you'll have run ins with them where they will run AT you rather than away. The first one I ever encountered in person was on the stairs and I would have stepped right on it had the light not been on. It took me about 15 minutes to work up the nerve to go back to those stairs with a shoe and kill the bastard. Regular house spiders I usually kill on sight as well. I just don't like how they're unpredictable and fast but at least they don't unnerve me like the poisonous ones.

I like scorpions, especially like this ...

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insectkits.com%2Fcontents%2Fmedia%2Fscorpion-suckers.jpg&hash=46cf23e71397c4db4cb1f1e96d2036cbe0536e83)

I'm only affraid of the spiders that can kill me. As I am in OZ most things will kill you. Particularly nasty are the Funnel Webs and the good old red back. Others are fine but we do have some very large ones that are non leathal that will ruin your day .  :(

Not really afraid of most spiders but I do go to war with the Hobo spider on a yearly basis


Luckily their bites aren't immediately lethal but if the bite is left unattended they can get infected and cause an amputation and/or death

I have a fear of, but still love and respect bees (Honey Bees and Bumble Bees). I am DEATHLY allergic to them! Got stung when I was young, and that is how we found out.  Beyond that, I have allergies to spider bites as well. Got bit by a Brown Recluse in my sleep and that was a bad experience.

Here is where I will talk about generally getting beyond fear of insects such as spiders and other common creatures we encounter. As you can see, I feel for all of you here on this topic because of my own issues with them. I got over my fear by repeated self-exposure to common insects and arachnids. I started reading about them, learned how they behave, how they function, what they eat and prey on, how they help balance out our environment and their role in all of that.

I then started slowly getting closer to some of them to observe and teach myself that if I observe and don't do anything to aggravate them, they simply will not be remotely interested in me. I learned from my own experience that insects and arachnids prefer to run and save themselves than risk confrontation. I learned that they do not go looking to prey on us, just as is documented in scientific studies.

Spiders / Arachnids you have to worry about vary from nation to nation, region to region. In Australia, as stated earlier, the red backs and funnelwebs are absolutely the world's most dangerous spiders. Stay away at all costs! Spiders whose venom is non-toxic to humans can still leave some people with symptoms of skin irritation or illness, but that is usually just the body doing what it does anyway...fighting off something in the system that doesn't belong (unless you are allergic in which case you should get medical attention right away.)

If you are in a situation where you MUST have contact with venemous spiders with no choice in the matter: use THICK gloves and THICK PROTECTIVE clothing! Use any instrument available that can grab the creature and also place distance between you and the creature. Have a container available with an airtight seal and use it! Evaluate whether or not you can wait for a professional to arrive prior to taking ANY action on your own! NEVER do anything alone! Make sure you have family or someone else close by who can call for emergency rescue in the event you get bit. Never rush a situation in which you have to deal with venemous spiders. Plan it out and act with the most caution that can be managed. DO NOT EVER act in an unsafe manner such as using fire or strong / harsh chemicals which can affect your health / cause skin burns, etc. 

As always, if you can have a professional deal with the situation, go that route!

When it comes to flying and stinging insects such as wasps, hornets, and their close cousins...just leave them alone and get yourself out of the area! (Do it slowly, don't attract their attention by swatting and panicking) They ARE social! That word means that they attack in groups! Let a professional deal with these nests of nasty fellows! Never feel bad about getting rid of wasps, hornets, or their close cousins. They serve no ecological purpose, they destroy honey bee and bumble bee hives which are vital for human survival. Without Honey Bees and Bumble Bees, we have no food of any sort! I never advise using sprays or fire scenarios because that places YOU in danger! If wasps or hornets and their close cousins wanna have an area to themselves, let them have it until someone can come to deal with them. The thing with wasps, hornets, and their close cousins is that these are the nasty buggers that attack without provocation or warning, they are aggressive by their nature. THIS is why I give the advice I give.

