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While this might sound weird, I take the opposite approach to spiders as most people I know. While poisonous, they are extremely beneficial and help keep down insect and bug populations.

While spraying Bug Barrier outside of my house to prevent the invading hordes of boxelder and asian lady beetles from entering my house, I came close to directly hitting a hobo spider.

I don't think it took a direct hit, but I did move it to a nearby tree to further limit its exposure. I figured moving it away from the treated area and leaving it alone would be best. It is climbing the tree but moving a little slow. I'm wondering if there's any treatments for these scenarios where a spider is exposed to poison?

As for why I'm spraying, I can't live with hordes of boxelder and asian beetles swarming in my house over the winter like I'm in a Hitchcock movie. It does really get that bad; I am not exaggerating. I do try to be cognizant of what I'm spraying so I can give the non-pests, like spiders, a fighting chance. If I see them before I spray, I move them. But I don't necessarily know where they'll be. For pet owners, the preventative answer would be "move the spider before spraying or don't spray near it", but accidents do happen, and someone out there might be helped by this question.

While this particular hobo spider is not technically a pet, people do keep them as pets. Surprisingly, there is no information on the Internet on how to treat a spider exposed to poison.

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    I considered voting off topic, since it's a question not specifically about a pet, but spiders can be pets and there is a real possibility that this could happen to one and so would have relevance to such pet owners. – John Cavan Oct 22 '13 at 10:53
  • Off topic. This is about a wild spider. Hobo spiders are not typically kept as pets (you would never see one at a pet store). And if it was a pet, it would not get accidentally sprayed with outdoor insect spray. – Ben Miller - Remember Monica Oct 22 '13 at 12:58
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    The form of insecticide in Raid's Bug Barrier product is a nerve agent. If the spider has been hit by it, I suspect that it may be impossible to treat unless Atropine is effective for arachnids (very doubtful, physiology is massively different from us) and I'm not even sure how you'd inject that... – John Cavan Oct 22 '13 at 14:49
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    I thought about editing it to make it sound like it was a pet, but trying to explain how it would have been hit by Bug Barrier while not making myself sound like a completely inept jerk on a Pets site would be extremely difficult. So I instead chose to be honest and then explain how it could help a person who had a spider as a pet. Hope this helps! – jmort253 Oct 22 '13 at 19:19
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    First; is your spider doing ok? Second; I think you are approaching the question from the wrong angle, instead name the exact poison, and than we can search for antidotes to it as well identifying how ti impacts the spider, it may be possible to treat the symptoms of the poisoning until such time as the risk has passed. I am guessing it is Raid Max® Bug Barrier, if so this site would be the place to start – James Jenkins Feb 6 '14 at 13:58
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Unfortunately, there aren't any medical treatments for Hobo spiders, and there isn't any antidote for insect pesticides that you will be able to administer to a wild Hobo spider.

Your best option is to move it away from the sprayed area (which you've already done) and hope for the best.

Alternatively, if you think the spider is suffering, you could euthanize it.

This is one of the disadvantages of spraying poison around your home; along with your intended target, it will affect other wild animals.

Please note that I'm not suggesting that it is wrong to use a spray around your home. However, if you are concerned about the welfare of wildlife around your home (as you seem to be), this is something to consider when making a decision.

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    Do you have any references for your lack of treatment options? The question already states that a search did not find any resources, but "not found" <> "does not exist" – James Jenkins Oct 22 '13 at 14:33
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    @JamesJenkins It is very difficult to prove that something does NOT exist, isn't it? If anyone does know about medicine for treating individual small spiders exposed to pesticides, I would love to learn about it. – Ben Miller - Remember Monica Oct 22 '13 at 14:36
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    Yes but you are providing an answer saying that it does not exist. Your answer as written does not add anything to the question. – James Jenkins Oct 22 '13 at 14:38
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    @BenMiller - How do you know there are not any? The answer to that question should be a part of your answer and I think that is what James is trying to say as well. – user9 Oct 22 '13 at 18:10
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    As to spraying, I consider it a last resort and don't take it lightly. I hate that stuff. I've already tried sealing up cracks in the house, but the boxelders and asian beetles just keep coming in... As for the suffering, a few hours later it was just hanging out on the tree and looked to be resting, but today it looks like it's dead. – jmort253 Oct 22 '13 at 19:25
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I have used the Bug Barrier a few years now and it works great. Kills almost every single bug. After I applied the very first time to a newly moved into house, There was large scale bug death in the areas I sprayed.

Now one thing I did notice is the spiders in and around the house were unaffected. I do not share your love for spiders and, when I came across on in the basement as I was spraying, I shot it directly. The little guy scampered away. I followed and got him again. He ran somewhere else. Did not seem to effect him at all. Other bugs (box elder) I sprayed fell and seemed to die on contact. I also still notice the webs in the basement and around the house.

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  • Yes, it worked really well on Boxelders, although there are so many that they just keep pouring in the house until spring. As for spiders, they don't bother me. We have a sort of understanding. It's hard to explain. With that said, I appreciate you participating, but I'm not sure this answers the question. Check out our tour page for a nice introduction for how our site works. Hope this helps and thanks for participating. – jmort253 May 5 '14 at 19:53

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