I don’t mind spiders, and I actually played with tarantulas regularly as a kid. The Hunstsman spider is a whole different ball game. The whole “I can jump at your face from 3 feet away and I’m the size of a toilet seat“ thing is beyond the pale.

Huntsman spiders sure look scary and can get ridiculously large, but are in fact harmless and even helpful as they feed on cockroaches. Giant, flying Australian cockroaches.

I've never had a runin with a black widow I didn't expect. Just look at where you put your fingers in places that are dark during the day.

Brown widows are a pain in my rear. Unlike black widows, who outside will hide in holes and places you general don't access, brown widows will hide in places you do - places that aren't pitch black during the day like outdoor toys, and under chairs and tables.

Spent a week working on an organic farm in West Virginia in my teens. One of the greenhouses had a black widow invasion. There were probably 5-10 per cubic meter. One of my jobs was to clear them out with some sort of dessicant spray that caused them to shrivel up so we could till and plant tomatoes.

Had phantom black widows on me for days. But they were pretty docile.