Paphos Life

Our PL member Bograt had recently a visit from Ted the "visiting" tarantula. Well just now I unfolded my duvet in case it is getting colder tonight... and there was a similar visitor which perhaps knows that next week it is getting rainy and moved indoors.






Max

Sleep well!

My hubby would have run screaming for the door while I would have been looking round for something to catch it in so I could put it safely back outside.

I don't have a problem with spiders - but cockroaches, hmmmm that's another story.
What good do cockroaches do, can someone tell me?

PhotoLady wrote: ↑Fri Oct 20, 2017 2:28 am ...I don't have a problem with spiders - but cockroaches, hmmmm that's another story.
What good do cockroaches do, can someone tell me?

Cockroaches give you a nice happy feeling late at night, when you spot one out of the corner of your eye whilst watching telly, slipping through the gap under your front door (a quaint feature of Cypriot house design, hmmm)

You just tread on it, so it's squashed to death. Pick up the corpse with a tissue and deposit it in the outside rubbish bin. Then carry on watching tv (or go to bed) safe in the knowledge that an obnoxious insect has been terminated. They are reputed to survive floods, wildfires, even nuclear disasters...

Not my size 12s they don't! AL

Look out for its mate, Max!
Here's one we had inside several years ago, by no means the largest, just slow enough to measure and photo

Cockroaches send me screaming for the door, there's no way I could stand on one, no matter how big my feet were. The noise alone makes me freeze.

Our old cross breed dog Indie, used to stomp on them then bring the remains to my husband's bed leaving them in pride of place for us to see. The other dog, our 46kg Rottweiler used to leap on the sofa if one flew in through the patio doors and scuttled in her direction.

Cockroaches aren't something I miss about Cyprus..... I still get that ice cold feeling and prickles up my spine if I spot something moving across the floor out of the corner of my eye. It will take many years before that sensation leaves me, I fear

It took a good 12 months to stop looking for the bin to put the loo paper in!

Jules

Cockroaches, no use to anyone, they just spread disease. Seeing them running round the Tavernas used to freak me out. Our cat used to catch them and flip them over onto their backs so they couldn't move. We were told never to stand on them, as they carry their eggs on their backs, so you're spreading them around in effect.

Jackie

cyprusmax47 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 10:08 pm Our PL member Bograt had recently a visit from Ted the "visiting" tarantula. Well just now I unfolded my duvet in case it is getting colder tonight... and there was a similar visitor which perhaps knows that next week it is getting rainy and moved indoors.






Max

Aha, Ted has travelled I see. I reckon yours is actually a bit smaller than mine after all, Max! What an interesting discovery. Imagine if you had been lying in your lovely warm bed one night, all snuggly. Then, something stirs under the covers..... it tickles your leg, then works up a bit higher..... no, not a scene from a naughty movie, but - TED IN THE BED

PaphosAL wrote: ↑Fri Oct 20, 2017 3:28 am

PhotoLady wrote: ↑Fri Oct 20, 2017 2:28 am ...I don't have a problem with spiders - but cockroaches, hmmmm that's another story.
What good do cockroaches do, can someone tell me?

Cockroaches give you a nice happy feeling late at night, when you spot one out of the corner of your eye whilst watching telly, slipping through the gap under your front door (a quaint feature of Cypriot house design, hmmm)

You just tread on it, so it's squashed to death. Pick up the corpse with a tissue and deposit it in the outside rubbish bin. Then carry on watching tv (or go to bed) safe in the knowledge that an obnoxious insect has been terminated. They are reputed to survive floods, wildfires, even nuclear disasters...

Not my size 12s they don't! AL

No No Al, don't do it!! Not because of mercy to the cockroach, but apparently by whacking them, you spread their eggs around . They explode out of the body and voila, more cockroaches to get you sooner or later. Aroxol or Baygon straight to the offending insect seems to be very efficient. Weirdly, I don't find them too spooky. Good job too, as they seem to enjoy living under the cover of our septic tank. Perhaps they are food for Ted??

Firefly wrote: ↑Fri Oct 20, 2017 6:06 pm Jules

Cockroaches, no use to anyone, they just spread disease. Seeing them running round the Tavernas used to freak me out. Our cat used to catch them and flip them over onto their backs so they couldn't move. We were told never to stand on them, as they carry their eggs on their backs, so you're spreading them around in effect.

