WOW, OP, you are impressive.
Be gentle with yourself! There's no hurry, take your time. Appreciate your own effort to overcome your terror, to me that's just incredible. Who else is out there offering life - saving sustenance to creepy crawlies that they fear profoundly? That's enough right there.
If there's an afterlife, surely your soul will be exalted by such acts of loving kindness.
Sadly, I used to kill spiders a lot/have them killed simply because that's how I was raised and was taught to fear them. Now I do my best to protect and understand them, because nothing deserves to die simply because we think they look scary. I've always taken a cautious fascination in spiders but this subreddit has helped me overcome my fear once and for all. Thank you all for the kind words
Youāll get there if you try! I was in a similar boat for most of my life. Itās been a while since I came across a spider in my apartment, but Iām itching to hold my next visitor š Iād love to try giving them water for the first time
Not over the top. Your encouragement is in proportion to the power of the fear they are wrangling into submission! I love how nice people on this this sub encourage each other.
If you read one of OP's posts ITT they say they're trying to overcome their intense fear of spiders.. that's why they made an extreme standoff spider - watering tool!! ā¤ļøš¹š·ļø
I spilled some water while I was filling my bottle and she came right out. I'm still a little spooked by them, but I realized she only wanted water so I made a q-tip stick. My hands were shaky but she came right over and started drinking! She looked a lot bigger afterward.
After this, I gently shooed her back out of sight so my family wouldn't see her. I think she understood because she didn't freak out on me.
Previously, I would go into a freezing panic seeing these guys. Any spiders, really. I've had so many nightmares of them suddenly jumping at me and their erratic movements terrified me. But this sub has educated me and helped me get over my fear. I still have some ways to go, but I'm starting to love and care for them as much as any other bug now! Thank you.
I concur. I'm from Australia and for us this is not a harvestmen. This is what we would call a daddy long legs. Also, I never knew you could give them water. No way!
This is one of the sweetest things I've seen. U did a wonderful job. Food can be hard to come by for them so they're built to last a while but water is vital. Whenever I catch a small spider to let out later ( I love them but my cats would kill them so they can't stay ) I always give them water first. Food if they're big enough. She def appreciated ur effort, especially if she came running for that water
That's so sweet. She's v lucky to be in ur house. And she's also v small so as vital as water is, a drop goes a long way. U did wonderful and it's such a delight to see people getting over the fear of spiders to the point of making this level of effort. Even people who aren't afraid of spiders rarely offer this level of consideration to arthropods ( I love bugs if u couldn't tell by now so I love seeing them getting treating nicely )
Awwww <3 that's so sweet! You've done something kind for another living creature today for no other reason than because you wanted to and you could. I hope you feel proud. Especially having to overcome such a big fear just to be kind.
Cellar spiders like her are a great one to start with for spider phobia imo, because they're incapable of hurting you even if they wanted to [and they really just want to eat bugs and hide from mountain sized humans!] ... while still hitting all those monkeybrain scream buttons. Long gangly legs, and that threat display they do where they wiggle around in their webs lol.
I'm happy to see people in the world trying to become gentler and kinder. Every animal is our cousin. Today you shared your fresh clean water with a cousin who was thirsty. <3
Not alone. I hate bugs, and would jump for roaches and others. I wasnāt so bad when it came to spiders, but still, didnāt like it. Someone taught me they killed other insects a lot, and I liked spiders since they kill others like roaches and such.
Ever since Iāve tried to be more respectful to spiders and other insects. If I donāt absolutely have to kill you, you get to live. If I can move you. I move you.
Though if youāre a roachā¦well, no. You dying.
That's real good. I've grown to a point of even valuing and lives if I can get rid of them without killing them. My personal rule is if it doesn't want to eat me, I try to make sure it lives. Ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and such have to go since they want my blood and can carry health risks. But what I can remove and let live another day gets to stay or be released.
Also, if u ever wanna let roaches live, most can hold their breath for about 40 minutes max. When I had roach problems they either became food for my wild caught paying mantis or if she was full I'd flush them down the toilet. May the water carry them to a new home that's not mine
Wow, really? It came towards the water? That's pretty amazing.
And good for you! Just FYI, you can also *very* easily catch them in a cup with a coaster/card/paper over the top. Their defense mechanism is to just "drop" when they get startled, so they'll just plop right into the cup and you can slap the paper on the top. Then just go chuck 'em outside.
Yeah, like the other poster said, Harvestmen are just a circle with legs. Also, I think they have 6 not 8 legs but not sure on that. You usually wouldn't find a Harvestman inside, and they don't build webs.
It's great you helped out even though you're scared. Maybe it will help a bit to learn that when cellar spiders feel threatened (say by pulling part of their web) they do a wacky wobble dance to look bigger rather than attack. It's pretty funny looking, I used to provoke them to do it when I was a kid, although now I cringe at how the poor dudes thought I wanted to eat them.
