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A response of Si's on the spiders in channel letters recently made me remember this. This spring I was replacing one of my old signs for a new business. The sign was an aluminum faced tube frame, flat mounted about 15' up on a brick wall. Here I am, up on the extension ladder, remove the screws, pull the sign off of the wall, and what is behind it? Bunches of various sized brown recluse spiders. Needless to say, I freaked. The sign hit the ground, with me hot on its trail. My feet were already running when I got there. I then got to thinking, maybe these weren't brown recluses. I took a good look at one, then went home and looked at pictures of them on the net. Yep! brown recluses alright.......now what to do about them. Spider spray? NOT! They laughed at me. All it did was make them REAL aggressive. The bigger ones, (probably the parents) actually raised up on there back legs, in an attack position, and would run at me. We are talking 1.5" diameter type spiders. Arrgh! Next trick. Wasp and Hornet spray. It worked, but not as fast as I had hoped. The moral of the story, don't stick your hands in behind things without gloves, or knowing what's back there. This sign had only been up about a year. I figured it was safe. Had I grabbed one of those little suckers, I could have had some serious problems to deal with. I know of two people locally who have been bitten, and it just eats a hole in you, and will continue to do so if not treated quickly. So be carefull!
On another note. (a little more humorous). My 75 year old dad called the other day, frantic. "I need help!". I thought something was really wrong! Upon further explination, he had gone down into a root cellar like building they have where their water pump is located. The building has a very small entrance, and you have to go through it sideways. then down three steps. On the other side of the door, inside, is a shelf, about eye level. It seems he got his first leg through the opening, then his upper body, and then his head, at which point he found himself eyeball to eyeball with a six foot long, shiny black snake, with red diamonds down its back. after a quick change of under garments, he called to see if "mwau" could come over and remove "said snake". hahahahaha! Oh well, he is my Dad after all, so off I went. Never did find the snake, and I had no idea what kind it could have been, so, we looked up Illinois snakes on the net. it didn't take him long to find it. It was a Western Mud Snake. they are only supposed to be in extreme southern Illinois, and Northern Kentucky. This one was apperently lost, as we are about 200 miles North of southern Illinois. the article we read on them said they are very rare, and the herpetologist who wrote the article had only seen one of them in his lifetime in the wild. So, I guess Dad should fell honored that he got to see one. hehehe. Just thought I'd share..........later heads. sleep tight.
[ September 16, 2003, 06:32 PM: Message edited by: Dave Utter ]
-------------------- Dave Utter D-utterguy on chat Sign Designs Beardstown, Il. signdesigns@casscomm.com Posts: 777 | From: beardstown, illinois, usa | Registered: Mar 1999
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Being bitten by a Brown Recluse is no laughing matter!!!!!!!!!!!!
A few years ago I was bitten on the back of the leg by one. Bieng a Macho A-hole...I shrugged it off....until 2 days later my wife saw red streaks running up & down my leg from that bite! Doc lanced & drained it, and put me on medication for about 3 weeks (if I remember correctly)!
Gotta learn to use that Spell Check!
[ September 16, 2003, 06:36 PM: Message edited by: Si Allen ]
-------------------- Si Allen #562 La Mirada, CA. USA
(714) 521-4810
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"SignPainters do It with Longer Strokes!"
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Brushasaurus on Chat Posts: 8831 | From: La Mirada, CA, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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It's Black Widow time here in the old desert and it's getting annoying. They are EVERYWHERE. Usually not inside the hosue although I did get home from work at 12:45 AM the other night, drove into the garage, climbed out of my vehicle, walked around by my husband's workbench and walked right into a huge web. They make them down near the ground so this one was ankle high. Of course, I jumped about 6 feet and then took off my shoe and WHHHAACKED the crap out of her. I had the creepy-crawlies for the rest of the night. I've killed at least 8 in the last two weeks.
The bite is supposed to be hideously painful and I'd really prefer not to find out first hand.
