Marcus R. Donner/www.marcusdonner.com
September brings shorter hours for evening grilling, the last of the tomato harvest, a return to school AND thousands of spiders – whose webs make heading out the back door an adventure in urban wilderness.
Perhaps you’ve noticed spiders are au courant on Facebook, with many posts that resemble this: “I don’t care if the spider’s ‘not hurting anyone’, I want it dead.”
We’re talking on Friday with Woodland Park Zoo expert Sue Anderson to learn if there’s something different about the spider influx this month, but around October is the time people usually start noticing them. In his book, “Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year” for Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, James Luther Davis writes:
Fall is spider time. All those babies that hatched out in the spring have been porking up all summer and are now noticeable as they weave webs all over your yard. Most dramatic are the large members of the orb-weaver family, usually called garden spider or argiopes. These are the spiders that weave the classic big circular webs and then hang upside down in the middle.
The author says spiders are hard to tell apart. “The only reasonable book for amateurs is the classic Golden guide, ‘Spiders and their Kin.'” The Seattle Audubon Society has run out of the book, but is ordering more.
While you’re learning about spiders, remember this classic tip (not from the Seasonal Guide) when heading out your door: “Keep your hand at the level of your eyes!”
Here in northern California we get some rather large orb weavers. Twice the size of the ones in Seattle. Some have bright yellow and brown markings. They’re actually quite beautiful.
Nature’s engineers, I love their ingenuity and grace. Yes, they do give me the heeby jeebeys, but I let them alone. If you accidently DO walk into a web, and the little guy gets on you (usually your head) believe me: they want off of you just as much as you want them off. Be Free Spiders!
I like the spiders. They don’t bother me at all. I won’t disturb or damage web if I can help it. They just trying to catch insects not small children or pets.
As Harry pointed out.the webs are attractive.
In fact…the spider has interesting markings.
I leave them alone.
I work out of Millionair club. Lady I recently worked for was screaming “KILL THEM!KILL THEM!.”
(spiders in the closet)
I put on best death to spider face and proceeded to nudge them out of sight while making lady think I was killing them.
I just pick up a stick and keep it in front of me when I’m going through the yard or trees in the morning. Generally they won’t rebuild the big path-crossers till nightfall.
I know spiders are needed to keep the bug population down.
Personally though I still want them, and the bugs for that matter, out of my house and dead, dead, dead.
I don’t care how “pretty” they are.
Orkin and chemistry work wonders!
I lived in the Pacific Northwest for the firs 46 years of my life and remember the annual spider explosion very well. I agree. They won’t hurt you if you leave them alone and they are important in reducing the numbers of insect pests. Besides that, I always appreciated the shape and beauty of the orb weavers’ webs, especially when they were covered with dew in the mornings. http://www.pestcontrolcenter.com/store