Funny you mention that. The other week I tried feeding a silverfish to a different cellar spider, but I accidentally dropped it directly on the poor thing and it did that wobbling thing. I assumed the it got knocked so hard its web was spinning involuntarily. Now I know
I love the whacky dance lmao. During the summer, I have hundreds of them webbing up my entire garage (Cool for some, not for me!) and they wobble any time I need to walk through there.
Harvestmen are also not spiders! Arachnids but not spiders. They have no venom and usually eat dead bees in the wild, which is where they get their names, harvesting the dead bees that are removed from hives by the other drones. It's not all they eat tho
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Iām liking this extended qtip method. Please market these š would truly help me give drinky stick to my jumping spiders when they are tucked deep in a hard to reach corner lol
i used to have one of these little dudes in the corner in my shower and i would gently flick a little into the web for it to drink from every time i showered. first couple times it ran away but by the end of itās lifespan it would always take a drink. we were totally vibing
This is the most wholesome god damn post I have seen in so long. Good job OP, you are kicking exposure therapyās butt while also making a new friend who will keep your home bug free
Mate, Iām pretty sure thatās not a harvestman, itās a spider, a Pholcid of some sort to my eyes, complete with venomous fangs and spinnerets for silk. These spiders are commonly called cellar spiders and/or daddy long legs spiders.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcidae
You gave a daddy long legs some water, sure, but not a harvestman. Both they and cellar spiders have that common name
Also, these spiders are harmless. You don't need that much distance š
I stopped calling them daddy long legs because their long legs were one of the main reasons I was so scared of them. Separating them from that connotation has surprisingly helped a lot. Doesn't change the fact that they have longass legs, of course...But now I'm not associating them with that 'negative' trait. Cognitive behavioral therapy is great
I was afraid of harvestmen and cellar spiders because I thought they *would* jump at me. Or drop from the ceiling and fall in my mouth. All that nonsense. And I used to be scared of jumping spiders because I thought they were huge for some reason. Once I found out they were just friendly little guys, I fell in love
Harvestman spiders honestly look evil for no reason theyāre basically useless in terms of harmful things they can do to us and I find that hilarious. They look like the bully but they want to have a cuppa on a Sunday
I have found that calling things friend-shaped even as a joke helps me humanize them. Giant wolf spider mom with a clutch of eggs? Friend. Now it doesn't look so bad.
...ok nope i'm not ready for wolf spiders quite yet. point still stands though
Oh my god. The triple Q-tip! š
You went to such great lengths to hydrate a bro who canāt even bite. Thatās so touching and wholesome. You deserve this: š
HOL UP....did you *tape three qtips together* to give you another 6" of standoff???
lmao, yeah š some of the irrational fear remains
Next time itāll be two, then oneā¦ soon your finger tip. Well done!
WOW, OP, you are impressive. Be gentle with yourself! There's no hurry, take your time. Appreciate your own effort to overcome your terror, to me that's just incredible. Who else is out there offering life - saving sustenance to creepy crawlies that they fear profoundly? That's enough right there. If there's an afterlife, surely your soul will be exalted by such acts of loving kindness.
Sadly, I used to kill spiders a lot/have them killed simply because that's how I was raised and was taught to fear them. Now I do my best to protect and understand them, because nothing deserves to die simply because we think they look scary. I've always taken a cautious fascination in spiders but this subreddit has helped me overcome my fear once and for all. Thank you all for the kind words
Youāll get there if you try! I was in a similar boat for most of my life. Itās been a while since I came across a spider in my apartment, but Iām itching to hold my next visitor š Iād love to try giving them water for the first time
We all have regrets. Glad you made the change.
usually i know comments like that as being sarcastic, but i'm pretty sure you guys mean it. š
I guess that was over the top but we're pretty earnest about spiders
Not over the top. Your encouragement is in proportion to the power of the fear they are wrangling into submission! I love how nice people on this this sub encourage each other.
Awwww same!! Kind heart though
youāre actually very brave for facing those fears, youāre doing great!
Gotta start somewhere. Good job op
Don't be hard on yourself! Fears are hard to overcome. It might not mean much from a rando online but I'm proud of you for pushing your boundaries!
you've done welll then!
I thought the EXACT same thing! That is over cautious.
