The spider that set up shop in our kitchen window is still there and still gobbling up flies at a truly admirable pace. Yesterday she caught and finished off a lantern fly, at least twice her size–but he’s just spider-dinny now.
Admittedly it’s a little bit disgusting. A lot of people would just vacuum away the whole business. But flies were really vexing us when this little spider came along, and it strikes us as deeply ungrateful to molest her. If all the spiders outdoors were like her, we wouldn’t be bothered by flies.
Until yesterday, I hadn’t been bothered much with flies here. One would come in occasionally, but they would just sit until I could swat them. Yesterday, one was here that kept buzzing around me until I thought I would go mad, so I finally managed to get it. I hate flies. I would be willing to keep a fly killer.
These last couple summers, invasions of flies have really annoyed us. When it hits 90 degrees, they get really frisky. Then we’ll get invaded by 20 or 30 at a time–and we really don’t know how they get in.
So we’re grateful to the Lone Spider.
It is one of those interesting “facts” of which few know that, were spiders the size of house cats, they would be the dominating species on earth! They are “intelligent,” resourceful and very, VERY dangerous as a predator. I watched a nature program yesterday that showed a small spider who’s prey was OTHER spiders! Nature is amazing ~ if somewhat nauseating. Oh, and I, too, once had a small spider in the corner whom I saw take down a flea! Good girl!
We had a big spider who make her web on my side-view mirror and wound going to the Jersey shore with us for vacation. Every night she caught a lot of flies. I tried not to wreck her web when I opened or shut the car door.
And then on our last night there, as we were driving away from a restaurant, a stiff gust of wind blew our spider away… So much for her Jersey shore vacation.
Lee, you are a man possessed of an unusual degree of insight. I can understand why people don’t like spiders in their homes, but that’s really a mixed matter, because spiders do a lot of good. God made things in such a way that there can be a balance. Even spiders are beneficial.
I just can’t bring myself to molest that spider after she’s done in so many flies.
I agree completely. Once this fallen world is restored, I have a feeling that we will live much differently and our harmony with the other creatures of this world will change life dramatically.