Jumping Spiders!

[hermes2015]

Come on guys! I would rather have a few spiders in my house that cockroaches or mosquitoes.

[xSilverPhinx]

Come on guys! I would rather have a few spiders in my house that cockroaches or mosquitoes.

Me too. A million times more.

[Bluenose]

I was camping on the Murray River a couple of years ago.  We had erected a largish marquee and while most of the others went fishing I stayed in camp and during that time, I watched a jumping spider stalk a fly on the main tent pole.  He eventually jumped on and caught the fly.  Good on him, the flies were bloody annoying!

[Dave]

I was camping on the Murray River a couple of years ago.  We had erected a largish marquee and while most of the others went fishing I stayed in camp and during that time, I watched a jumping spider stalk a fly on the main tent pole.  He eventually jumped on and caught the fly.  Good on him, the flies were bloody annoying!

Stalking flies needs skill! I got a name on my RAF tour in Cyprus as being "The Fly Chopper". In the mess flies were a real pest. There was often a spot of food on the tsble and a fly going for it. Once they were occupied with feeding I would slowly move a table knife over them from behind. My rationale was that it is very hard to estimate the distance and speed of a "line", the edge of a blade in this case, coming towards you. It also does not create much air disturbance in front of it.

So, with the heel of the handle on the table as a pivot, behind the fly, slow movement down and a slam for the last half inch got about a 50% score.

[Sandra Craft]

Come on guys! I would rather have a few spiders in my house that cockroaches or mosquitoes.

Exactly, the building's spiders are my pest control crew.  If I see something scuttling along (which is a recurring problem since I live above a restaurant) I take a close look at it.  If it's a roach that's slipped thru the spiders nets, it's squished.  If it's a spider, it gets a salute and a "carry on".  And in allowing the spiders free run of my home, I haven't even heard a mosquito in decades, much less been bitten by one.

But in all honesty, I've always loved spiders and wouldn't bother them even if they didn't eat insects I don't like.  And I definitely think they're cute -- esp. the Afromarengo  coricea.

[hermes2015]

Come on guys! I would rather have a few spiders in my house that cockroaches or mosquitoes.

Exactly, the building's spiders are my pest control crew.  If I see something scuttling along (which is a recurring problem since I live above a restaurant) I take a close look at it.  If it's a roach that's slipped thru the spiders nets, it's squished.  If it's a spider, it gets a salute and a "carry on".  And in allowing the spiders free run of my home, I haven't even heard a mosquito in decades, much less been bitten by one.

But in all honesty, I've always loved spiders and wouldn't bother them even if they didn't eat insects I don't like.  And I definitely think they're cute -- esp. the Afromarengo  coricea.

My partner fears spiders, so whenever he sees one in the house, I am expected to kill it. I refuse to kill spiders - it just feels wrong to me. I always catch them in a glass, which I quickly cover with a sheet of paper, and then release them outside to do their good work in the garden.

[Tank]

[Dave]

Quite clever, bit more humane than a foot or rolled up newspaper!

[hermes2015]

I must get one of those. It appeals to the crypto-Jainist in me.

[Dragonia]

"Perfect for the arachnophobic pacifist"

Ha ha ha! I would probably use this handy little tool. It would be better than trying to squish this mama carrying her babies.

Been there, done that, made a thousand little orphan spiders go panic-mode in my hallway.
That was one of the creepy-crawly highlights of my life.

[Dave]

"Perfect for the arachnophobic pacifist"

Ha ha ha! I would probably use this handy little tool. It would be better than trying to squish this mama carrying her babies.

Been there, done that, made a thousand little orphan spiders go panic-mode in my hallway.
That was one of the creepy-crawly highlights of my life.

I tried to brush off what I thought was a fluffball in the corner of the windiw. It exploded into what looked like a hundred tiny spiders going every which way at high speed!

[Sandra Craft]

Must get a mega-sized one for Bluenose.

[Dave]

Must get a mega-sized one for Bluenose.

To catch him? Oh! Sorry, so he can catch Ozzie mega-poisonous arachnids.

[xSilverPhinx]

[Icarus]

Sheeesh Silver, Brazil has some bad assed critters.