Advice on Spiders Please : Do Not read if they bother you

[Ben551]

*** IF YOU ARE SCARED OF SPIDERS I ADVISE AGAINST READING THIS THREAD***

Dear all,

I have a bit of an issue that I would like some advice on please.

My wife and I are still new at this and, although we seem to be handling all manner of problems as they come up, there is one that has us a bit stumped.  Our place is set against the New Zealand bush and contains all manner of insects, including spiders.  Unlike our Australian cousins across the ocean, we are lucky in NZ and don't have very many poisonous spiders (the few that are poisonous are very rare and hardly seen). We also don't have snakes in NZ, or any major preditors, so hey... it could be worse right?

The problem is, when we do get spiders they are... a little bit bigger than people are used to. 

After getting some horrified reactions, we added a warning to our listing in the best way we could think of, added it to our guest book, and started telling people at check-in of the dangers of leaving the windows open.  But honestly, people are STILL surprised when they find a spider and seem to approach it with genuine terror!  Each time this happens, we feel a bit guilty.  I don't want guests to feel horrified, but... I can't change it.  It's hot here right now and people want to leave windows open.  When they do that, spiders come in... simple as that. 

I know we're not responsible for the insects of New Zealand... and there is no point laying awake a night worring if guests are going to find any... but I just wonder if we should be doing something else?

Here is the warning we have on our listing, which we also include in our guest book:

◉ Trees, bees, birds and more! ◉
Please note that the cottage is located in the forest and is surrounded by trees, nature and natural wildlife. There are flowers, birds, bees and insects in the forest. This can mean a small amount of pollen or insects may enter the cottage during your stay. This is very rare, however it can happen if windows are left open for long periods. If finding a spider would bother you, or if you are severly allergic to pollen or bees, we recommend you reconsider your stay with us. Although we are meticulous and thorough, we cannot promise the space will be entirely free of these things. Living in New Zealand is both wild and beautiful so we accept these small things as part of the wonderful life we have.

How does that sound?  I thought it sounded ok.  The problem is that I don't know if this is a warning is suitably proportionate to the "size" of the spiders I'm talking about here.  I also don't think there is any way to illustrate this without sharing a picture.... I hate to do it, but I'm going to post a link to one that our guests caught and photographed... we caught another this morning about 2/3 the size of this one, but still very large.  I dunno, they just seem to get fat and healthy in our bush... Bundle the cat likes to eat them (weirdo). These certainly aren't the biggest NZ has either, they can be dinner plate or toilet seat sized up in Auckland, so frankly I'd take Wellington spiders any day...

Link to picture of our average spider invader:

https://spiderid.com/picture/52075/

Feel free to not follow the above link and just give me general advice based on whatever size of insect you imagine would bother you.  Bear in mind, most of our guests are not New Zealanders, they are British, European, American, Chinese.... etc.  Actually, I've lost track of the countries...

~ Ben

[Kath9]

Oh @Ben551, I do love your posts! Your blurb sounds good to me but, although it wouldn't worry me, the link to the picture might turn some people off booking. You could maybe add that most spiders in NZ are harmless...? That won't necessarily convince some people though - I've had people cowering at the sight of a daddy longlegs in my house!

[Alon1]

@Ben551 

Can you wire-mesh screen your windows?

[Sandra126]

@Ben551, why don't you install flyscreens? I wouldn't live without them.

[Ben551]

@Kath9 @Alon1  @Sandra126  oh thanks for the replies.  Yeah, I wondered about adding something about them being harmless; it's true, they are, but scary lookin...

About the mesh screening - I wondered about that, only we couldn't find any products for sale in New Zealand that could mesh screen a conservatory of this type.  It's single glazing, which I hate, but can't afford to rebuild the entire thing.  There are gaps at the top (vents) and gaps at the bottom (drainage) and when the windows are open... there are more gaps.  I'm convinced this is where they come in.  I think I need to hatch a better spider proofing plan, for sure... I'll see what I can come up with in the workshop... but any suggestions welcome.

[David418]

Ben, I live next to the forest also, and have spiders. There are some essential oils, I use peppermint, which seems to repell them and even smell pleasant, I steam mop ( used one yet? ) with it, and have noticed a marked reduction.

