what caliber for spiders?

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

taliv

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 23, 2004
Messages
28,765
:eek:


i just saw a black spider on a rack of computer equipment in my office. i got close enough with a fly swatter to hit it and then saw the red hourglass just as it snuck under a computer. now i can't find it.

would i be better off with something with a lot of "stopping power"? or a high velocity varmit round?

what do you people in australia use on all the poisonous beasties?
 
I'd pick the caliber starting with 5, as in the five fingers of your hand! Grab a flyswatter, go to town.

jmm
 
you're saying i should use 'incendiary' ammo?



seriously, i have a friend who had one in her basement last week and it took them several days to catch it, because as soon as they turned on the light, it would quickly crawl into the shadows where they couldn't reach. they had to use a flashlight to get close.

i KNEW that 3rd gen NV scope i bought would come in handy... i wonder if spiders can see infrared?
 
.45ACP is a proven 1 shot stop for spiders. That wimpy 9x19mm will just bounce off and make it angry. :rolleyes: Then it will scream and jump and latch onto your face and your goose is cooked.
 
I've had success with larger insects and arachnids with my pellet gun loaded with a Beeman quick-cleaning pellet. The right weapon for the right task.

Now, if it was a fly, then I take out my trusty Beeman Flyshooter. Again, the right weapon... :D

Flyshooter
 
70 mm works best.

As in a glass jar with a opening 70 mm or so in diameter. Large enough to get over the beastie, small enough so I can slip a peice of card stock under it to confine the creature for closer inspection before being released outside if its summer, in the basement if its winter. Except for Black Widows, they get turned outside no matter what the weather, since I have cats in the house.

Works well on the occasional errant wasp in the house as well, but they tend to get a bit irate about being confined. A few moments in the cold and dark of the freezer is usually sufficient to calm their nerves enough to release them safely.
 
Airguns work well at close range (<4 in.) without any projectile at all. Bug bits all over. Reccomend firing first shot into a pellet trap, Second at bug on window.
Taping broken glass back together just doesn't work well. :)
 
It is not the caliber, but the marksmanship. The flyswatter should have had more than enough stopping power if you actually struck the target.

Being under your computer, a gun would be stupid. There would be too much overpenetration and collateral damage.
 
My wife hates spiders. She'd probably call in one of these if she could.

ac-130h-dll-s.jpg
 
4:06 GMT Somewhere in Middle Tennessee

Mission accomplished! Intel reports indicated the target was operating in a rack of electronics. Friendly forces approached from the North West using a surefire tac light to drive the target out of hiding. The target made a tactical blunder by not recognizing the difference between "cover" and "concealment" and fleeing under a post-it note in South East corner. Target survived repeated air strikes. (Analysis indicates current issue fly swatters lack sufficient mass to neutralize enemy in shag carpet with a single strike.) Target fled to computer monitor where it finally succumbed to heavy bombardment. No casualties to report.

I just debriefed the wife, now it's time for a drink.
 
Why does everyone feel the need to kill insects and small animals?
If your hunting dove or gopher, whatever, thats fine as it serves a purpose.

But why kill a spider if its not harming you? Or a fly?

If the darn thing bit you kill it! But if it hasnt done anything to you yet, it probably wont!

Mosquitos are differnt because the bite you, but if a spider is walking peacefully along a wall please dont kill it.
 
Counter-Spider Measures

If the darn thing bit you kill it!
Click to expand...

What good does that do? That's like waiting until a mugger shoots you before pulling the trigger!

For spiders, I generally employ the heel of my boot. I've got some pointy-toed Western boots in case they try to hide in the corner. If I'm at work, I've usually got some really sharp pencils handy - I'll spear them and then set the pencil in some putty to stand upright with the spider impaled upon it to serve as a warning to other octopeds. :evil:

I had one drop onto the photocopier the other day when I was getting ready to make some copies. Thinking fast, I slammed the cover shut and got a nice copy of a spindled spider. I put it at the door to my office at spider-eye level to warn the rest of them off.

Spraying them with soapy water works well. It clogs up their "lungs" and they die real quick. You can still impale them as a warning to other spiders after they are dead.

I tried luring one off of its web and then spraying the center of the web with a commercial adhesive but the little bugger figured out what I had done and abandoned the web. I later chased the little guy down and hosed him with some spray lacquer and turned him into a little spider-statue. I'm thinking of using him as a decoy now to lure unsuspecting spiders to their doom. :D
 
Here's a helpful spider hunting trick.

If you hold a flashlight on your forehead directly between your eyes, or sometimes between your eyebrows, the light reflects off the spiders eyes and they glow in the dark. Turn off all the lights and use the flashlight and you'll see a set of glowing eyes twinkle in the darkness. It's kinda cool to do it in the woods and realize how many of the darn things there are within 20-30 feet of you.
 
If the darn thing bit you kill it! But if it hasnt done anything to you yet, it probably wont!
Click to expand...
Seems a lot of folks tried to tell George Bush the same thing about Saddam.... :scrutiny:
Mosquitos are differnt because the bite you, but if a spider is walking peacefully along a wall please dont kill it.
Click to expand...
Ever wake up in the morning with a spider bite from the cuddly little critter that you could have pre-emptively squashed had you only seen it walking peacefully along a wall before it decided to crawl into your bed?

Hey... if the things are in my house, they're trespassing, they are potential hazards and they're fair game. If they're outside, then I've got no quarrel with them at all - provided of course they don't try to bite me.
 
Ok boys and girls we're stretching things just a bit....fun is fun, but I try to keep this a semi-serious forum...

Jeff
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Skribs
  • Locked
Spiders
Replies
11
Views
1K
Robert
Robert
H
  • Locked
What caliber for spiders?
2 3 4
Replies
78
Views
4K
quatin
Q
8
  • Locked
What happened to common sense? (stalker)
Replies
16
Views
1K
Lo.Com.Denom
L
B
  • Locked
New .50 pics from Spider Firearms
Replies
9
Views
1K
Sylvilagus Aquaticus
S
Y
  • Locked
How far have we come?
Replies
2
Views
479
Shawnee
S
Back
Top