When Nicole Photianos moved into her new house in Paulding County, Ga., the only things she should have been worrying about was unpacking. However, after she discovered 30 brown recluse spiders in her new residence, she was set to mimic the classic spider meme and simply burn it with fire.
“I just say we should just burn it down,” Nicole Photianos was reported as saying after the discovery.
For those that suffer from a fear of spiders, it seems like a perfectly reasonable response to the situation.
In addition, according to WXPI News , Nicole Photianos found all of these spiders on the very first night she moved into her new home.
After the discovery, Photianos contacted the previous owners who denied ever having an issue with the spiders. However, it is believed that some mold work done on the premises plus the house remaining vacant for four months contributed to the abundance of brown recluse spiders when the Photianoses moved in.
“I think they’ve always lived in the walls. They just got out when they did the work, so yeah they are just kind of everywhere,” Nicole Photianos told WSB-TV 2 .
Yes, it’s okay to shudder at the thought.
Since the family have moved into their new home, they have had exterminators in regularly to treat the problem rather than using the extreme measure of extinguishing the problem with fire just like the classic meme that shows a burning house with the caption, “There was a spider, I panicked. But I think it’s gone now,” indicating the house was burned down rather than deal with the spider being present.
So far, the spiders have returned after each treatment, but Photianos remains positive. She hopes that the treatment is eventually effective. In the meantime, she prays that her children remain safe.
Of course, the brown recluse spiders picked a residence owned by a definite arachnophobic.
“They’re literally my biggest fear,” Photianos said.
And she is not alone with her fear of spiders. According to Live Science , it is estimated that between 3 and 5 percent of the population of the United States has arachnophobia, which is otherwise known as a fear of spiders.
A bite from a brown recluse spider can cause white blisters and lesions. However, while bites from the spider are considered dangerous, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health , it is very rare to suffer a bite from them. The spiders can be identified by their “distinctive violin pattern on their backs,” according to WSB-TV 2 .