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adopt a spider
2021-Sep-25, Saturday 03:08 pmI wish spiders didn't creep me out so much. Intellectually, I know they are fascinating creatures. Instinctively, though... instant revulsion.
I had a spider at my kitchen sink for about 2 months. I have a problem with many annoying box elder bugs flying through my house, so I decided to let it stay if it would help rid me of the bugs. So it stayed. At first, it included the sink spout as part of its web anchor, but a few times with me turning the spout and breaking web strands eventually taught it to ignore that untrustworthy brace. Same thing with the bottle of soap. Those structures are not solid anchors for a web at my sink.
I learned that it would occasionally venture down to the drain level to drink some water, apparently. It also would carry its consumed prey to the edge of the sink to discard the husks away from its web. Which was fine. I can live with that. I would occasionally scare it with my giant shadow suddenly looming over it, but it never abandoned its home. Over time, its body darkened as its got its proper nutrition from those box elder bugs.
Then a few days ago, I was startled by the spider in its home. "How did you get so big?!" Then I noticed, over on the side, that my spider was climbing the side of the off-limits soap bottle. I was annoyed that an intruder displaced my spider. This interloper was not part of our negotiated detente. It had to go.
I know that in spiders, it's generally the female that has a larger body. If that's the case with these two, then it's a good thing I shooed them away before they decided to build a nest. The smaller spider hasn't returned. I don't know where they are now. If the male was building its web as a way to impress the female, then I ruined that dowry of his. I suppose he trotted along after the female, but I don't know either way. I left the main part of the web intact for a few days, in case he wanted to come back. With no sightings, though, I finally cleaned it all up today.
I know there are a lot more critters outdoors, in my very unkempt yard right now. *sigh* I wish I had the wherewithal to tackle that problem right now. I do good just to wake and sleep on a semi-regular schedule, honestly. Apparently that's a common enough experience these days. I'm not ready for complexity. Civilization can just collapse already, if it's up to me and my decisions this year.
Ecosystem webs. Offensive giants destroying the aspirations of little folk. Spider wisdom.
I had a spider at my kitchen sink for about 2 months. I have a problem with many annoying box elder bugs flying through my house, so I decided to let it stay if it would help rid me of the bugs. So it stayed. At first, it included the sink spout as part of its web anchor, but a few times with me turning the spout and breaking web strands eventually taught it to ignore that untrustworthy brace. Same thing with the bottle of soap. Those structures are not solid anchors for a web at my sink.
I learned that it would occasionally venture down to the drain level to drink some water, apparently. It also would carry its consumed prey to the edge of the sink to discard the husks away from its web. Which was fine. I can live with that. I would occasionally scare it with my giant shadow suddenly looming over it, but it never abandoned its home. Over time, its body darkened as its got its proper nutrition from those box elder bugs.
Then a few days ago, I was startled by the spider in its home. "How did you get so big?!" Then I noticed, over on the side, that my spider was climbing the side of the off-limits soap bottle. I was annoyed that an intruder displaced my spider. This interloper was not part of our negotiated detente. It had to go.
I know that in spiders, it's generally the female that has a larger body. If that's the case with these two, then it's a good thing I shooed them away before they decided to build a nest. The smaller spider hasn't returned. I don't know where they are now. If the male was building its web as a way to impress the female, then I ruined that dowry of his. I suppose he trotted along after the female, but I don't know either way. I left the main part of the web intact for a few days, in case he wanted to come back. With no sightings, though, I finally cleaned it all up today.
I know there are a lot more critters outdoors, in my very unkempt yard right now. *sigh* I wish I had the wherewithal to tackle that problem right now. I do good just to wake and sleep on a semi-regular schedule, honestly. Apparently that's a common enough experience these days. I'm not ready for complexity. Civilization can just collapse already, if it's up to me and my decisions this year.
Ecosystem webs. Offensive giants destroying the aspirations of little folk. Spider wisdom.