Anyone who wants to learn more about these things can simply Google your state / national database of entomology or insect science and these are the trusted sources where you can get real information instead of urban myths. 



   

I wouldn't worry about being afraid of a few creepy crawlies.
In my study I worked them in different ways, and some guys yelped louder than the girls when, for example a worm, would squirm oddly. We humans have got a basic instinct to be wary of insects because of their painful or even lethal potential.

Maybe not really an insect, but one time a mouse shot up a guy's sleeve. I had never seen anyone dance around in panic like that...

im ok with spiders as long they dont move, but then again i got a cat so i dont see it often anymore. I know next door he a big male but has phonia with spiders! even little jumping spider outsides he runs back in. It nothing to do with gender. There a girl i know who has phonia of butterflys.

I will say it like this..

Im not really afraid of spiders itself
But im afraid of the "walking all over your body" movements spiders tend to do with there 8 legs.
so if its a spider who dosent do any suddenly movements and who is in a ex the living room a distance away from me then im not bottored, but ex if I go to the shower and having a spider right over my head then I feel very disturbed cause it can fall down on me any time.

If you are not careful, you can find these crawling around in the desert ...

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_b2GgVWP3j_A%2FSm7kesbukSI%2FAAAAAAAAB1k%2FBlkS80xnCks%2Fs320%2Fzanti_misfits3.jpg&hash=4bb2d9c8399cd2b7f47d90f5622aef4906b94071)

Zanti misfits

Nope haha i used to collect bugs as a young " girl ", i also had pet mice and had snakes growing up :) I love animals

Kia Ora,

Simple answer NO...reason :

"Basic entomology can be interesting and fun-
But finding out how creepy crawlies live is not for everyone!
Some people have a phobia about things that creep and crawl -
But if they took some time to study them-
they would have no fear at all !"

BTW Spiders are not insects... Insects=six legs plus antennae -  Spider=eight legs no antennae

Metta Zenda :)

I used to be petrified of them - but then again, growing up in South Africa that was a pretty rational reaction! ;)

Then I read Richard Dawkins' Climbing Mount Improbable, in which he explains various aspects of spider behaviour, particularly web-building. It gave me a new-found respect for them and I haven't been quite as scared since then. It's amazing how a little understanding can make it easier for us to cope with fear.

I don't particularly like spiders, but I'm nowhere near as frightened as I used to be.

When I was about 11 years old I was walking between two trees in our garden near Johannesburg and I nearly walked face-first into this 'little' beauty. It was not much smaller than my face, if you measure its legs. She scared the bejeezus out of me!: http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/arachnids/spiders/araneidae/argiope_australis.htm (http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/arachnids/spiders/araneidae/argiope_australis.htm)

And a couple of years later we went on holiday to a Rondavel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rondavel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rondavel)) in a wildlife preserve in the Northern Transvaal region. It was idlyllic, with whitewashed walls and a lovely thatched roof. Anyway, we turned off the lights on our first night... only to see about 50 baboon spiders (big hairy buggers that can grow up to 65mm) descend the walls from the thatch, looking for food. And our beds were up against those walls. That was a looooooong, sleepless week. http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2002/november/baboon.htm (http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2002/november/baboon.htm)

I'm afraid of venomous spiders and those that look like venomous spiders. Most other species that aren't or don't look venomous do nothing to phase me. Meanwhile I have two cis male friends who are absolutely terrified of all spiders, even the smallest garden spiders and know a few other cis men who are freaked out by them even if they aren't petrified of them. Most people I know in general aren't fans of arachnids.

For some reason the idea of spider webs themselves is much more freaky to me than the actual spiders(I used to really hate walking into them or touching them as a kid). Maybe it's because I have a mild phobia of dead insects even though living ones are usually fine. But the only time I'm bothered by a spider is if it surprises me (like the time I was in the shower and happened to look up... and a spider was hanging inches above my head :o). I also live in an area with very few poisonous ones.

I usually kill them for my arachnophobic boyfriend, but I'll let them live otherwise.

