Arachnophobia.

David wouldntbe so brave if it was a rat he was talking about.
He can't stand them.

I’m not really scared of them, but a big one can be a shock if it appears suddenly. David Attenborough said (to Princess Charlotte, who likes spiders) that he thought one reason why people were scared was that they have so many legs that they can run unpredictably in any direction, and we don’t know which way they’ll go.

I quite like spiders, especially the smaller ones. However, I wasn’t too happy when a very large one dropped onto my head when I was asleep! I woke OH and the dog with my screaming! 😳🕷️🕸️

They don't mind their business, though.
They get into your bed, your bath, everywhere.

This time of year is a nightmare for me, checking and double checking everywhere for them.

I do know there is a large one in my living room, somewhere, and I'm in it as well, so that's pretty good for me.

I used to be rather scared of spiders even though they mind their own business but now I'm not since I had a special birthday visit from a young man who had a large spider along with other creatures. The guy was so nice and showed me how to handle it so I allowed the spider onto my hands and hardly felt it moving about. It was slightly furry and the experience of handling it was just great. I can recommend this sort of experience
[I think I've said something like this before!]

Ilovedragonflies

@shinamae, oh me too! I saw a film when I was a kid where a specific kind of earwig was deliberately put into the ear of a person someone wanted dead. The earwig couldn't escape and ate its way through the poor person's brain to escape out of the ear on the opposite side. I slept with my hands over my ears for years after that!

I thought this was an episode of The Twilight Zone, but it seems not, although it’s the same writer and for some weird reason the programme was titled The Caterpillar.

However, it terrified me so much that I have never watched a horror film or series since - and I loathe earwigs to this day.

I love tomatoes, they are probably one of my favourite things, but sometimes, even when it was ME who took the stalk off, I can't bring myself to pick it up in case it's a spider.

Oh I just can't bear them at all.
There was once 1 on ceiling of stairs.
I was upstairs and couldn't come down.
DH was outside mowing the lawn and couldn't hear me shouting from bedroom window.
Was stuck upstairs for ages as wouldn't pass underneath it.
It's really not funny at all for those who have a spider phobia.

My God! Suki70 pretending to eat a spider! Just yuk🤮

It is a phobia -the definition of which is an “irrational” fear.

MissAdventure Hah! (not) ..the old tomato stalk stunt🙄

They hold no fascination for me, I'm afraid.
I've no wish to look at them, or their webs, or have them in my home. 😨

Please don’t kill spiders, as other posters have said, they are fascinating creatures . My mother prevented me from being afraid of them by picking them up and pretending to eat them, making yum, yum noises, which made me laugh.
My d.i.l. used to scream at the sight of them but I was determined that she would not pass on this phobia to my granddaughter. I put a dead spider in a box and every time she visited encouraged her to go a little closer to it. Now, she is able to look at it through a magnifying glass with her daughter.
We’ve now started on Crane flies. I have a box containing dead bees, wasps, spiders, daddy long legs and a stag beetle, all for my grand daughter to examine and develop an interest in biology.

I am absolutely terrified of spiders.
I literally have vomited with fear a couple of times, and once at a tomato stalk that my "hilarious" mum and sister threw onto a book I wad reading.

We live in UK, not Australia where every other creature seems to be venomous! Every year we are fortunate to spend our summers in France. The near by forest in the mornings has some amazing spiders webs, some are huge and go from one tree to another, they are beautiful, We are not bothered by spiders, they are clever creatures and weave intricate webs.

Ilovedragonflies

@shinamae, oh me too! I saw a film when I was a kid where a specific kind of earwig was deliberately put into the ear of a person someone wanted dead. The earwig couldn't escape and ate its way through the poor person's brain to escape out of the ear on the opposite side. I slept with my hands over my ears for years after that!

Gulp 😩 but then I suppose there must be a reason they are called EARwigs..
I do make sure my hair is pulled over both my ears before I go to sleep..

@shinamae, oh me too! I saw a film when I was a kid where a specific kind of earwig was deliberately put into the ear of a person someone wanted dead. The earwig couldn't escape and ate its way through the poor person's brain to escape out of the ear on the opposite side. I slept with my hands over my ears for years after that!

The critters that I really can’t stand are earwigs 😵‍💫😫

When I was aged 8-10, I lived in Singapore and we often went up to Malaya to a hotel surrounded by jungle, for long weekends. I have cine film of me tickling a huge tarantula sized spider out of it's hole using a long piece of grassy weed.
But - for all the rest of my life as far as I can remember, I have been absolutely terrified of all spiders. I get goosepimples on my arms, my heart races slightly and I feel very hot and panicky if I see one.
I can only think that my parents must have told me not to touch the jungle spiders as they could hurt (kill) me and my childish brain held onto that and related it to all spiders.
I'm fine with bees and wasps, ants, even mice and I know spiders kill bugs and are harmless .... but logic just doesn't help - not like a hubby with a tissue (or if he's not around, a powerful vacuum cleaner with a very long nozzle!)

They don't bother me but Beloved is scared stiff.

I just catch them and give them a flying through the back door.

I have a spider catcher that has a silicone brush like thing that grabs them up but let's them go when you release it. I am scared or spiders but since losing my husband I've had to at least try to get them out. Sometimes if I'm lucky the cat gets them first.

Daffonanna

I’m with those pleading for spider mercy . The card and glass is so easy and when there’s a child in the house I teach them to catch it and we have a good look with a magnifier . They are beautiful , and deal with flies . Mini beasts need help not hoovers .

👏👏👏

I really don't like them. I can't kill them and I can't catch them as that's too close for comfort. My children were watching Arachnaphobia when I came in from a run-a very long time ago. They offered to switch it off but I said no it's just a film. However, they ended up watching me as near the end when he was going in the house I drew my feet up on the chair then I reached down for my trainers, shook them out and then put them on the chair beside me. Finally, when there were millions of spiders everywhere I was gripping the arms of the chair and trying to push myself as far back as I could then ran out the room. They were howling with laughter but had to rewind as they all ended up watching me instead of the climax of the film. Can't remember why I'm terrified of them but I am. I also put a glass over them and DH has to deal with them when he comes in.

I’m with those pleading for spider mercy . The card and glass is so easy and when there’s a child in the house I teach them to catch it and we have a good look with a magnifier . They are beautiful , and deal with flies . Mini beasts need help not hoovers .

Spiders are some of the most fascinating creatures. I wouldn't kill one.
But I know it's different in Australia.

As a small child in the early 50s I remember the banana boats coming up the local canal. The boatmen used to throw us small bunches, one day I heard one of them scream and jump out of the way of a huge tarantula, I think that imprinted on my brain and I've never liked them since.

Those little boxes on a stick are a game-changer for me Allira
I'm not quite so scared of them armed with that. The trouble starts when you're standing on the bed trying to reach it on the ceiling and you can't quite close the sliding door, he escapes, falls down the back of the bed and it's another night downstairs on the sofa for me