[rubberbandman3291]

It started with a few spiders here and there in my frog room, which I really don't have a problem with. However now I have too many of them and they are starting to annoy me. They are American house spiders also known as common house spiders. They are there because of the readily available source of fruit flys. Besides sealing my tanks off completely, which is not going to happen anytime soon, how else can I "take care" of these spiders?

-Gary
R. Imitator 'nominant', R. Imitator 'intermedius', P. Terribillis, D. Leucomela, P. Tomopterna, H. Cinerea

 

[DartFrogs415]

hate to state the obvious my friend... but i've always found that a vaccuum cleaner works perfectly fine for this job. I use a dirt devil with cyclone technology.

or to handle the job with certainty... if you're not squeamish a slipper works. My Filipino friends can co-sign this one... a "big ass" tsinela will get the job done when needed

i personally don't mind the spiders too much, if they weren't there id have fruit flys crawling all over the adjacent rooms, more so than they already are. every now and then i'll vaccuum behind the drape i use to seal off heat. other than that, they're pretty harmless.

depending on what kind of vivarium you have, there are plenty of options to make it FF proof.

 

[frogface]

I hear you about the spiders. I've stopped messing with them. My cat used to take care of them but she got bored. We have a deal, now, you leave me alone and I don't kill you.

However, I have family coming in this weekend. Hmm I wonder how much they like spiders

 

[Enlightened Rogue]

Kill them...kill them all.
I HATE spiders. It`s funny this topic came up because I`ve killed about 20 in the last week in my house.
A few nights ago my son said he saw one crawling on his bed, well I tried to get it but I missed and he woke up the next morning with bites all over his legs.

Did I mention I HATE spiders....just checking.

John

 

[ISTHOMS]

Kill them...kill them all.
I HATE spiders. It`s funny this topic came up because I`ve killed about 20 in the last week in my house.
A few nights ago my son said he saw one crawling on his bed, well I tried to get it but I missed and he woke up the next morning with bites all over his legs.

Did I mention I HATE spiders....just checking.

John

i really don't mind spiders. in fact, as long as it's not deadly, i'll pick it up. it's arachnifobes like you that are going to drive them to extinction!

 

[Roots]

Kill them...kill them all.
I HATE spiders. It`s funny this topic came up because I`ve killed about 20 in the last week in my house.
A few nights ago my son said he saw one crawling on his bed, well I tried to get it but I missed and he woke up the next morning with bites all over his legs.

Did I mention I HATE spiders....just checking.

John

Im with John - I don't like to kill things but once a spider enters my home that's it - even my wife who is a buddhist will kill them. Kill em all!

 

[Peekskillfrogger]

i really don't mind spiders. in fact, as long as it's not deadly, i'll pick it up. it's arachnifobes like you that are going to drive them to extinction!

If common house spiders start to go extinct I will just collect them from around my vivs and repopulate the earth. My only concern with spiders and im sure its rediculous is that my frogs are gonna eat them and become poisonous lol.

Honestly i think spiders are cool being a pretty hardcore fisherman I grew up being told that killing spiders in the boat is bad luck and it just carried over to the house so I leave them alone and in return they handle any loose ff's for me.

 

[CAPTAIN RON]

A wet/dry vac works great. I go around frog room once a week and vacuum webs/spiders that i see-i do not go crazy and try to get them all however,leaving a few will take care of roving ff's.

 

[Enlightened Rogue]

i really don't mind spiders. in fact, as long as it's not deadly, i'll pick it up. it's arachnifobes like you that are going to drive them to extinction!

That my plan, one spider at a time.

John

 

[Dangerously]

They look menacing, but the last time i got bit by one of those spiders it just felt like a bad mosquito bite. No big deal.

One thing you can do is seal your tanks with the blue painters tape. I seal the opening of my tanks with 1" wide tape (not the vents, just the edges where the lid closes), and the only fruitflys I get wandering are ones that run out when I open the tank, or jumpers when I'm trying to feed. And it's easy to unstick the tape for feeding time, then reseal with the same piece when done.

 

[Xan Stepp]

When thing get too bad I just use a vacuum. But there is always the tension between having too many spiders and too many fruitflies.

 

[rubberbandman3291]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am going to break out the shop vac and suck'm up.

 

[guppygal]

They look menacing, but the last time i got bit by one of those spiders it just felt like a bad mosquito bite. No big deal.

One thing you can do is seal your tanks with the blue painters tape. I seal the opening of my tanks with 1" wide tape (not the vents, just the edges where the lid closes), and the only fruitflys I get wandering are ones that run out when I open the tank, or jumpers when I'm trying to feed. And it's easy to unstick the tape for feeding time, then reseal with the same piece when done.

Getting bit by a spider places it in the endangered list in my house. I'm not sure about house spiders, but I've heard that some spiders will be happy to dine on those tiny imis.

Danger, I'm not sure the blue painters tape fashion all over a vivarium is gonna catch on. I double up on screen or place screen where critters tend to enter or exit. Weed barrier works well, too, without detracting from the beauty of the tank -

jest a thought ~

kristi

 

[motydesign]

i found this in the back of my empty 55 vert the other day

the spider must have hitched a ride in a piece of wood from transition of oven to the next day going in the tank... well i had to rig up 3/8" hose to the shop vac, snake it in to place and wait(there was NO access to this area) finally after two days he was in the right spot and boom flipped the switch and got him.... i think? it happened so fast and i couldnt find a body....??? i guess i wait and see if a new web pops up?

 

[B-NICE]

Get a 10 Gallon and some Green Tree frogs. Tree frogs are perfect hunters, they will do away with them. I made my Tree frog glow in the dark when I feed him a Fire Fly. LOL.

 

[Ed]

i found this in the back of my empty 55 vert the other day

the spider must have hitched a ride in a piece of wood from transition of oven to the next day going in the tank... well i had to rig up 3/8" hose to the shop vac, snake it in to place and wait(there was NO access to this area) finally after two days he was in the right spot and boom flipped the switch and got him.... i think? it happened so fast and i couldnt find a body....??? i guess i wait and see if a new web pops up?

Why couldn't it have been sheltered inside the piece of wood in a crack or crevice that insulated it?

Ed

 

[ISTHOMS]

I made my Tree frog glow in the dark when I feed him a Fire Fly. LOL.

fireflies are deadly poisonous to animals, especially frogs

 

[guppygal]

fireflies are deadly poisonous to animals, especially frogs

Wow, no kidding on that firefly thing. They're best alone and enjoyed in the late evening. I wonder, tho, did the frog survive?

 

[B-NICE]

Wow, no kidding on that firefly thing. They're best alone and enjoyed in the late evening. I wonder, tho, did the frog survive?

Was'nt aware of fire flies being posionous. The frog is still alive and well. Tree Frogs are tough. Not as active as PDF's, but smart and great hunters. If a Tree Frog escapes it will more than likely end up going into the bathroom where it is moist.

 

[BethInAK]

Im with John - I don't like to kill things but once a spider enters my home that's it - even my wife who is a buddhist will kill them. Kill em all!

ROFLMAO, my friend calls my son and I Jewddhist because we won't kill bugs. We set spiders free, except for the one time there was a nest of a million babies on the bathroom floor and my freak out instinct overcame my jewddhist nature.