Jackie

Sorry Jackie, you beat me to it with my comment about eggs. At least I know I wasn't just dreaming it. Pesky beasts.

PhotoLady wrote: ↑Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:36 am
Our old cross breed dog Indie, used to stomp on them then bring the remains to my husband's bed leaving them in pride of place for us to see. The other dog, our 46kg Rottweiler used to leap on the sofa if one flew in through the patio doors and scuttled in her direction.

Aha - you are telling me they FLY????? Obviously I am behind the cockroach times, as this I did not know. I have a vision in my mind's eye now, of a cockroach going around with flying goggles and a bomber jacket.

Bograt wrote: ↑Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:19 pm

cyprusmax47 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2017 10:08 pm Our PL member Bograt had recently a visit from Ted the "visiting" tarantula. Well just now I unfolded my duvet in case it is getting colder tonight... and there was a similar visitor which perhaps knows that next week it is getting rainy and moved indoors.






Max

Aha, Ted has travelled I see. I reckon yours is actually a bit smaller than mine after all, Max! What an interesting discovery. Imagine if you had been lying in your lovely warm bed one night, all snuggly. Then, something stirs under the covers..... it tickles your leg, then works up a bit higher..... no, not a scene from a naughty movie, but - TED IN THE BED

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h32m969zQCE

Haha, funny! Exactly how I would envisage it. Poor old Ted came to a sticky end, it goes to show that spiders should not make a bid for fame and fortune. Happy in Cyprus would have had that sucked up with his (no doubt enormous) vacuum pipe in no time.

Bograt wrote: ↑Fri Oct 20, 2017 8:27 pm Haha, funny! Exactly how I would envisage it. Poor old Ted came to a sticky end, it goes to show that spiders should not make a bid for fame and fortune. Happy in Cyprus would have had that sucked up with his (no doubt enormous) vacuum pipe in no time.

Tarantulas (Wolfspider) are not as dangerous as people normally think they are. Not deadly at all. Bite hurts less then a bees sting.
Interesting link at National Geo. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/anim ... arantulas/

But must say that Spiders in the house I hate. Since I was able to do this lucky pic yesterday I think on the other hand that they are quite pretty animals if they look like my Ted with this beautiful colours. Anyway Ted enjoys a different environment, ca 2 km away from my house where I released him from his glass prison this morning on my way to the Akamas. Another close up......



Max

That is so interesting. Where to start? They live up to 30 years, re-gro limbs, shed their exoskeleton...... amazing. I used to hate them and fear them so much, but decided I had to control the fear because it was affecting me so badly. I found Ted to be almost cute though. A bit like a multi-legged furry rodent. Rodents I like! Thank you for the link Max, and the extra picture. Don't let the bed bugs bite tonight, as we Eengleeesh say.

Happy in Cyprus wrote: ↑Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:24 am To add slightly to the debate, I have over the years found a couple of black widow spiders in our garage here in Cyprus, so they are around.

Oh dear. I will look up a picture of them, so that I know what to be careful of.

I just looked at some images of them. It seems they are pretty distinctive at least, so fairly easy to identify and keep away from. I want a black snake in the garden, to keep all the unwanted crawlies at bay for me.

OMG... You picked it up and turned it over to check it's Belly !!!!

Bograt wrote: ↑Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:45 am I just looked at some images of them. It seems they are pretty distinctive at least, so fairly easy to identify and keep away from. I want a black snake in the garden, to keep all the unwanted crawlies at bay for me.

Many years back I was out with Snake George collecting Black Widows we found under stones in the Neo Chorio area. I was not that exited then, but learned how they look. Found a nice video about 5 Cyprus Spyders.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/v ... ction=view

Max

cyprusmax47 wrote:
Many years back I was out with Snake George collecting Black Widows we found under stones in the Neo Chorio area. I was not that exited then, but learned how they look. Found a nice video about 5 Cyprus Spyders.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/v ... ction=view

Max

Thank you for posting the video. It was very interesting, the jumping spider in particular was very pretty. Two or three years ago I could not have watched that video without my heart starting to race and feeling very anxious, so I must be improving