cane spiders in kauai
 

I have seen pictures of cane spiders, and I have to say they look terrifying! I have heard that these spiders inhabit Kauai. Are they very common? Where do we need to look out for these creatures? Do they inhabit any other Hawaiian islands? THANKS!

they inhabit all the islands, but I think you need to live near a cane field to really see one. I have lived on Oahu all my life, but I've never encountered one.

This is a rather funny incident I had with a cane spider in Kauai this past June.

We spent three nights on the BI staying at a wonderful B&B The Palms Cliff House near Hilo. We spent one day hiking at Volcano Nat'l Park. One day we went to a privately owned lava tube for a tour way out in the sticks.

We flew next to Kauai and stayed at the Lihue Marriott. Basically we relaxed most of the time. No hiking. The last night there I was packing up after my husband had got into bed. I was moving my shoes and noticed a leg of something coming over the top from the bottom-side of my shoe. I thought it must be a grasshopper because the leg was so long. The light was low so I flipped on all the lights and omigod there was a huge spider on my fricken shoe. I thought it was a tarantula except it wasn't hairy. This poor spider must have gotten into my hiking boots at sometime over in BI. I always wrap my shoes in plastic bags when I pack them and I had just removed the bag on the hiking boots before this guy appeared.
I told my husband to get up and help me out. He swat at it and missed. It started running and it was crazy. Lucky for us (but not our neighbors!) it ran right underneath the door to the adjoining room. My husband said "quick get a towel!" he shoved it under that door so fast...

All night I was waiting for a blood curdling scream from next door but it never came. I had a hard time sleeping myself.

After we got home I looked up the spider and found out it was a cane spider. Wow, creepy. It seemed just as scared of us.

Lauri describes the exact incident that scares the you-know-what out of me. We are renting a house on Kauai, that has walls of glass doors that open up. I was hoping to sleep with the doors open, listening to the nearby ocean, but after a story like this, may think again.

I have been to the islands numerous times, and have had my fair share of run ins with huge insects, mice, and other creatures there. But if this is the worst part of paradise, I can take it.

I've seen them in some of the jungley areas of Maui around Hana. I looked at one up close in its web and they are pretty remarkable looking. Never seen one in Kaua'i. Good thing as I HATE spiders, but LOVE Kaua'i.

they're harmless. cane spiders seem to like bathrooms, had to watch pulling toilet paper or towels.

I have never seen one. A friend of mine who lives a couple streets up from me has seen them in his house before, though. Yuk.

Those centipedes as thick as your finger freak me out - and those I have seen before in my house.

I have seen them often. They are the cause of my mild arachnophobia. I once had one fall on my face when I was a child.....never will forget that night.

They are not harmless, they do bite, I know I have been bitten before. The bite is like a small sandcrab bite as they use their teeth. They do have some venom but rarely use it.

People in Hawaii love them because they eat the roaches and other insects. I personally can't stand them. They give me the eeebee jeebees

Aloha!

When I was living on Oahu, I went over to a friend's house and she was running around with a shoe on her hand, explaining she was trying to kill a huge cane spider (we lived next to the fields in Makakilo). Well, I never saw it, and she finally gave up and we went to dinner. Two hours later she opened her purse in the restaurant and out popped the spider! We jumped a foot at the time, but now it's really funny!

When we lived on Kauai my daughter saw one in her room and freaked out, she didn't sleep in there for weeks! We finally found it in the bathroom and returned it to the great outdoors. Of course I knew it may not have been the same spider but I put on a good act!

The centipedes are what terrified me. Our cats used to drag them into the house like they were trophies.

I agree with many that the centipedes are horrible. We were trying to get rid of one in our condo, and I swear it was hissing at us.

I've been told by friends who have lived in the islands all their lives, that when they were kids they would play with the cane spiders (who evidently either don't bite at all, or -- like trantulas -- only bite when threatened).

Funny story -- friend saw a cane spider on the wall, swatted it, and HUNDREDS of baby cane spiders went scurying. Seems that momma cane spiders carry their young'uns on their backs. Now THAT woulda freaked me out! 8-)

auntiemaria-

the visual I got after reading your post just gave me a severe case of the heebie jeebies - just thinking about it gives me the shudders.

Funny about the hissing centipedes - another friend of mine SWEARS that centipedes hiss. Personally I've never heard it, but I'm probably too freaked out to be hearing anything.

EEEWWWWW I've heard about the mess it makes on a white wall when you smash it, but never heard of all the babies scattering!! I love condo living!!!!

Slightly different spider topic, has anyone noticed those little square ones around Hana that build huge webs right at face level?

Once we noticed a few, we got to seeing them EVERYWHERE, building blankety webs at head level or higher.

My husband scooped up a cane spider on his pack while hiking on the BI, quietly says, "oo, come look at this" before gently stringing it back onto a bush. Nothing scares him.

Those must be what we saw near Hana years ago. We stopped at a rest stop along the road to Hana, and there must have been 20 or more of those spiders hanging around in and near the restroom. I am not a spider fan, but they didn't bother me; they reminded me of garden spiders - those large yellow and black creatures that some call "writing spiders."

Pleased to say have not yet made an acquaintance ((P)):
http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin...i?Animals.cane

scroll to the bottom click on TRY THE SITE INDEX,

Mahalo <font color="blue">kauai aka<font color="black">!

Or paste <u><font color="blue">www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Animals.cane</font></u><font color="black">
into web browser address, sorry for hyperlink not working.</font></font></font>

I'am getting freaked out about my upcoming trip to Maui. The only thing thing I was worried about was roaches. Now I'am going to have nightmares about huge cane spiders, hissing centipedes and our rental car falling off the cliff on the way to Hana because the road is too narrow. Maybe there is such a thing as too much information. I cant help myself though, I am drawn to this website.