Spider House

Blackleaf

Blackleaf

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Oct 9, 2004
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I plucked up the courage to watch this brilliant 90-minute BBC documentary on BBC Four last night.

Britain has around 650 species of spider and, in this Halloween special, several of these species are given a whole house to themselves!

Alice Roberts (the anatomist, osteoarchaeologist, anthropologist and palaeopathologist who is known for being the co-presenter of BBC TV series Coast) overcomes her arachnophobia to enter a spider-filled house where an astonishing drama unfolds within its walls.

Will you dare to watch it?


SPIDER HOUSE

Ever wondered what spiders really get up to in your home? In this Halloween special Alice Roberts overcomes her arachnophobia to enter a spider-filled house where an astonishing drama unfolds within its walls.



Inside she meets entomologist Tim Cockerill, who loves spiders and quickly immerses Alice in the wonders of web building, the secrets of fly catching and the dangerous spider-eat-spider world they inhabit. Tim wants us to welcome spiders into our homes. Think of all the flies and unwanted insects they kill. He takes Alice on a macro-mystery tour of the rooms of the Spider House, revealing what goes on in the cracks and crannies of our homes.



Why do we always find spiders in the bathroom? They seem to lie in wait in our bathtubs. And what happens if we flush them down the plughole? Using powerful macro-photography, Tim and Alice find out.

In the dining room, they uncover the complex engineering behind the most beautifully constructed 'dinner plate' in the home - a spider's web.

In the kitchen, Alice witnesses the extraordinary hunting ability of the keen-eyed jumping spider, while Tim finds out how spiders kill their prey using venom.

In the bedroom, the secrets of spider courtship are revealed. For spiders, mating is a high-stakes life-or-death game, where males risk being eaten by females.

In the nursery, we enter an enchanting cocoon where tiny spiderlings struggle out of their exoskeletons - the first of many moults on the road to becoming adult spiders.

Meanwhile, down in the cellar, we meet an unexpectedly voracious killer - the daddy longlegs.

Many of us have a love-hate relationship with spiders. The rational side of Alice Roberts understands their benefits, but can she overcome her irrational fears? She faces the ultimate challenge: to spend the night alone... with the spiders... in Spider House.

Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Spider House
 
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Tecumsehsbones

Tecumsehsbones

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Blackleaf said:
I plucked up the courage to watch this brilliant 90-minute BBC documentary on BBC Four last night.
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You managed to find the courage to watch television? Wow, now that, friends, is English courage!

Who knows? Buoyed by the success of his heroic struggle with the idiot box, Blackleaf may actually find the intestinal fortitude to see a movie!

What adventure and triumph await!

I think he deserves the Victoria Cross. It surely has been given for less.
 
Blackleaf

Blackleaf

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Spider surge: Why are more creeping around?

By Frankie McCamley, Newsbeat Reporter
17 September 2014
From the section Front Page
BBC News



It's getting colder and darker outside, so heading indoors and curling up on the sofa probably looks more appealing at this time of year.

It's not just us, though, who are attracted to those home comforts. Spiders are too.

Researchers say autumn in the UK is the time of year people are most likely to spot a spider creeping under the sofa or in the bathroom.

So we asked you to send in your scary spidey pics.


Jake sent this one in and says he found it at work

Seeing as many of us in the Newsbeat office are scared of spiders too, we sent your photos on to the action man and presenter of Deadly 60, Steve Backshall.

He took a look to tell us exactly what these spiders are and whether there's anything to worry about.

One of the new contestants on Strictly Come Dancing, he revealed there are around 50,000 species around the world but "only a handful of them can be any harm to human beings".

He said: "There's probably more hysteria and myth and legend and fear for spiders than there is any other group of animals.

"There's no doubt that arachnophobia is the most common fear found anywhere around the world."


Wildlife expert Steve Backshall

The 41-year-old said the majority of those being talked about are common house spiders.

"Our homes are warmer than it is outside and, as the evenings draw in, we have our lights on early in the evening and that encourages creepy crawlies into our homes," he said.

"We really do need to learn to love them because these spiders feed on pest insects, things like flies and mosquitoes which really genuinely can do us harm.

"You can take a common house spider into your hand and allow it to run over your hands and you are definitely not going to get bitten.

"It's certainly not going to rot away your arm even if it did."


Common: The humble house spider


Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

Spider surge: Why are more creeping around? - BBC Newsbeat

Nuggler said:
:lol:.......Watch yer "plug hole" Blackie.
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If my bath ends up like the one in the spider house, then I'll really start worrying.
 
shadowshiv

shadowshiv

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May 29, 2007
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If I get the time, I will watch it. I don't mind spiders, and it could be interesting to see.
 
Twila

Twila

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Mar 26, 2003
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Some spiders are super interesting. The Portia spider for one. This spider learns the habits of it's prey (other spiders) and stalks them. That's amazing.

Couple of years ago we filmed a male spider attempting to mate with a female spider in our back yard. She'd strung up a huge web across our garden. He was tapping her legs and dancing his little heart out. Unfortunately she was not impressed and wrapped him in silk to have for lunch later. It was fascinating to watch it play out before our eyes.

The only thing missing was Lord David Attenborough's voice guiding us through the motions.
 
S

Sal

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Sep 29, 2007
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Twila said:
Some spiders are super interesting. The Portia spider for one. This spider learns the habits of it's prey (other spiders) and stalks them. That's amazing.

Couple of years ago we filmed a male spider attempting to mate with a female spider in our back yard. She'd strung up a huge web across our garden. He was tapping her legs and dancing his little heart out. Unfortunately she was not impressed and wrapped him in silk to have for lunch later. It was fascinating to watch it play out before our eyes.

The only thing missing was Lord David Attenborough's voice guiding us through the motions.
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aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah poor little guy

she was pretending to be a black widow that day and he just didn't catch on in time :(
 
Twila

Twila

Nanah Potato
Mar 26, 2003
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Sal said:
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah poor little guy

she was pretending to be a black widow that day and he just didn't catch on in time :(
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Actually that's what happens to a lot of spider males if they don't perform correctly. They don't often get a second chance to get it right. Rather brutal really.
 
EagleSmack

EagleSmack

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Feb 16, 2005
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Blackleaf said:
I plucked up the courage to watch this brilliant 90-minute BBC documentary on BBC Four last night.
Click to expand...

You plucked up the courage to watch a documentary on spiders?

Man you are the biggest -----!

captain morgan said:
Stop whining... Go fetch your purse and smack the little buggers.
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BL is the guy that posts pics of feral house cats in Britain and tries to sell them off as a panthers.
 
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