20 Sep
1999
20 Sep
'99
4:37 p.m.
The problems abound with my setup...
My garage does not have interior walls; i.e., just the 2x4 studs with
tar-paper on the interior wall parts. Spider heaven. And no ceiling, just
the same and a criss-cross of beams. With a couple of old mattresses and
screen doors up there. Spider nirvana. The temperature never drops below
freezing, and there are plenty of juicy meals for my arachnid friends all
over the place.
After getting some other responses from people (and actually talking with
an exterminator that I'm friendly with), I've figured out that my
"best-case" solution would be to clean everything out to bare
floor/walls/etc, Raid every spider in sight, plug all the holes I can find
in walls/roof/etc, and put up drywall, taking care to seal everything.
Since this isn't practical for me, I'm going to try removing everything I
can, bug-bomb (to get rid of the ample spider food source), spray every
one I find, and not reach waaaay down into dark corners with no light.
Coincidentally, relating my story to one of our clients brought a
brown-recluse horror story out: she was bitten by one at home in Texas,
went into a coma, and was paralyzed for nearly two weeks after. After more
than a month in the hospital, she eventually regained full motor
function and could speak without slurring...yikes.
Thanks for the helpful suggestions,
Aaron
On Mon, 20 Sep 1999, Russ Blakeman wrote:
All I do is get the shop vac out andd suck out the
case clean upon opening.
Also, with winter oming on it doesn't hurt to leave the eqauipment outside for
a day or two (sheltered) in subzero temps. Really good for killing off
spiders, roaches, etc.
Allison J Parent wrote:
<I have to admit I am more than a little
paranoid about spiders, and since
<watching a brown recluse segment on PBS, I simply don't poke my fingers
<into places I can't see.
My other no computer collecting half was bitten by a Brown Recluse years
ago at work (construction site trailer) and it was a nasty thing.
I'm very wary as we do have black widows and brown recluse in New England
and no doubt other nasty ones too. Most spiders that bite bring two risks
their venom and infection with the later being sometime worse.
take care and use Raid. Also most bug sprays are petroleum based and not
good for computers or cases.
Allison