Here's the thing. Your phobia is irrational, as are ALL phobias. You know that. I don't see how you can expect others to support you in your irrational fear of a harmless spider. Sympathize....absolutely! But to gather all others around you to enable you in this debilitating fear just isn't right.

I'm a reformed (recovering?) arachnophobe, myself. Because my profession AND avocation keeps me outside most of the time, I had to get over it, you might say. I had moved to the south, where you can't even image the numbers, kinds, and sizes of the spiders. I simply educated myself out of my fear. The more you know about the 'enemy' the less you will fear it. Losing the fear was like an enormous weight being lifted from my shoulders.

Anyway...my story isn't going to help you. You could completely give up the outdoor activities that might bring you into range of one of these spiders. You could force your husband to go out into the garden areas and around the house with a broom a few times a day to do a 'sweep'. Certainly he can do that prior to whenever you wish to step into the yard. Luckily (for the rest of us) there really are no chemical repellents for spiders. No one is going to recommend chemical pesticides....though there might be some spider killer on the market. It hurts me to think about it.

The ironic thing is that the beautiful Black and Yellow Argiope is one of the most benign of all spiders. They won't attack you. They won't jump out and surprise you. They never leave their web in order to get a closer look at you. They are one of the most predictable spiders around, and once you understand and believe that....you could make yourself become comfortable with them.

Have you researched desensitization techniques on the internet? For the most part, phobias are one of the easiest of mental issues to overcome. We don't think so when in the clutches of a disabling fear, but it's true.

Good luck with your problem. Let me know if I can help.

build a greenhouse or conservatory.. and fumigate it regularly ...

ken

I'll trade you your spiders for my ticks.

You don't need a hypnotist or a therapist, you have us!
Take a picture of the beast and we'll take a stab at IDing it. The more you know, the less you'll fear.
Failing that...
Encourage chickadees in your yard. They are quite good spider hunters.

tj

tj, we know what it is. It's the Black and Yellow Argiope....a very common garden spider found practically universally. I'd post a picture, but that wouldn't be fair to our original poster.

tsugajunkie: I definately won't be getting close enough to take a picture. I do like your idea of getting chickens or such though. My husband and I thought about it off and on over the years and that makes the case for me to get them now. We already have 2 turkeys, but I don't know they are smart enough to each the creepy things in a web, though I'll try letting them run loose and see what they do. Rhizo is correct, it's the black and yellow argiope. I know what kind it is, I just can't take it's appearance. I've had 5 now in shrubs around my yard and I've resorted to paying my son 50 cents for each one he torches. Save that, I'll have to observe my flowers from the safety of my deck I guess.
Oh and Calliope, I'll gladly trade your ticks for my spiders. I don't like ticks either, but I can handle those. I just don't think I'll ever be able to get those spiders in a box to send your way without going into convulsions though :-)

Lol....chickaDEES, not chickens. It's fun to imagine big ol ' chickens flitting around the garden snatching fat spiders from their webs, but that's just going to happen.

Oh.............chickens make good bug eaters and once upon a time, I had hubby build me a chicken tractor so I could drag it down through the veggie garden rows and let them do their thing eating bugs and weeds and dropping their own brand of poo in the isles for the soil. Then I raised geese, also said to be even better, and those I let free range through the garden. Well, I started finding my tomatoes hanging from the vines partially eaten. I was convinced it were groundhogs, but hubby kept blaming it on my geese. (he never did appreciate them lol) One day, I see the gander running up to greet me and it looked like he was terrible injured and bleeding down his breast. Ha! The "blood" was full of tomato seeds. They found their way to an elderly couple's farm who had a lake and retired....safely away from my vegetables. Laughing about the turkey statement. I've raised those too, and they had to be the dumbest birds I ever met.