They just irritate me, the same as insects do.  I don't want to be nasty to them, but if they're crawling around me, or not me, they have to go away, and that sometimes means squishing them.  If my girlfriend is around that definitely means killing them, and then throwing them outside, because she refused to sleep in her room for a week once because there was a spider in there (which had been killed).

A friend found a black widow in a 62 Ford,watch out if you're messing with classic cars that have been laid up for a long time!

I've never had a problem with them. I never got why people get so freaked by them in particular compared to other bugs. But fear isn't exactly rational. I was terrified of mice and rats to the point of panic attacks, until I dated a girl with pet rats and I had to get over it. I grew to love them actually, even though I'll never pick them up. Centipedes freak me out because I grew up in the country and it wasn't uncommon to find one in the tub with you  :-\ 

Quote from: Dean on March 09, 2013, 08:49:35 PM
cockroaches x.x Ever since a bad experience with a flying one...

I once had a flying cockroach come at me (bro). Ended up catching him and keeping him as a pet for about a month before releasing him outside. In the summer/spring I keep several types of spiders for pets, but snakes are a deathly fear for me.

Kia Ora,

All spiders are predators and "venomous"[some more that others], however it's the size of the fangs that one should be worrying about[not that one should really be worried]...The vast majority of spiders don't have big enough nor strong enough fangs to penetrate human skin [we are not their natural food source]...Respect them by all means, but there's really no need to fear them...

A spider game for the arachnophilic members

http://www.kongregate.com/games/digyourowngrave/arachnophilia (http://www.kongregate.com/games/digyourowngrave/arachnophilia)



Metta Zenda The arachnophile :)

Quote from: Kuan Yin on March 12, 2013, 07:28:06 PM

The vast majority of spiders don't have big enough nor strong enough fangs to penetrate human skin [we are not their natural food source]...Respect them by all means, but there's really no need to fear them...


Metta Zenda The arachophilic :)

True, we have a spider nick named the 'Daddy Long Legs', it is extremely poisonous but it isn't able to break the human skin and it's kind of entertaining to watch the way they kinda bungle about

I don't mind spiders--even big ones--when they're on a wall or something. I try to catch them and escort them outside.

What I don't like is when you see one, and you reach for something to catch it...AND IT'S GONE.

???

The Spider Who Couldn't Hide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLw-9dpHtcU#)

How could you be afraid of this?  ;D

Japan is the freaking land before time when it comes to things that scare me, Spiders included.   They're so BIG there!  Then there's these dang things:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Foveroften.files.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fhornet.jpg%3Fw%3D600&hash=f510ac7e9a1f6ca1fea43390c20d37caf8f0d6bf)
(Hand Not Mine nor Anyone I know)

I thought I ran into one in Kyoto.  It was some big bug, freaked me OUT cause I was so sure it was one of these hornets!  Didn't help that I knew about them from a National Geographic "Hornet's from Hell" special I saw.  I watched that thing buzzin' round like kittens watching a spotlight on the wall.  Could a gave myself whiplash.

Then the roaches.  EEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!

Not a fan of grasshoppers either.

Quote from: Misato33 on March 12, 2013, 10:04:12 PM
Japan is the freaking land before time when it comes to things that scare me, Spiders included.   They're so BIG there!  Then there's these dang things:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Foveroften.files.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fhornet.jpg%3Fw%3D600&hash=f510ac7e9a1f6ca1fea43390c20d37caf8f0d6bf)
(Hand Not Mine nor Anyone I know)

I thought I ran into one in Kyoto.  It was some big bug, freaked me OUT cause I was so sure it was one of these hornets!  Didn't help that I knew about them from a National Geographic "Hornet's from Hell" special I saw.  I watched that thing buzzin' round like kittens watching a spotlight on the wall.  Could a gave myself whiplash.

Then the roaches.  EEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!

Not a fan of grasshoppers either.

...I'll just nope my way out of this thread now. Hornets are my enemy, as awesome as bugs are. If it buzzes and bites/stings, get it away from me.

