Eight-legged anxiety above my bed

[Dominatus]

Arachnophobia is not something I am commonly afflicted with. Living in Michigan, most spiders I find are harmless- almost cute, once you suppress the primal disgusted fascination and adoration for the things. Of course, the Brown Recluse is also known to inhabit Michigan. I have read up on this guy, as well as other common types here, and I can't figure out what this guy is. It's been in the window sill above my bed since June. I didn't bother her, she didn't bother me. She has white, orb-like egg sacks that are about a centimeter in diameter, suspended in her web. The web itself isn't neat like a garden variety spider would spin- instead it's almost like a cobweb that's still occupied. She is dark brown, and her exoskeleton has a bit of a sheen to it. Her markings are kind of a khaki color. She is currently angled away, and being in a basement bedroom I can't reach a better angle to view her. As such, I can tell that she has multiple thin bands of the same color on her legs, so thin as to be hardly noticeable. Along the bulbous end segment (forgot what that's called) she has what looks like triangles, tip pointed towards her head, connected by thinner bridging rectangles. The triangles start large right up near the mid section, where the violin would be if she were a recluse- if it's there she's too angled to tell- and they get progressively smaller as you get closer to her far rear. I count about four triangles.

I would include the pick but it's on my phone- so there's no link to provide. Any suggestions going off what I could see would be appreciated- it's gotten bigger since summer, and there are 3 of those web sack things in her web. Please answer soon- I want to go to bed, not be kept up all night imagining something crawling on my back.

[Mitchz95]

You can upload the picture to tinypic or another image hosting site and then post it here.

[PakledHostage]

I would trap it and toss it outside but Michigan is probably too cold for that at this time of year... Do you have a heated garage you could take it to? Or you could just accept its presence. Détente. I had a basement bedroom when I grew up, and I once had a spider living in a corner for about a year and a half. It did its thing; I did mine.

[rpayne88]

False Widow maybe? I am not an entomologist, so DO NOT quote me on that. Maybe this website can help.

If it is a False Widow, it won't kill you, but getting bitten by it would be far from an enjoyable experience.

By the way, the "bulbous end segment" is called its abdomen.

Edit: As far as releasing it outside, I think spiders are actually quite tolerant of cold weather. I live in Baltimore and almost got bitten by a Brown Recluse on Christmas (when it was 22 degrees F) picking up a can near the Jones Falls river. However, I have no clue what the temp is in MI right now, so your results may vary.

Edited January 15, 2014 by rpayne88

[theend3r]

WOW, you're gonna have babies! Congratz. Seriously though:

Squash it (at a distance if you're afraid) or buy a terarium

[bsalis]

You don't want to be bitten by those. It can turn out really really bad.

[Scotius]

Let it live until spring, then catch into a jar or something and banish to the wilds. Spiders are important part of ecosystem, and not a threat to us. Unless you live in Australia In Europe we too have huge, brown spiders lurking in our houses (i don't know english name) - i'm always catching them and releasing in the barn. They can happily hunt down flies and other nasty insects there.

[Comrade Jenkens]

In Europe we too have huge, brown spiders lurking in our houses

They are quite literally called House Spiders

[ramses]

That's not a Spider!

This is a Spider!

Say hello to the Funnel-Web!!

27 Deaths in the last 100 years.

Edited January 15, 2014 by ramses

[sjwt]

Just read this to take your mind off it.

http://weirdtales.net/wordpress/2007/10/23/the-year-of-ninja-spiders/

[Scotius]

Thank you, i never bothered to check it previously. In Poland we call such spider "KÄ…tnik domowy" Which roughly translates into "House-nook spider". They're huge, but completely harmless.

[sjwt]

That's not a Spider!

This is a Spider!

Say hello to the Funnel-Web!!

27 Deaths in the last 100 years.

Says the guy who is hiding over in WA from them

[Lohan2008]

Phhht, in Australia any spider smaller than your hand is considered "harmless"...

Leave spider alone or build terrarium.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Lohan2008

[lajoswinkler]

Oh, what a joy it is to browse this thread on a touchscreen phone...

I don't tolerate anything except daddy longlegs in my house. Those aren't spiders, though.

