Why is it that when you are phobic about something you seem to attract that ‘thing’ like a magnet? Spiders, for example, are probably the most feared creatures on the planet. I don’t have a problem with them at all. They fascinate me. I’ve even had a couple of black widow spiders as ‘pets’!

But, a couple of my family members are pretty terrified of them. Last week, my wife was driving down the street in her car when all of a sudden she feels something crawling on her face! She swatted it away before she could determine what it was. Fortunately she kept her wits about her and stayed on the road. She pulled over a few moments later to try and find what ever it was and sure enough it was a spider! This time it was a grass spider that somehow managed to wander into the car. Actually, we’ve been clearing out a house so it probably crawled out of a box of stuff we had in the car. These funnel web-building spiders are super common around the home and while they may try to move indoors during the fall to escape cooler temperatures, they do not overwinter.

Grass spiders are not known to be a medically important species either. This is good news for my wife since she easily could have been bitten while trying to brush it off her skin. It was also a way better outcome than the encounter she had with a Parson spider (Herpyllus ecclesiasticus) about a year ago.  That bite left her with half dollar sized welt and a mild fever/headache! Yes, she is a spider magnet!

Now as far as I know, I’ve never been aware of, or had a reaction to any spider bite. Wish I could say the same for stings by yellowjackets!