Then there was this one time I carried a bumblebee in my hand out of my apartment. Stayed calm, nothing happened at all even though my heart was ready to jump out of my chest. It was a very fuzzy creature and nice to hold even though it did have a stinger XD

But they don't sting unless provoked, unlike wasps. Wasps will sting because they feel like it, have enough poison for multiple toxic stings, and will continue to sting people even after their venom reserves run out. Bees, on the other hand, have hooked barbs that disembowel them when the stinger is left behind in a person's skin. Poor bees.

When I lived in Idaho, we had a shed out back. Went inside to get something, and had a feeling like I was being watched. Looked around, and there were about 8 yellow jackets over the door, on the wall...WATCHING ME.

I know this, because I got closer to them, just to observe them (they're awesome in their dangerousness), and as I moved to one side or the other...all of their heads turned in unison, keeping an eye on ME.

Now *that* creeped me out. Went inside and got yellow jacket spray (which is like nerve gas to them) and just douched the ENTIRE wall down.

I think it was a regular ole' wasp that stung me on the butt while riding my bike once.

That hurt.

Especially with a bike seat.

You did *what* to the wall Beth?

Quote from: Misato33 on March 12, 2013, 10:26:03 PM
I think it was a regular ole' wasp that stung me on the butt while riding my bike once.

That hurt.

Especially with a bike seat.

You did *what* to the wall Beth?

I panicked.  :-X

I did the same thing when I was chain sawing...I had yellow tinted safety glasses on, had an intuition that something just wasn't...right. Turned off the chainsaw, took off the glasses...and saw a dozen black hornets sitting on the log I was cutting. They'd been invisible due to the grey color of the log and my glasses...They were just on the verge of getting REALLY peeved at me for cutting up their home...so I gently backed away, got a can of hornet nerve gas...and did my standard OMG OMG KILL KILL KILL....*spray spray spray*.

Walked away, an hour later I came back...but couldn't use the log anymore for firewood (contaminated by bug spray)...but yeah, I despise and greatly fear swarming stinging things.

Quote from: Misato33 on March 12, 2013, 10:04:12 PM
Japan is the freaking land before time when it comes to things that scare me, Spiders included.   They're so BIG there!  Then there's these dang things:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Foveroften.files.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F10%2Fhornet.jpg%3Fw%3D600&hash=f510ac7e9a1f6ca1fea43390c20d37caf8f0d6bf)

No spiders or insects bother me except bees and their bee-like cousins. This really sent shivers down my spine.

Quote from: Beth Andrea on March 12, 2013, 10:23:43 PM
...and just douched the ENTIRE wall down.

???

Dammit people will you please stop posting pictures of big hairy spiders!!!

I can deal with little spiders (I mean really little) but most of them make me feel like throwing up.
My evil ex had a pink bellied, rose whatsit, bird eating abomination of nature (or whatever the proper name was), one year it shed its skin, I went into the bedroom & the skin was on the bed I ran out of the room freaking right out, the next day i went to turn on the TV in the bedroom & she'd put it on top of the TV, I freaked out again & told her i'd smash the cast/skin or whatever if she didn't get it out of my sight.
A few weeks later I went into my book cupboard (I had too many for the bookshelf) & she'd put the skin in MY cupboard, to say I went mental was an understatement, the evil cow knew I would open that door & find it sooner or later, she had her own cupboards that I never went near, pure ******* evil!!!

Quote from: Jayne on March 13, 2013, 02:47:50 AM
My evil ex had a pink bellied, rose whatsit, bird eating abomination of nature (or whatever the proper name was)

....Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula? I've heard they make great pets.

My nephew kept tarantulas  for a while. I handled one once, but never again. They have nasty little hairs all over, and I understand they can bite at any time if they are unhappy. Who knows what makes a spider unhappy?
There is a guy I know that got a bite from a recluse and it got very serious, I think he was hospitalized for months.
Not a fan. I'm not terrified of them though.


