Comments on: Banana Spider

By: kody

kody — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:03:19 +0000

Madison that spider is extremely dangerous, spray yellow jacket poison on it and eggs 4 three min. be at least 1 foot away.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 23:16:34 +0000

I really don’t care if they are poisonous or not they are really scary looking and i would have a heart attack if one ever got on me they are all over my yard and are very common here in Texas they are everywhere here.

By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 05:57:29 +0000

—-To Vickie and George—-
Those are just common garden spiders. i used to go out and catch those in Georgia all the time. their bite feels somewhat like a bee sting and isn’t at all harmful. i wouldn’t suggest holding one though.
hope this helped!

By: travis

travis — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:11:39 +0000

Just had a a co worker at the grocery store here in California have one of these nasty “size of a rat” spiders crawl out of a banana box and onto them. Another co worker caught the bugger and after taking the species to a specialist it turns out that this spider is very deadly…glad the guy that opened the box is still okay.. get medical attention any spider in a banana box bites you!!!!

By: Tom B.

Tom B. — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:50:43 +0000

I have come across the Wandering Spider myself, having lived many years in South America. From my own personal experience, I will tell you a couple things that make this spider stand out in my experience:

a) When scared, the spider will rear up on its hind legs and warn you. It is not aggressive, but may attack you if threatened.
b) The spider can jump quite a distance. I personally saw one jump around 8 feet.

The first time you see this spider you will think it’s a tarantula. But remember what I said about it rearing up on it’s hind legs-that’s it’s trademark warning sign.

By: worried in california

worried in california — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:15:20 +0000

i have a spider bite on my back that looks like a target. what kind of spider is it? how will it effect me?

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 28 May 2010 23:51:42 +0000

FOR ANYONE THAT WANTS TO KNOW HOW TO KILL A SPIDER WITHOUT GETTING CLOSE TO IT: BUY A CAN OF WASP & HORNET KILLER. THESE CANS SPRAY A JET STREAM WELL OVER 20 FEET. WASP & HORNET KILLER IS DEADLY ON EVEN LARGE SPIDERS. IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG EITHER. THEY USUALLY GO INTO TERMINAL VIOLENT SPASMS/CONVULSIONS INSIDE OF 15 SECONDS; THEN THEY FOLD UP AND DIE. REALLY LARGE SPIDERS MAY TAKE A MINUTE TO FOLD UP AND DIE; BUT WASP & HORNET KILLER IS THE BEST FOR TERMINATING SPECIFIC TARGETS. THE JET STREAM WILL REACH A SECOND STORY WINDOW OR EVEN THE GUTTER ABOVE IT.

By: Bach

Bach — Fri, 28 May 2010 01:14:53 +0000

OK so here is the issue, we live in Miami FL, close to the River were all the boats comes in. Got relative new neighbors.. huge Banana Palm fans… planted their entire back yard with them. Recently learned about these spiders and their preference for Bananas, (had a friend who had to remove all her landscaping incl. Banana palms, due to huge spiders a bit further up the coast.)

I informed the neighbors, thought they might like to know… turns out the wife studied spiders and finds them ”fascinating” … Yeaaa what the odds! Right?

- Well, so here is the issue, aside for my spider phobia …We got toddlers
NOW What? I haven’t seen any yet, but I’m not prepared to wait until Danger lurks around my children… Please help!! Anyone??? What can I do to avoid these beast? Is there any way to kill them before they appear, I never been a huge fan of pesticides, but if it comes down to the safety of my children, I will do anything it takes … please anyone, I need some serious advice here.. Thank you!!

By: Martin

Martin — Sat, 22 May 2010 18:36:07 +0000

Can someone tell me if there are Banana spiders in Jacksonville Fl.? lived there for a year in 08-09 and I would see these spiders a long the edge of the woods when I walked by. they were as big as my hand or bigger and if I put a stick up to them they would attack it something fierce. They looked exactly like bills photo.

By: elmaestro

elmaestro — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 06:06:05 +0000

It’s not that difficult to tell an Argiope sp. from a Phoneutria fera. One is native to N.A. and spins an enormous, conspicuous web (arboreal) while the other is native to Brasil and wanders on the ground (terrestrial). In Brasil, the males are the ones most feared since they are the ones doing the wandering in search of a mate and so often find their way into human habitats. In America, Australia or Europe it’s hardly likely that a Phoneutria fera would somehow find its way from the market to your house and put you in any danger. Far more common is the amateur arachnologist getting bitten by their beloved pet.

Furthermore, common names are highly misleading as there are several species with ‘banana’ in them. I have never heard an Argiope (golden silk weaver) called a banana spider although I guess I could see someone thinking that due to its sometimes bright yellow abdomen. With regards to their resemblance to wolf spiders, one need only take note of the colors. Wolf spiders are hardly ever brightly colored. They prefer camouflage to a threat display where as the seemingly fearless Phoneutria fera happily advertises its toxicity and will readily put on a full threat display, exposing its formidable fangs and the even brighter colored underside of its legs.

For most men, their overconfidence is a hindrance, not a help. That being said, priapism (long-lasting erection) resulting from a Phoneutria bite is often itself extremely painful and in some cases can lead to permanent impotence. On the other hand, lots of interesting research is being done on their venom and proven benefits have been shown in treating male impotency and managing pain. Let’s hope we can continue to learn from these amazing creatures all the while keeping the number of Brasileiros being bitten from getting any larger.