Prepping for the first burn and was picking some spilts off the pile to haul to the house. Took about 2 or 3 off and found this critter hiding on a piece of beech. Skin is crawling now just thinking about it. I can take a snake or mouse and have no issues. This however, would cause me to run and scream if it made its' way onto my clothing. This thing was about 2 1/2 inches across. Wolf spider.
Early season woes. Warning: may cause hair to stand on end.
- Thread starter mywaynow
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![[Hearth.com] Early season woes. Warning: may cause hair to stand on end.](/talk/data/attachments/76/76178-68f42eaa6265366ebf70653742e62e5e.jpg?hash=w_JC-4vwbx)
I'd be happy to take all the wood that is infested with spiders off your hands for you 
melissa71
New Member
gmule
Feeling the Heat
Nice looking spider you have there no need to kill it they are very beneficial to us because they can eat a lot of oter pesky insects. Before it got cold out we had a cat faced spider that lived on our deck. One day I was watching him and a wasp flew into his web. I was impressed at how efficiently that spider grabbed the wasp bit it on its back right below the head and wrapped it up in silk. My wife will capture them in the house and put them outside.
JOHN BOY
Minister of Fire
I had one about twice that size jump on my face once. That scared the crap out of me. Pretty soon, after a good frost, most of those critters will exit the wood piles.
snakes + spiders = good for the woodpile
snakes + spiders + fearful wife = bad for Scotty
I don't mind spiders in the woodpile during the off-seasons, but I don't want them in the house....she totally FREAKS OUT.
That's why I built the cord stack off the back porch (that will last the warmer part of the shoulder season, til it gets really cold out). After the bugs go dormant, I'll haul a load per week in the basement throughout the winter. Knock on wood, but I've yet to run into a snake in my stacks. However, lots of chippies living in there, so I imagine there's been a lurking serpent in there quite a few times over the years. I'd love to catch that tomcat that is known to spray the one back corner of my stack.......he'd be in BIG TROUBLE if I caught him....
snakes + spiders + fearful wife = bad for Scotty
I don't mind spiders in the woodpile during the off-seasons, but I don't want them in the house....she totally FREAKS OUT.
That's why I built the cord stack off the back porch (that will last the warmer part of the shoulder season, til it gets really cold out). After the bugs go dormant, I'll haul a load per week in the basement throughout the winter. Knock on wood, but I've yet to run into a snake in my stacks. However, lots of chippies living in there, so I imagine there's been a lurking serpent in there quite a few times over the years. I'd love to catch that tomcat that is known to spray the one back corner of my stack.......he'd be in BIG TROUBLE if I caught him....
onetracker
Minister of Fire
Wolf spiders can get even bigger than that. We try to catch the critters and put them outside, but you better be mighty quick if you are going to try to put a jar over one of those; They possess blazing, blistering speed! We've had skinks and snakes in the house as well; Maybe I should try to find and plug some of those air leaks 
red oak
Minister of Fire
For a couple of years I've had a black snake living in my stacks - pretty much knew where he was but I've left him alone. Snakes and spiders usually go away in the winter so I've never had any trouble with them. I have found a few wolf spiders about that size but I don't mind them either.
That spider wouldn't bother me too much...now I hate and fear brown recluse, and beware they are not uncommon in wood piles. Slept one night last winter on the sofa by the fire...got hot and took my socks off..next morning had a bite bewteen my toes that got worse and worse for 48 hrs until there was an inflammed area for about 4 inch diameter, about one inch circular largely raised blister, whitish in that area, then black dots in the white. Hurt like H***. Fortunately, stopped getting worse after 48 hrs. If it doesn't, you've got to get to an ER quickly, but there is nothing they can do but watch the first 48 hrs. Took a good week to heal. Scary. Somewhere I have some pictures of the dang bite. If I locate them I'll post one. Really had to keep the foot elevated and iced for that first 48 hours, and leave it alone. Itched and burned and hurt like crazy.
Can also have black widows in a wood pile.
So, a good idea to wear gloves and keep an eye out.
On the other hand, early this summer I was moving stacked maple rounds to the area where I split,. Picked the bottom round up without gloves on, felt a pain, brain registered wasp sting before conscious though, and I dropped the log and ran for the house. By the time i got there hand hurt like hell, area swelled a lot....Iced it, took benedryl, put baking soda on it, kept it elevated. (prefer chlortrimeton "froggy medicine " to my kids, but it is hard to find now) Turned out I had a couple of bites. Looked wasp sting up on the internet to see if they could recommend anything. Said on a scale of 1 to 4, 1 least and 4 most painful, wasp sting rates 3...only thing more painful is some south american ant....also said it was an old wives tale that baking soda works...cause it can't get internal so can't have any effect. I would think it could have an effect on the sore skin itself, but that aside I will say the baking soda didn't help for long. (Next wasp sting I got I used the tiny remnant I had of A & H toothpaste, which is what we always used when the kids were young, and it REALLY worked...I have to remember to get a new tube). Anyway, later when my hand was no longer killing me I went and looked at the log. Paper wasps had built a nest hanging from the bottom of the log and I happened to knock the next off when I picked it up. I was actually lucky I didn't have gloves on that time, because had I then likely the whole nest would have swarmed me for attacking the nest, before I realized what was happening. So helped I had no protection and got an immedaite sting....
Moral: Be careful. Be alert. Be watchful. Be aware.
That's the good & the bad of a wood pile until winter, good & bad bugs like it.
Now the snake thing.
No snakes in Alaska!
Garter snakes only in my woodpiles. Our friends.
Hope you know what kind they are before you kill them. Mostly snakes are very beneficial.
snakes + spiders = good for the woodpile
snakes + spiders + fearful wife = bad for Scotty
I don't mind spiders in the woodpile during the off-seasons, but I don't want them in the house....she totally FREAKS OUT.
I think if you stack is in sun part of the day and shade part of the day you are more likely to get snakes.
I moved an aluminum bleacher one time by squating a little and grabbing a hold of the bench seat. When I reached under the seat and pulled upwards, I felt this very odd feeling under my fingertips. I realized what is was and dropped the bench while peeling rearwards. About a dozen wasps fell to the ground and a bunch were swarming. Don't know how I avoided being bitten, but I did. Never do that again without checking first.
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