Anyway, that's not my real subject. Why is it when it starts to get dark early and there's that nip in the night air, do you open the back door and find this chap waiting to get in; again?!
I've put him out so many times, but he keeps on coming back. It's not that I don't like him or anything (we don't have any poisonous spiders, some of the little ones will bite, but you won't get much more than a small lump at worst), it's just that he will get under your feet. I'm so worried I'm going to step on him.
I tried to convince him to get onto my hand for a lift outside, but he wasn't having any of it.
This is a'Giant House Spider' (Tegenaria gigantea) and they are the quickest running spider in the world....so trying to corrale him and guide him back out ended in both of us being out of breath!
I tried reasoning with him. I pointed the direction I wanted him to go, but no, he turned his back to me and sulked.
It turns out he wasn't coming in to escape the cold. In spring and autumn they are on the lookout for a Mrs. Gigantea! The males have these 'palps' , while the females don't and are even bigger!
I decided to let him stay. He's been no trouble. He's been behind the fridge most of the time. He'll come out for a bit of a sprint across the kitchen floor at night and wait at the door to be let into the hall. There's no girlfriend spider yet. I think we're going to have to tidy him up a little, maybe have a word about those hairy palps....
15 comments:
They don't last long in my house. My cats are partial to a nice, juicy house spider. I usually come to the rescue by popping a glass over the hapless arachnid, then sliding a sheet of paper under both glass and spider. I quickly up-end the glass, keeping the paper over it, so that the spider falls inside. I can then remove him from the path of marauding cats.
though I work a little for Peta, I just let my cats have at them
a tasty snack.....
sorry
it's nature, and I didn't design it.
It is ass backwards the time.
It should be reversed, if not just left alone!
Shortened days is linked to depression.
Here, after several hundred years,
and the development of the ALARM CLOCK.... :)
we, this year changed it to allow for a couple more months of lighter.
so, our time hasn't changed yet.
It caused quite a few computer glitches changing the time we change the time.
and I asked THE MAN what kind of accent I had.... he said "urban florida with Canadian way back in there"
no twang and he said (not my words) very "private school proper"
and.......................somebody above me has a very similar avatar.
hmmmmmmmmm
lovely eye color though.
oops...... now that I've been deemed "proper"
shortened days ARE not is
Ok, had to skip through that post due to my fear of spiders.
(I am sure it was a good post anyway!)
You are so nice. I kill any spider I find in my house. I can't tell the difference between the poisonous ones and others, so they all go. They all look alike to me. Unless they are a giant tarantula, in which case I would put it back outside.
Just in time for halloween.
Spiders and I go waaaaayyyy back, I dont know why they declared 'vendetta' on me, but I have risen to thier challenge. I have no qualms with any that want to live in the garden...but step so much as one foot inside - and I will dispatch my foe without mercy!
So there.
Yes, this daylight savings time thing is an idea past its 'use by' date, we dont all live on farms anymore...tho if I did, Id try your Cow Whispering technique LOL
I really don't like spiders and would probably not be as patient as you are.
Great pics. though , especially the closeup. Tidy him up indeed....
Barkfoot we do have a large yard with 9 fruit trees and many other one of a kind tress which I am learning what they are from kind bloggers like yourself. Its been fun to discover what we have as each thing blooms or changes in some way. Its only been 4 months since we moved in and we are still learning.
I share your love of spiders barkfoot. We cohabitate just fine. I love the baby spiders that hang from the rafters in my conservatory in the spring. They must decide to relocate when they get older becuse I don't see them but for a couple of weeks. I have had a few giant house spiders... both male and female, they are really neat to look at. I never kill any of my spiders... if it is a lost garden spider I scoop it up and put it in the hedge... if it is a house spider I just direct him/her to the fridge so they don't get steped on... if a cat does happen to find it first then it becomes a snack I'm afraid.
hey, so where did you get the fancy direct-time watch you have on there? You're not normally known for your taste in watches...well actually, you don't really seem to ever wear one!
I guess you're so used to telling the time using the position of the moon over venus and all that...
Ok, I tried to comment but it rejected me! WHAT? Anyway, I was saying a spider bit me in my sleep on the forehead one time, which caused a cyst, so I now have a scar thanks to Mr. Spider.
Russell - I thought you'd seen this one, it's yonks old. I found it in the top draw allocated for dead or dying watches. I never get around to buying a new battery or strap, it seems easier to get another watch. You probably never see me with a watch on because they are forever getting mangled when fixing engines or set fire to, or dunked in water when I'm kayaking!
The battery is playing up on this one so it'll have to go in the draw with the solar watch, the speaking watch, the watch calculator, the data watch, the disco electroluminescent watch and the 'Rolax'!!
Those palps have seen their share of palpitating. Perphaps the females prefer being palpitated with fresher, more symetrical palps.
AAAHHHHH.....
Scared me silly, my kids loved it.
So I didn't think I was afraid of spiders, I've even held them in my hand. Then I was taking a nice little relaxing bubble bath. I leaned my head back on the pillow, opened my eyes and saw a big ole leggy girl walking down the wall, toward my head!
So water pretty much went every which way....
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