It’s Spider time
It is getting colder and darker which means some of nature’s spookiest creatures are starting to emerge in droves, providing free Halloween decorations. If you’ve been noticing more spiders scuttling around your home, experts say you’re not alone. In fact, there are several reasons those eight-legged creepy crawlers always seem to be more prevalent this time of year. Experts warn that more spiders and stink bugs may be noticed inside our homes when they seek warm spaces to take shelter for the winter. Fall is also the time of year that most arachnids reach maturity and are full-grown, which may account for why you’re noticing them more often. “They are not necessarily more abundant than in the summertime, but individuals are more visible because they are larger,” said Anne Danielson-Francois. “A small web might go unnoticed in your kitchen window, but once that spider has grown to full size and spins a web that covers a quarter of the window, you could not miss it.” But there’s one other reason spiders may suddenly be appearing. With that maturity also comes a certain impulse to … well, procreate.
Your houses provide plenty of sturdy attachment points for their webs. Late summer and early fall is typically when male webspinners, hoping to put their newly-developed sex organs to the test, leave their webs in search of female mates. The female spiders, depending on species, typically conserve their energy and remain at their spun homes, waiting on the males to come to them. Some spiders can also live year-round inside of homes. In Los Angeles, it’s common for people to have cellar spiders (better known as “daddy longlegs”) in their homes regardless of the time of year. These cellar spiders hide quietly in a corner, munching on little flies and other small insects that wander by.
The rule of thumb, experts say, should be this: If the spider isn’t bothering you, then don’t bother it. Arachnologists do acknowledge that many people are fearful of spiders and may not want them around. But there’s no need to burn your house down to rid yourself of the critters; if you can’t tolerate their presence, simply use a cup and piece of paper to capture and move the spider outside. “Don’t feel bad for the spider, they can survive outside quite well. With substances in their blood that act like antifreeze, some species can overwinter under tree bark or in leaf litter just fine. While some spiders have venom that can cause problematic reactions if they bite humans, every other spider I see in and around my house is welcome to set up camp,” Ann said.
Arachanidically spinning
I just killed a huge spider running across the floor with my shoe.
I don’t care how big the spider is, no one steals my shoe.
A spider just crawled across my computer.
Don’t worry, it’s under ctrl.
Where do spiders seek health advice?
WebMD.
Seeing a spider isn’t a problem.
It becomes a problem when the spider is gone.
October 27th Birthdays
1997 – Samantha Logan, 1987 – Alba Flores, 1963 – Marla Maples, 1950 – Fran Leibowitz
1858 – Teddy Roosevelt, 1939 – John Cleese, 1949 – Bruce Springsteen, 1987 – Andrew Bynum