Trying to Get Into the House

I came home from work on Monday and saw this at the back door. It possibly doesn't look like much, but that's a spider and she had spun her web from the back doorknob across the entry. I had to give her points for ingenuity.

I don't have anything really against spiders. I've come a long way from wanting every single one of them killed to understanding the great benefit they provide. This isn't a "Charlotte's Web" kind of thing either. I know, from studies done by a myriad of people, we'd have way more harmful insects if we killed all the spiders. Flies, great disease spreaders, would overpopulate our ability to use insecticide to kill them. Spiders, even the deadly ones, provide a great service to humanity. We, in turn, provide great places for them to build their homes to catch their meals.

It's just that across my back door is not a good place for a spider. Neither is the corner of the living room or between the canisters on the kitchen counter. I don't like the half a dime-size black ones with the little yellow spots. They don't build webs, rather, they hide and leap out at their prey. Catching them to toss them outside can be an exercise in "OMG...Where did it leap to?"

It felt bad to have to destroy the web to get into the house. I picked her off the web using a nearby stick and put her in amongst the plants on the side of the deck with the admonition that her location was not in a good spot. This will be the first of many spiders relocated to better hunting grounds this year.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb