Arachnophobia

[Beefeater]

I suffer from arachnophobia - an extreme and irrational fear of spiders. In the November of 2021 I arrived at the Gache Gache concession on Lake Kariba in what can only be described as peak spider season. I opened the door to my quarters to be greeted by fast sideways running spiders (named Kalahari Ferrari's apparently) on the floor , flat white spiders on the wall , fat brown ones in the shower and hairy ones behind the toilet. I feared going to bed every night and woke up on the last morning with a guest on the inside of the mosquito nest which got me going at tremendous speed. Do any of my fellow arachnophobes have advice on dealing with the problem while on safari.

 

[Spartan5]

Following

 

[uplander01]

Interesting thread, they are not my favorite either, second right behind snakes. Not sure I have what would be an irrational fear, but I got bit by a spider on the Queen Charlotte Islands a long time ago on a bear hunt. I have no idea what kind it was. Bit me on the top of my head just above my forehead while I was asleep. Woke up with what looked like a golf ball under my skin from swelling, you could see the fang marks, I was extremely fatigued and had bad headaches for 2 days.

If the ph knows they have a lot of spiders in camp they usually brief you on the ones to avoid, most are harmless. Either way, request a can of doom, spray down your room and go have some drinks and let it air out....never hurts to have all your baggage doused permethrin as well.

The only other freaky experience I've ever had with spiders was a giant baboon spider got in my bag on my second trip to Africa (Mozambique).....I was a newby and wasn't aware it's a good idea to keep everything zipped up or lids shut on all your luggage, all the time.

 

[farmer_john]

I suffer from arachnophobia - an extreme and irrational fear of spiders. In the November of 2021 I arrived at the Gache Gache concession on Lake Kariba in what can only be described as peak spider season. I opened the door to my quarters to be greeted by fast sideways running spiders (named Kalahari Ferrari's apparently) on the floor , flat white spiders on the wall , fat brown ones in the shower and hairy ones behind the toilet. I feared going to bed every night and woke up on the last morning with a guest on the inside of the mosquito nest which got me going at tremendous speed. Do any of my fellow arachnophobes have advice on dealing with the problem while on safari.

With most phobias. Regular exposure. And acknowledging you feel uncomfortable but not giving in to the desire to run away usually helps to blunt that edge over time. If your willing to make your self uncomfortable.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

I had a rain spider in my room on my first Safari and tried to ignore it... Until it ran across my face on the third night! Then I made the mistake of discharge of discharging Doom Bug spray, which effectively fogged my room for a while. The spider maintained a presence and eventually I got some rest.

 

[odonata]

I can't dance.

But whenever I walk into one of these in the dark on my way to a deer stand, I do tend to gyrate spasmodically...

 

[spike.t]

Spray your room ...tent before heading to dinner...basically if it's flat on the wall ...it's fine.....if it stands up sort it...doom works well...just don't use too much.....one or 2 precision shots...but warning...they move fast at the squirt....and if trying to stomp some you will be surprised at how hard it is to crunch them......oh and as you love them so much come here for a visit later in the rains here ....towards end.....the webs across the foads/tracks will give you fun ...like strands of superglue....usually accompanied by a beautiful big golden orb spider
Hope the photo doesn't freak you out too much.....

 

[sgt_zim]

That I am aware of, all spiders are venomous. How-some-ever, for most of them, the venom is not toxic to humans. And in some cases, the venom is only toxic to humans and their prey (funnel web spiders fall in this category, I believe, but they're only in Oz).

I'm not a huge fan of spiders, I avoid them where I can, but I don't get too worked up over them, either. As @uplander01 suggests, find out from your PH if there are any you really ought to avoid. Squish those if you need to, avoid the others to the extent you can, avoid paying attention to them otherwise.

They aren't there for you, they're there for the abundant 6-legged arthropods you're also sharing quarters with.

When I get spiders in my house, I know they're there for the food. I spray for their food (roaches, flies, etc) and the spiders vacate the premises on their own. You can't really do that in camp, but they're in camp for the same reason I get them in my house from time to time.

 

[Flbt]

I suffer from arachnophobia - an extreme and irrational fear of spiders. In the November of 2021 I arrived at the Gache Gache concession on Lake Kariba in what can only be described as peak spider season. I opened the door to my quarters to be greeted by fast sideways running spiders (named Kalahari Ferrari's apparently) on the floor , flat white spiders on the wall , fat brown ones in the shower and hairy ones behind the toilet. I feared going to bed every night and woke up on the last morning with a guest on the inside of the mosquito nest which got me going at tremendous speed. Do any of my fellow arachnophobes have advice on dealing with the problem while on safari.

I hate them I am probably more scard of a spider than I am anything else.

I was all ways afraid that they would bite me while asleep.
The part of fl I am in
Has plenty of black widows and brown recrluice and the fl scorpion for a add on.
Lived in a old farm house with a open porch
They would get every where and the old barn and cribs.
Just had to say the hell with it.
Sill has to do the chores spider or not.

Dad said be scared of what you want to.
But don’t let it stop the work.
With the implications of you don’t do the chores I will give you something to be scared of.

 

[spike.t]

That I am aware of, all spiders are venomous. How-some-ever, for most of them, the venom is not toxic to humans. And in some cases, the venom is only toxic to humans and their prey (funnel web spiders fall in this category, I believe, but they're only in Oz).

I'm not a huge fan of spiders, I avoid them where I can, but I don't get too worked up over them, either. As @uplander01 suggests, find out from your PH if there are any you really ought to avoid. Squish those if you need to, avoid the others to the extent you can, avoid paying attention to them otherwise.

They aren't there for you, they're there for the abundant 6-legged arthropods you're also sharing quarters with.

When I get spiders in my house, I know they're there for the food. I spray for their food (roaches, flies, etc) and the spiders vacate the premises on their own. You can't really do that in camp, but they're in camp for the same reason I get them in my house from time to time.

Get nasty ones here where your flesh ....mmm....can only describe it as turns to something like rock...atrophies big time.....know someone tried all sorts of stuff including putting battery acid on bite on his hand to try sort it....eventually medecine was delivered on a hunt transfer charter...hard ass older fkr....scraped his knife over it and it sounded as I said like stone.....can leave a big hole

 

[BRICKBURN]

With most phobias. Regular exposure. And acknowledging you feel uncomfortable but not giving in to the desire to run away usually helps to blunt that edge over time. If your willing to make your self uncomfortable.

Spot on.

@Beefeater
Basic exposure therapy.
If you can manage it:
START small - eg. picture of a spider cartoon on the other side of the room.

 

[spike.t]

That I am aware of, all spiders are venomous. How-some-ever, for most of them, the venom is not toxic to humans. And in some cases, the venom is only toxic to humans and their prey (funnel web spiders fall in this category, I believe, but they're only in Oz).

I'm not a huge fan of spiders, I avoid them where I can, but I don't get too worked up over them, either. As @uplander01 suggests, find out from your PH if there are any you really ought to avoid. Squish those if you need to, avoid the others to the extent you can, avoid paying attention to them otherwise.

They aren't there for you, they're there for the abundant 6-legged arthropods you're also sharing quarters with.

When I get spiders in my house, I know they're there for the food. I spray for their food (roaches, flies, etc) and the spiders vacate the premises on their own. You can't really do that in camp, but they're in camp for the same reason I get them in my house from time to time.

Get nasty ones here where your flesh ....mmm....can only describe it as turns to something like rock...atrophies big time.....know someone tried all sorts of stuff including putting battery acid on bite on his hand to try sort it....eventually medecine was delivered on a hunt transfer charter...hard ass older fkr....scraped his knife over it and it sounded as I said like stone.....can leave a big hole

 

[fourfive8]

Agree with those who dislike them. All other insects- no problem. Snakes- no problem. Unbeknownst to me at the time, shared my tent with one in Mozambique. Discovered it under my sleeping bag the morning I left. Big sucker that looked like a crab. Most common, dangerous ones I’m used to are black widows. No thanks… any of them,

 

[CJW]

I had a rain spider in my room on my first Safari and tried to ignore it... Until it ran across my face on the third night! Then I made the mistake of discharge of discharging Doom Bug spray, which effectively fogged my room for a while. The spider maintained a presence and eventually I got some rest.

View attachment 735658

That looks like the one I shared my room with in Namibia. Over the course of 10 days he would show up in different spots around the room. Almost always on the wall and once hunkered down under the aluminum window trim in the bathroom. I never did bring it to anyone's attention or presume it was dangerous. I'm not sure what I was basing that on other than I'm too big for him to eat.