Spiders

Spiders have been our constant companions since our move to Datchet. They’re usually small and not much of a problem. Occasionally there will be a larger spider which we dispatch as quickly as a proper squishing shoe can be found. Lately however, the small spiders are few and far between and the large spiders seem to be coming out in droves. (Must be the season for them.) Our main excitement these days is the sighting, screeching and subsequent scrambling for a shoe that takes place whenever a spider is not stealthy enough to make it across the floor/wall/ceiling unnoticed.

A little bit of online research found the spider. Ironically enough it is called a House Spider. The scientific name is tegenaria domestica which sounds a bit scarier, but not really. According to the web the body length can be between six and 10mm – add long legs to that and it’s certainly enough spider to give one a start.

www2002.stoke.gov.uk says: “This is the large long-legged spider often seen scurrying across the carpet late at night. Builds a web containing a tube which the spider hides inside, often constructed around a hole which it can use as a lair – a hole in a window frame for example. Although many people do not like to see this creature in the home, it does no harm other than to the various household pests it feeds on – so reducing their numbers.”

~ by bibliophilist on Saturday, 28 August 2004.