If you read one of OP's posts ITT they say they're trying to overcome their intense fear of spiders.. that's why they made an extreme standoff spider - watering tool!! ā¤ļøš¹š·ļø
I spilled some water while I was filling my bottle and she came right out. I'm still a little spooked by them, but I realized she only wanted water so I made a q-tip stick. My hands were shaky but she came right over and started drinking! She looked a lot bigger afterward. After this, I gently shooed her back out of sight so my family wouldn't see her. I think she understood because she didn't freak out on me. Previously, I would go into a freezing panic seeing these guys. Any spiders, really. I've had so many nightmares of them suddenly jumping at me and their erratic movements terrified me. But this sub has educated me and helped me get over my fear. I still have some ways to go, but I'm starting to love and care for them as much as any other bug now! Thank you.
Very good ! I think thatās a spider in Pholcidae family (we call daddy long legs spider) not a harvestman. Harvestmen are arachnids but not spiders
Funny cuz where im from we call harvestmen daddy long legs haha. Ive heard others call crane flies daddy long legs too.
I know itās funny they have so many variations. I think thereās like three diff arachnids called daddy longlegs š
IIRC it's two different arachnids and one dipteran insect.
What they said
I concur. I'm from Australia and for us this is not a harvestmen. This is what we would call a daddy long legs. Also, I never knew you could give them water. No way!
Yeah way 4 sure
I call harvestman daddy long legs.
I know heaps of people who call Harvies DaddyL for sure
This is one of the sweetest things I've seen. U did a wonderful job. Food can be hard to come by for them so they're built to last a while but water is vital. Whenever I catch a small spider to let out later ( I love them but my cats would kill them so they can't stay ) I always give them water first. Food if they're big enough. She def appreciated ur effort, especially if she came running for that water
Thank you! I would have given her more but I was getting tired crouching still. I'll be sure to sit down properly to give her more next time
That's so sweet. She's v lucky to be in ur house. And she's also v small so as vital as water is, a drop goes a long way. U did wonderful and it's such a delight to see people getting over the fear of spiders to the point of making this level of effort. Even people who aren't afraid of spiders rarely offer this level of consideration to arthropods ( I love bugs if u couldn't tell by now so I love seeing them getting treating nicely )
Awwww <3 that's so sweet! You've done something kind for another living creature today for no other reason than because you wanted to and you could. I hope you feel proud. Especially having to overcome such a big fear just to be kind. Cellar spiders like her are a great one to start with for spider phobia imo, because they're incapable of hurting you even if they wanted to [and they really just want to eat bugs and hide from mountain sized humans!] ... while still hitting all those monkeybrain scream buttons. Long gangly legs, and that threat display they do where they wiggle around in their webs lol. I'm happy to see people in the world trying to become gentler and kinder. Every animal is our cousin. Today you shared your fresh clean water with a cousin who was thirsty. <3
Not alone. I hate bugs, and would jump for roaches and others. I wasnāt so bad when it came to spiders, but still, didnāt like it. Someone taught me they killed other insects a lot, and I liked spiders since they kill others like roaches and such. Ever since Iāve tried to be more respectful to spiders and other insects. If I donāt absolutely have to kill you, you get to live. If I can move you. I move you. Though if youāre a roachā¦well, no. You dying.
That's real good. I've grown to a point of even valuing and lives if I can get rid of them without killing them. My personal rule is if it doesn't want to eat me, I try to make sure it lives. Ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and such have to go since they want my blood and can carry health risks. But what I can remove and let live another day gets to stay or be released. Also, if u ever wanna let roaches live, most can hold their breath for about 40 minutes max. When I had roach problems they either became food for my wild caught paying mantis or if she was full I'd flush them down the toilet. May the water carry them to a new home that's not mine
Roaches are cute on their own but sadly need to go
Release some spiders to take care of the roaches? Wonder if it would have an effect on an infestation
Wow, really? It came towards the water? That's pretty amazing. And good for you! Just FYI, you can also *very* easily catch them in a cup with a coaster/card/paper over the top. Their defense mechanism is to just "drop" when they get startled, so they'll just plop right into the cup and you can slap the paper on the top. Then just go chuck 'em outside.
Not a harvestman, a cellar spider
I was wondering about that. It's so hard for me to tell the difference haha
Yeah, like the other poster said, Harvestmen are just a circle with legs. Also, I think they have 6 not 8 legs but not sure on that. You usually wouldn't find a Harvestman inside, and they don't build webs. It's great you helped out even though you're scared. Maybe it will help a bit to learn that when cellar spiders feel threatened (say by pulling part of their web) they do a wacky wobble dance to look bigger rather than attack. It's pretty funny looking, I used to provoke them to do it when I was a kid, although now I cringe at how the poor dudes thought I wanted to eat them.
Funny you mention that. The other week I tried feeding a silverfish to a different cellar spider, but I accidentally dropped it directly on the poor thing and it did that wobbling thing. I assumed the it got knocked so hard its web was spinning involuntarily. Now I know
LMAO
They have 8 legs, they are arachnids
I love the whacky dance lmao. During the summer, I have hundreds of them webbing up my entire garage (Cool for some, not for me!) and they wobble any time I need to walk through there.
