A former neighbor got bitten by one and had a sizable chunk of necrotized flesh removed. I was terrified for about a year but I got over it. I usually just catch spiders and carry them outside now, but I’m pretty sure if I see a recluse and recognize it, it’s a goner.
My recliner is immediately next to a disused fireplace that is closed but not sealed to an extent sufficient to keep out smaller critters like spiders. (The house is very much a WIP)
Since the fireplace is not used and probably never will be again, I use the raised stone mantel in front of it to hold stuff I want accessible but not always in my hands, like beverages.
The last two times I saw spiders were when I started to drink something, only to notice after the first few sips that there was an arachnid floundering on the surface of the liquid. Fortunately both times in question I was using a straw or the critter would have gone straight down the hatch. (I try not to think about whether this might have happened previously.)
Anyway, I support being kind to creatures, carrying bugs outside, whatever; but in both of those cases it was all I could do not to hurl the cup across the room. Instead I would run to the kitchen, pour the drink down the sink, drop the cup after it and absolutely chug mouthwash.
Now I look critically into any beverage with an open top before even thinking about drinking it.
A former neighbor got bitten by one and had a sizable chunk of necrotized flesh removed. I was terrified for about a year but I got over it. I usually just catch spiders and carry them outside now, but I’m pretty sure if I see a recluse and recognize it, it’s a goner.
My recliner is immediately next to a disused fireplace that is closed but not sealed to an extent sufficient to keep out smaller critters like spiders. (The house is very much a WIP)
Since the fireplace is not used and probably never will be again, I use the raised stone mantel in front of it to hold stuff I want accessible but not always in my hands, like beverages.
The last two times I saw spiders were when I started to drink something, only to notice after the first few sips that there was an arachnid floundering on the surface of the liquid. Fortunately both times in question I was using a straw or the critter would have gone straight down the hatch. (I try not to think about whether this might have happened previously.)
Anyway, I support being kind to creatures, carrying bugs outside, whatever; but in both of those cases it was all I could do not to hurl the cup across the room. Instead I would run to the kitchen, pour the drink down the sink, drop the cup after it and absolutely chug mouthwash.
Now I look critically into any beverage with an open top before even thinking about drinking it.