-------------------- Kimberly Zanetti Purcell www.amethystProductivity.com Folsom, CA email: Kimberly@AmethystProductivity.com
“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” AA Milne Posts: 3723 | From: Folsom, CA | Registered: Dec 2001
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Kimberly I've already removed 6 black widows from my back patio this year, they keep building webs right across the screendoor opening, and by day they hide inside a box that's full of empty cans I re-use for mixing inks, paints, resins, etc.
One of them I crushed and left the carcass on the patio, the next morning it was gone, I guess the crickets are hungry enough to eat anything that doesnt eat them first.
Speaking of crickets, I'm hoping since I have a lot of them around my house, it means there are no scorpions here to eat them. I haven't seen any since moving here 4 years ago, knock on wood.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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We've been killing scorpions in the shop here. About fifteen so far this year. Here in OK we have these smaller Sand Scorpions. I can't stand them litle suckers! They make chills go up my spine when I see'em. I found one dragging a dead bumble bee across the shop floor one day. Talk about a tough critter!
I came though the shop door one day and a little one about 3/4" long was on the wall next to a panel. Well, it got smashed. Next day I come through the door and turn my head and Yeeeiiikees!! another one in the same spot, only I think this one was Momma! It was about 3" long. I nearly ran into the door jumping back so fast!
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Whew Glen...I didn't know they were THAT bad.We got em all down here up in size to the old banana spiders that get about 4-5" long. Walk into one of their webs, and it bounces you back a few feet. I always thought the black widows liked shady places, but I saw one running around on my roof, when it was mid-afternoon temp of over 100 deg., and it looked like it was havin' fun.
Dave...I'm with you on looking first. I serviced many a sign and have seen unbelievable things inside those cans; animals, birds, snakes, and every insect known to man. Well, Almost.........
-------------------- Jeff Ogden 8727 NE 68 Terr. Gainesville FL, 32609 Posts: 2138 | From: 8827 NE 68 Terr Gainesville Fl 32609 | Registered: Aug 2002
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I have been bitten by Recluse 5 times in the last 3 years. I'm fairly immune to the bad effects, although I have problems for months at a time.My problems are re-occuring rash like poison ivy, usually in a ring-like pattern. My wife on the other hand has had one serious bite where the effects lasted over a year. We kill at least 300 per year. They are not aggressive, but love to reside in your clothes. We have had only one Black Widow, but it was huge. They are not quite as dangerous as the Recluse, though in the same family.
-------------------- "Don't change horses in midstream, unless you spot one with longer legs" bronzeo oti Jack Davis 1410 Main St Joplin, MO 64801 www.imagemakerart.com jack@imagemakerart.com Posts: 1549 | From: Joplin, MO | Registered: Mar 2000
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Jesus Glenn!!! That was disgusting. I live in a 150 year old farmhouse in Upstate New York with thousands of spiders. I think I'll move now! Maybe a new house with a moat!
-------------------- Terry Baird Baird Signs 3484 West Lake Rd. Canandaigua, NY 14424 Posts: 790 | From: Canandaigua, New York | Registered: Dec 2002
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We have mud snakes, brown water snakes, and cottonmouth moccasins(poisonous) in the creek behind the shop. We have black widows, brown recluse, and wolf spiders here too. All poisonous(the spiders that is). I found a black widow inside the front brake disk on my truck. Had quite an extensive nest inside there. Wonder if she got dizzy?
My son has killed three cottonmouth moccasins behind the shop and I have already killed two diamondbacks near the house this year. My son is making guitar straps with the skins.
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7405 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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That is quite possibly the nastiest looking thing I have ever seen on the internet, not counting my own portfolio page.
Karen, I don't think we have those up here, but I'd like to know how I can get all those damn gnats from flying onto freshly coated sign boards. I have a zapper outside to draw them away, but it doesn't seem to help.
Suggestions?
Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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Thanks to this post, I had nightmares about spiders last night! There isn't much that creeps me out, but just thinking about spiders makes my skin crawl.
And Glenn, putting that link up is like putting candy in front of a kid and saying don't eat it! I had to look. Pretty disgusting!
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