[Sandra126]

@Ben551, I see the problem. Had to look up screens in NZ and it seems they are not as common as in Australia. Hard to retrofit when not part of the design, or such as sash windows which I have. Get another cat, with the two of them you should be all clear!

Sweden doesn't really do screens either, I can't understand it as you get insects galore in the season. Mine comes off easily so I remove them in winter.

On my first day ever in Australia as a traveller I had a funnelweb crawl out of the newspaper I was reading. Freak out time.

[Ben551]

@Sandra126  omfg bugger that for a spider... funnelweb's give even me the creeps.  Yeah it's a real mission finding what I find as "basic" things in New Zealand. 

Meanwhile, I have bought lengths of guttering foam, which I plan to cut and stuff firmly into all the vents at the top of the glass roof, where it meets the windows (big gap there).  Then I bought white duct tape, which I plan to put all along the gap where the ceiling meets the start of the glass roof (unecessary gap there). Then, I plan to get a flamethrower and BURN ALL THE SPIDERS IN THE YARD.

That oughta do it 🙂

[Rebecca181]

@Ben551 It might be better, versus posting an actual picture, to simply say that spiders in your parts are more, (how shall we say), 'generously proportioned' than one might expect or imagine - but not so large that they would fit into a man's suit, or even a boy's suit, for that matter. Adds a bit of humor to the entire affair, and the guest then can blame their own lack of imagination should they be surprised at just how very large some of your spiders are (instead of blaming you)! Beautiful lodgings you have there, by the way - but yes, I could see that it would be a real pain to try and screen that.

[Ben551]

@Rebecca181  hey, oh thanks for that suggestion.  I see what you mean.  One might even call it adding a British satire element to the warning 🙂

How about this:

◉ Trees, bees, birds and more! ◉
Please note that the cottage is located in the forest and is surrounded by trees, nature and natural wildlife. There are no snakes in New Zealand but there are flowers, birds, bees and insects in the forest. Our spiders are also harmless, but they had to scale one down for the role of Shelob. This can mean a small amount of pollen or insects may enter the cottage during your stay. This is very rare, however it can happen if windows are left open for long periods. If finding a spider would bother you, or if you are severly allergic to pollen or bees, we recommend you reconsider your stay with us. Although we are meticulous and thorough, we cannot promise the space will be entirely free of these things. Living in New Zealand is both wild and beautiful so we accept these small things as part of the wonderful life we have.

Is that better?

[Rebecca181]

@Ben551  Simply brilliant, and I did indeed 'laugh out loud' (aka 'LOL') when I read your spider description. I say do it!

[Jo13]

Hello @Ben551 ,

I enjoyed reading your post, perhaps all the more because here in SA we too live with the flora and fauna. Summer is prime spider time, and there are some healthy sized spiders taking up residence around (mostly the exterior of) the house.

At present we have Ryan the rain spider living in one area of our house. Ryan found his way inside as a youngster. He's not huge, only about the size of the palm of my hand, but his appearance and speed can be intimidating, even though he's harmless. A few attempts to catch and safely relocate him in the garden have proved fruitless-he is too quick! We don't really mind having him around, though. I think of him as Chief of Insect Control.

Please don't feel guilty about people's reactions to spiders. Your "Trees, bees, birds and more" note is spot on. Perhaps you have a good opportunity for nature education. 😉

-Jo

P.S. High five for your Shelob comment. It made me laugh out loud!

[Ange2]

@Jo13    "Ryan".  Memories.  I grew up with large spiders, fantastic insects, lizards and creepy-crawlies. I used to name them too, especially when they became long-term guests. One of my grandmother's favorite sayings was:  "if you wish to live and thrive let the spiders run alive" and so they did, some the size of dinner plates.

[Jo13]

Hello @Ange2 ,

Thank you for your lovely message. Although I can't summon your memories, you've given me a wonderful mental picture of your growing up years. I'm envisioning climbing trees, running free, and enjoying the outdoors. Good for your grandmother, I think I may adopt her saying! I haven't seen Ryan for a week or so. Perhaps he found a window and discovered a better "restaurant" outside.

-Jo

[Ben551]

@Jo13 Oh awesome, thanks very much. Thanks to you too for the story about Ryan!  It made me smile to think he has successfully evaded capture for so long. What a clever little one. Sounds like he’s chosen the right house there 🙂