--Jay

Quote from: V M on March 12, 2013, 08:17:03 PM
True, we have a spider nick named the 'Daddy Long Legs', it is extremely poisonous but it isn't able to break the human skin and it's kind of entertaining to watch the way they kinda bungle about

The daddy long legs thing is actually a myth :)

I live in a country where there are camel spiders ;) Also not poisonous and very terrified of people (rightly so considering the destruction we cause) I found one in my gym bag once, about the size of a dollar bill. Just to weigh in, i have zero fear of spiders. The camel spider was placed outside. Wasps on the other hand. LOOOL No thanks hefe. - still dont kill them though (they were here first ya know?)

I love spiders :> They are just so adorable. And I don't have to worry about getting bitten since I live in Norway anyways.

Quote from: Retiku on March 13, 2013, 10:18:13 AM
....Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula? I've heard they make great pets.

That's the one, my evil ex said it wasn't the bite you had to watch for but the spiny hairs it could shoot out of its abdomen, she said Harriet got her with those once & they drove her crazy with the itching & soreness, Mwahahahahaha  >:-)

(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/482784_10151798156924966_645452460_n.jpg)

Quote from: Ms. OBrien VT on March 13, 2013, 08:40:28 PM
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/482784_10151798156924966_645452460_n.jpg)

That's actually a beautiful-looking creature  :)

Don't be worried my friend. My boyfriend (cis-male) is terrified by spiders. I'm not, I've always loved them, I was the kid letting Daddy Long-legs crawl all over my hands when I was little. I happily remove all spiders from his house and my friend's house releasing them back into nature while singing Born Free (aha just kidding, I don't sing to them). My point it, he's a pretty manly guy but a spider turns him into a flailing bubble of fear. Don't be too worried about being afraid of craneflies, it doesn't make you any less manly!

I'm personally afraid of ants. I had an awful experience with them when I was little. It involved my head and an ant hill and all my 'friends' laughing at me. Outside of bugs, the only other thing that scares me is dolls and human like puppets.  :icon_eek:

I most definitely am afraid of spiders and have been all my life.

Isn't he cute?

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-QKUWb0LyGB8%2FTting3C-mmI%2FAAAAAAAAAPs%2Fib0yTVOm0Zc%2Fs1600%2Fsmiling%2Bsalticidae.jpg&hash=cf87713622e78c82b21e9a61c0d8e9fe17f43fad)

I know some will find this über-creepy...and others will find it über-cool...

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1186.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fz368%2Fhazel_eyes1911%2Fspiderslippers_zps299a3b48.jpg&hash=e61ab444275e1faacfd7362732386bf2d59d31d4)

Myself, I can't stand the hairy human legs!

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbugguide.net%2Fimages%2Fraw%2FQROZ8RKHMR3ZIR9L0RYZYL2LYLOZ7R6LLZ2L3LULRZDLQZQHPROL8RVLQZELYLDZQRYZSRUL7ZBLSZ.jpg&hash=e146f49fe8f8367b53c518ce50f0da2a0e7aa45b)

I think these things are creepier than actual spiders. I thought it was a spider the first time I saw one. They're not dangerous or anything, but when something looks like that and can jump at your face, I don't care if it bites or not, keep it away. It's a spider-cricket... they're all over the South, apparently.

Wasps are the only thing I'm really terrified of, though. Wasps, yellow-jackets, bees, hornets-- anything that flies and stings. I had a yellow-jacket sting me right in the middle of my forehead when I was kid, and I've been traumatized ever since. Haha, I've even jumped out of a boat to avoid being near one. I know you're not supposed to run or freak out, because they can "smell fear" or whatever, but f**k that, I'm out.