There has been quite a lot of black widow bites in the last decade here. I'm not phobic about spiders in general, terrariums and playing with harmless fluffy spiders looks like fun to me, but unknown species somewhere in your room... fu*k that.

[goldenpeach]

Those web sack thing in the web might be eggs.

Watch out, hundreds of baby spider can come out of these.

Note: I am NOT a specialist, so do NOT quote me on that.

However, if you want to see what's inside of a spider egg, look at this video: http://youtu.be/Va2r07PgyYk?t=2m52s

(it will automatically skip to the egg opening)

Also, if you want a source for the number follow this link(I know it's not a reliable source): http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_baby_spiders_do_spiders_have?#slide=4

Edited January 15, 2014 by goldenpeach

[PakledHostage]

That funnel-web video is impressive! I had heard of them but I didn't realise they were quite that big. Probably because the Aussie who first told me about them described them as a "small spider". It is all relative and what you are used to, I guess... She had an unreasonable fear of bears, but at least bears don't hide in your shoes.

[Drunkrobot]

You know the giant spider thing that Frodo had to fight in the third Lord of the Rings film? That wasn't CGI. That was Australia's Christmas gift to New Zealand.

[lajoswinkler]

You're doomed.

[rpayne88]

Oh, what a joy it is to browse this thread on a touchscreen phone...

I don't tolerate anything except daddy longlegs in my house. Those aren't spiders, though.

There has been quite a lot of black widow bites in the last decade here. I'm not phobic about spiders in general, terrariums and playing with harmless fluffy spiders looks like fun to me, but unknown species somewhere in your room... fu*k that.

The good thing about Black Widows, though, is that they spin a web and stay in it. No need to worry about rolling over onto one of them in the middle of the night.

[softweir]

The "egg sacks" may be prey wrapped up and kept to be eaten later.

[Dominatus]

I already had a run-in with one of the babies over the summer. It was midnight, I was on my laptop browsing the forums. I noticed something peripheral vision. Staring out into my dark room, I saw nothing, and went back to reading. Much to my surprise, the distinct shape of an arachnid was outlined against the laptop screen, and was descending towards my bare chest at an alarming rate. I froze, trying to process what was happening. I realized what it was, and held still as it closed the final couple of inches between us. It touched my skin, and I was ready to swat it. It felt my skin, and freaked out, scurrying back up the strand of web it had made its descent on as quickly as it could. I don't know who was more freaked out- me or the spider. I got up, turned on the lights, and killed it. Never had a problem since. They know not to mess with people.

[Nuke]

when i was a kid i discovered something about spiders. if you smash them they die. ive never had a problem with spiders ever since.

[Dominatus]

Not in Brazil. There is this one very dangerous, large Brazilian spider that moves pretty fast when it wants to... And it's venom is apparently really deadly. I remember animal planet featuring this guy once- hitting it with a long handled broom is a bad idea, since it apparently sees that as a threat, runs at the broom stick, crawls up, and attacks the guy who just hit it. Not sure how much of an exaggeration it was, but that's not a spider I want to find in my banana. Or anywhere. Ever. PETA will probably agree that this one's gotta go.

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Not in Brazil. There is this one very dangerous, large Brazilian spider that moves pretty fast when it wants to... And it's venom is apparently really deadly. I remember animal planet featuring this guy once- hitting it with a long handled broom is a bad idea, since it apparently sees that as a threat, runs at the broom stick, crawls up, and attacks the guy who just hit it. Not sure how much of an exaggeration it was, but that's not a spider I want to find in my banana. Or anywhere. Ever. PETA will probably agree that this one's gotta go.

Jeezush, now I'll avoid spiders even more.

[lajoswinkler]

The good thing about Black Widows, though, is that they spin a web and stay in it. No need to worry about rolling over onto one of them in the middle of the night.

True to most extent. Sometimes they wander around. I don't recall any case of them crawling into beds, though.

I wouldn't harm a small harmless (or only weakly venomous) spider if it was minding its own job in the corner of my room, eating flies. But huge spiders crawling around?

All aboard the nope train!

Oh, don't open this if you're afraid of arachnids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlF6qrnq4nc