The Spiders That Took Over Holland
I have never been someone who is easily scared by spiders. However, when I saw Arachnophobia as a young teenager in the early 90s I have to admit that I was creeped out for a few days. As a result I felt uncomfortable walking under lamp shades and I could not look at pop-corn the same way again. However, it was only a movie and the chances of a spider attack on that scale really happening seemed highly unlikely… until a few days ago.
Earlier this week I noticed a rather strange amount of spiders in the Dutch town were I live, much more then you would normally expect to see. Most of them were near some form of foliage and if there was no spider in sight there was at least a very big web that looked like it was still in use.Some of the arachnids have managed to spin webs over seemingly impossible distances from one tree to another, possibly with ambitions of catching a human. It is lucky that I do not suffer from Arachnophobia otherwise I might have started running through the streets screaming, never to return. The little eight legged freaks have spun webs every where around town. Maybe this is the start of a combined attempt to cocoon the whole of North Holland. Shelob’s little minions might already be at work in other locations around the country.
Luckily they are only European Garden Spiders (I think) and their bite is harmless unless you happen to be a fly. However, if they form an alliance (or worse, a hybrid) with the mosquitoes we are all doomed. At the very least I will likely get sued by every arachnophobia sufferer for coursing them emotional distress with this post. Sorry for any nightmares I cause with this story.
Spiders?…na! tiger mosquitoes are the worse!
Nothing really matters – I hate mosquitoes with a passion but I don’t mind spiders because they catch mosquitoes.
Sociolingo – Thank you.
Latina – Tiger Mosquitoes? They sounds scary.
I have just gone into the back garden with a pair of scissors to cut the spiders webs that are across the path so I can get to the end of the garden (I don’t like the feel of the web on my skin) The two spidders looked at me. I will be sleeping with the windows shut tonight.
Apparently they swing on a single thread and use the wind to attatch themselves to another point. So if the wind is fairly strong they can go great distances.
I have seen more spiders since I have been in Amsterdam than I have ever seen in my whole life….
Hey Stu…arrived here via VallyP. I used to live in a suburb of Rotterdam called Prinsenland and our block of flats was home to a geat number of furry eight legged friends. They would bomb dive from the ceiling if you walked beneath them, mostly they died and would be lying upside down with all eight legs curled up, ulg!. I too saw arachniphobia, but “It” was far worse. Spiders like dry places, is your town having a dry or hot spell??
I live in South Africa now and our spiders are huge and everwhere, but at least they don’t bomb dive me. Cheerio
Stu..Tiger mosquitos are a new species of ‘mosquies’ invading Barcelona at the moment-they have large legs and have write to yellowish stripes at the back-the worse thing is NOT REPELLENT in the world stops them from bitting!(hope i’m wrong here!) they fly around all day long and bite any time they feel ‘hungry’…so pls ship a container of spiders to BCN that might help solve the pro- me? still got some of the bites from the summer hols there…huh!
Dragon lady – If a tornado ever hits Holland we’re in trouble then. The whole country will be webbed.
MoMo – We had a few weeks of rain but it has been very hot again. Are the spiders in South Africa poisonous though?
James – I think I can clam the same
Latina – We have enough spiders to stop them :)
I’ve had to use the vacuum cleaner as a spider weapon as well. The first house I moved into in Holland was covered in spiders. An hour later and a lot of suction and I got them all.
Love your blog, your insights are funny and spot on! Our first night in our dutch house also brought out the biggest spider we’ve ever seen, and the proliferation in the garden is just plain scary. Our dutch neighbors call them “spinners” and just casually knock away the webs. Working in the garden we feel we have to secretly kill them (the spiders, not the neighbors) lest they (the neighbors, not the spiders) think we’re showing signs of american hostility!
Keep up the great posts!
R&R – Thanks :) I’ve had to ‘take down’ a few spiders with a vacuum cleaner myself.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. :) Cheers! Sandra. R.
To be honest, every spider is venomous. Just these are not deadly but they can be painful when they do bite (my own experience) then again these spiders rarely bite anyway