Quote from: democration on March 14, 2013, 10:13:18 PM
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbugguide.net%2Fimages%2Fraw%2FQROZ8RKHMR3ZIR9L0RYZYL2LYLOZ7R6LLZ2L3LULRZDLQZQHPROL8RVLQZELYLDZQRYZSRUL7ZBLSZ.jpg&hash=e146f49fe8f8367b53c518ce50f0da2a0e7aa45b)

I hate these things! I was at school once and I went to get something out of my bag, and one of these jumped at my face.  It was terrifying.

Kia Ora D,

In NZ we have something similar which we call Wetas and there are a number of different species....Here's a giant Weta on somebody's hand[and I do mean "GIANT"] ...Their mandibles can give you a nasty pinch, but apart from that, they are quite harmless, some people keep Wetas as pets[Not the giant ones though, because they are a protected species]...

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRzUJ8IIuTiZClrGjiJJ7COz2lEYBRb7GOoxtYEOQ1PPsu2TIxv

Metta Zenda :)

I love spiders.
My friend wrote a song called We Are All Spiders.

I respect life and ahimsa, so spiders are my buddies. I do have a spider in my room that's bitten me four times though. :cc They are worse than the worst mosquito bite I've ever gotten and I'm very allergic to 'em. It's been three weeks and I still have the bump. Serial biter spider why?

i don't care too much for bugs but im not afraid of most of them, like spiders or mosquitoes or even fleas and others

its bees i cant deal with. if a bee flies in the room i start to have a panic attack. i also got stung while driving once and almost drove off the side of the road. i think everyone has at least one thing that really freaks them out, like it isn't a thing to do with gender at all lol

For all of those who fear spiders, just know that those poor things can have tough lives too:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmemecrunch.com%2Fmeme%2F8SR2%2Fspider-wasp%2Fimage.png&hash=14bf0c79449f9facc42a6ffa41c986ae524b209f)

For the record, I'm not afraid of spiders. Like a lot of insects and smaller creatures, I think they are facinating and misunderstood.

Big bugs/spiders/whatever of any kind scare the hell out of me.  Small ones I don't normally mind, though you are not getting me within a foot of a spider of any kind.  Or a cranefly, for that matter, because those are terrifying and disgusting.  And cockroaches especially, I had developed a phobia of them to the point that even fake ones would make me nervous.  I don't care if I look like a sissy, you keep them bugs away from me. 
...Besides, I've known plenty of guys who were even more afraid of bugs than I am.  Likewise, plenty of girls who weren't.  It's just an individual human thing, not truly gender-relevant at all, and I shall not be ashamed to be seen cowering on top of the kitchen table whenever there's a big spider on the floor!  ...well, OK, actually I run out of the room and come back with a very long stick or something with which to kill it and refuse to take my eyes off it until I'm sure it's dead.

Quote from: Mr.X on March 15, 2013, 10:26:20 AM
For all of those who fear spiders, just know that those poor things can have tough lives too:

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmemecrunch.com%2Fmeme%2F8SR2%2Fspider-wasp%2Fimage.png&hash=14bf0c79449f9facc42a6ffa41c986ae524b209f)

For the record, I'm not afraid of spiders. Like a lot of insects and smaller creatures, I think they are facinating and misunderstood.

That pic...is the stuff of NIGHTMARES!!

I'm the designated critter killer in my house, if the dog or the bird don't eat it first. I usually try not to kill it, but when people started finding out I was studying moths and whatnot in tupperware containers I was banned from using stuff out of the kitchen. It's a little harder to catch and keep these things with just your hands.  :-\

I pretty much only have 3 things I detest more than anything else in this world and am marginally scared of. Spiders, ivy and pool drains (all varieties). I will not willingly get close to ivy or pool drains but I can and I do kill spiders (I have a nice bat to squish them with, works very well - that or the vacuum).

I was never scared of those things until age 3. I was pulling down ivy leaves (boston variety, most ugly type IMO) with my babysitter one day and I got the one with a huge black spider that crawled onto me. And then the pool drains was because of a damned 60 Minutes episode, talking about them sucking kid's organs out of... well, eviscerating them. Anyway. *Shudder*

Everything else I'm alright with though.