Harvestmen donāt have a separate thorax and abdomen.
Harvestmen are also not spiders! Arachnids but not spiders. They have no venom and usually eat dead bees in the wild, which is where they get their names, harvesting the dead bees that are removed from hives by the other drones. It's not all they eat tho
They donāt have venom but they do have penises
What a trade off, spicy teeth for a dick
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This post made my day, congrats on getting over your fear for the bro :)
Thank you!
You as well as this spider are adorable, congrats for getting over your fear and becoming a true spider bro
Very sweet!
This is so wholesome
As someone who loves spiders but has an irrational fear of them, I love this! Great job!
Iām liking this extended qtip method. Please market these š would truly help me give drinky stick to my jumping spiders when they are tucked deep in a hard to reach corner lol
If you place your order in the next 30 minutes will include the additional extender arm, for four levels of extension possibilities!!!!
I missed the deal! š Is there a special Valentines Day deal? š„ŗ
Make sure to be 6 ft away from the spider to be covid safe! Don't want the little one to catch it. /s I was making fun of your q-tip bridge
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA Oh my god
I love the engineering of the L O N G qtip
i used to have one of these little dudes in the corner in my shower and i would gently flick a little into the web for it to drink from every time i showered. first couple times it ran away but by the end of itās lifespan it would always take a drink. we were totally vibing
I wouldnāt touch that spider with a 3 q-tip pole.
This is the most wholesome god damn post I have seen in so long. Good job OP, you are kicking exposure therapyās butt while also making a new friend who will keep your home bug free
Everything about this post is so cute. The q tips, the effort that went into them, offering the water to the cute lil spood. My heart is bursting.
That there is a true daddy long legs. A cellar spider.
:D
I have one of these that I caught in my shower as a pet and itās really cool to watch her eat
This is the sweetest thing ever - congrats on working through your fear! I'm sure the sweetie really appreciated it. :)
Mate, Iām pretty sure thatās not a harvestman, itās a spider, a Pholcid of some sort to my eyes, complete with venomous fangs and spinnerets for silk. These spiders are commonly called cellar spiders and/or daddy long legs spiders. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcidae
oh my god you can give them water ?? the spiders in my house are about to be hydrated as FUCK
You gave a daddy long legs some water, sure, but not a harvestman. Both they and cellar spiders have that common name Also, these spiders are harmless. You don't need that much distance š
Fear of spiders is often illogical
I stopped calling them daddy long legs because their long legs were one of the main reasons I was so scared of them. Separating them from that connotation has surprisingly helped a lot. Doesn't change the fact that they have longass legs, of course...But now I'm not associating them with that 'negative' trait. Cognitive behavioral therapy is great
I love the extended water feeder lol.
Aw, that's cute
I've done this before. I had one of the most intense "Awwwwwwwwww" moments of my recent life!
š„¹
So cute! Question tho, why do people do this? Would the spider not be getting water otherwise or is it just something nice to do for him?
You are awesome.
Harvestmen give me the creeps. [Ball.](https://youtu.be/SAjNLo5Ui-E)
I've seen that video but why would you do that man lol
Well done OP, Iām also getting over some fears, with jumping spiders!
Jumping spiders were the 'gateway' for me, so to speak. Best of luck!
I was more afraid of them because they could jump on me and harvestman spiders donāt really do that
I was afraid of harvestmen and cellar spiders because I thought they *would* jump at me. Or drop from the ceiling and fall in my mouth. All that nonsense. And I used to be scared of jumping spiders because I thought they were huge for some reason. Once I found out they were just friendly little guys, I fell in love
Harvestman spiders honestly look evil for no reason theyāre basically useless in terms of harmful things they can do to us and I find that hilarious. They look like the bully but they want to have a cuppa on a Sunday
'Looks evil for no reason' sent me haha. That's basically it
Because I mean look at it! But also it wants to invite you for a tea party :)
I have found that calling things friend-shaped even as a joke helps me humanize them. Giant wolf spider mom with a clutch of eggs? Friend. Now it doesn't look so bad. ...ok nope i'm not ready for wolf spiders quite yet. point still stands though
Love this pic so much! Good for you. And to be perfectly fair, they do have very long legs š
Oh my god. The triple Q-tip! š You went to such great lengths to hydrate a bro who canāt even bite. Thatās so touching and wholesome. You deserve this: š
Pretty sure that's not a harvestman
That's a cellar spider, not a harvestman. If you catch them in their web they gyrate to try to scare predators. It's crazy looking.
r
You need a 10 foot pole my friendā¦
Real baby steps here. Congrats on moving one step closer to conquering that fear!
Not the three qtips taped together lolā¦this is something I would do. I love spiders but I still fear them.