h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm not sure of the correct Latin term for these things. But to me all they are is flying spiders. Spiders with wings, the stuff of nightmares, I tell you. Just the sight of one, lurking on a window, lying in wait for me to innocently walk past so that it can flutter over and suck off my face...makes my skin crawl, oh yes. And the noise they make banging round the room trying to get out, the scratching....eeuuwww.

I think they're lovely. They are not flying spiders by the way - they are 'Crane Flies'.

Erm thanks but I kind of knew they weren't flying spiders - they just seem that way to me...

Interesting to imagine the scenario where there were actually flying spiders though. Picture a big fat spider zooming around the room after the Daddy Long Legs, both bumping into you lampshade on the way round. I would agree that really is the stuff of nightmares.

I used to work for a man (Bob) who was going thin on top. One day Bob and I were talking together in his office when a daddy-longlegs flew in. I confessed to a dislike of the insects and, when Bob asked why, replied 'They get caught in your hair.' By the look on his face, Bob was not impressed (in a light-hearted sort of way, if you see what I mean).

Oh my god...thanks for that beautiful image...I'll sleep well tonight! Hehe. You are truly evil!

Maisie

Actually, spiders *do* fly.

Well, sort of - some species of spider (yes, even in the UK) spin fine cobwebs designed to act as sort of mini parachutes when they're young, and are lofted by the wind. This carries them to new breeding and feeding grounds.

No, I'm NOT making this up - have you ever noticed how (especially in Autumn) you can walk out on a slightly damp, cool evening, and end up caught up in cobwebs, even though you haven't been anywhere near any fixed webs?

Flying spiders.

Luckily, they have to be extremely small spiders to be able to fly like this - the size of web needed by, for example, a wolf spider (or how about a tarantula) would be extremely large - think in terms of a small kite (or, for the larger arthropods, a child's helium balloon). So thats lucky, anyway.

Stop looking at me like that! The buggers DO fly!

Now, am interesting fact for all you people out there... The non flying variety of daddy long legs (we have a different name for the ones with wings in New Zealand, but thats a post for another page) are actaully the most poison spiders in the world, and I'm not joaking, thier vemon is by far the most deadly, and the only reason people arn't dropping dead all the time is because thier fangs are too small to pierce human skin! and a lucky thing too!
There, I hope that help all you people with phobias out there!

How about this one for a cringeworthy image: spiders without their legs. Were your trying to kill them you just catch the edge of them and they rip their legs off. Or some evil 12 year old ripped them off.

Here in England we've recently passed the time of year when spiders come inside out of the cold (before the cold kills them off). We've seen several that are short of a leg or two - one was down to 5 legs. This was BEFORE we caught them to put them outside. Heaven knows how they lost their legs. There is a certain type of arachnid called a harvestman which deliberately loses a leg when threatened, then runs away; harvestmen can be spotted because they don't have a 'waist' like normal spiders.

BTW there is a humane way of catching spiders (and other creepy-crawlies) called a 'Bug Trap'. This is like a small pyramid (no more than a couple of inches per side) with a long handle attached to the apex and a sliding 'door' across the base. It works in the same way as the old 'glass and paper' (you put the glass over the bug and slide the paper underneath, trapping the bug inside) but has two advantages: it's easier to manipulate and the handle allows you to keep 18 inches or so away from the bug. The latter is very important if, like my husband, you are an arachnophobe.

Those spooky Crane Flies...
We get them here in Washington, and any time you walk along a sidewalk, they come swarming out of the grass alongside.
I've heard that you shouldn't kill them because they eat mosquitoes. But to me, they look like giant mosquitoes. I suspect that they are mosquito overlords, possibly the result of some mutation, who are spreading this propaganda. Go into a little stomping dance the next time you walk along a sidewalk in September, just for me.

Up to the age of three I lived in a surburban house on the outskirts of London which had a porch which was like a breeding ground of "Daddy-long legs"/Crane flies. It still makes me shiver fifteen years later. I belive that this was a common occurance.

Mitch

Ew, I've always hated the bastards, but I developed a total phobia of them when I was about ten and my eX-boyfriend and his best mate decided to torment me by catching handfulls and throwing them at me. Now I am absolutely petrified of both spiders and insects - I was out with my boyfriend yesterday and a large insect landed on my back, and I screamed my head off and had a complete panic attack. Literally - I mean, I was shaking like a leaf for about five minutes, my heart was going boomboomboom and I was sweating and crying. Adrenaline goes around my body in a flash at the slightest insect these days
Love
Red Petunia

I quite like spiders, but I have a real phobia of flies (daddy-longlegs in particular). I had two flying about my room one night and I didn't actually go to sleep. I hate the thought of them landing on me while I'm sleeping, I don't know why. There were more in the house, so I didn't want to open the door.

I've rescued a few spiders from my sister's bedroom, and put them behind my wardrobe in the hope that they'll eat any daddy-longlegs, which are probably the most stupid of all the insects. Ugh.

~~A~~

Lord, last time I had one of those things in my room I slept downstairs on the couch - there was no *way* I was gonna stay in my room all night! They also bang against the posters on the walls and make terrifying tapping noises.... god i hate them! And I've never managed to catch a spider either... i just scream. Failing that, I lock the door to the room until i forget, by which time tehy've vanished from wherever they were in the first place!!!
Red Petunia

I can't get to sleep when I can hear a repetetive noise, I don't know why. For example, listening to the wind or rain, or even music is ok, but I HATE clocks ticking, people snoring, etc. When I was on holiday I shared a room with my little sis who is the world's worst snorer - just when you think she's stopped, she starts again. I rolled her onto her side, and she continued to snore. So I moved into the front room, which is adjoined to the kitchen. I was almost asleep when the fridge cooler switched on, and starting humming. I could live with that, but then it started dripping...

Eventually I got to sleep, and... I' ve rambled on for far too long. Somebody else speak!

~~A~~

I find natural noises or repetitive ones the only ones I *can* get to sleep with. Wind, rain, ticking clocks, the hum of my computer fan, soft speech -I can sleep through my alarm when it's set to 'radio', 'cos I have it tuned to a news station. I can't sleep with music on, though, or when Richard is snoring and won't stop. Loud, intermittent traffic noise would be a problem. A dripping tap would also bother me, so I'd have to go and try to turn it off. If I found that it couldn't be turned off, I'd probably ignore it.