My little "pet"

[The Mutant]

So, this little guy has taken up residency among my orchids, and it seems to like it there. So far, it has made me toss/drop my Phal. philippinense on the floor (neither plant, nor spider were harmed during the incident), in horror, and it has also caused me to spray my orchids with insecticide, because I thought I had spider mites.


I'm actually glad that it lives in my collection, since I consider it a good little resident, who eats those pesky fungus gnats. The only problem is that I think it's quite creepy, and it scares the living daylights out of me. Especially, whenever I realize it's on the chid I've picked up for watering!

Here it is:


I think it's some species of Wolf spider, and it's kinda cute with its big head. Oh, and it's looking straight into the camera in the picture. It was so very aware I was watching it when I took the photo. *shudders*

[fotofashion]

IF, by chance, you decide to find it another home without killing it, this is a technique my DH uses for removing unwanted insects from inside the house.
One: a small clear jar.
Two: a stiff file card (normally 3"x 5")
Put the jar over the insect. Slide the card under the jar so as to trap the insect inside. Keeping the card over the opening of the jar, carry it outside, remove the card and let the insect escape. HTH
Beverly A.

[Leafmite]

Cute! I think of spiders as protectors of my plants. We have some pet spiders, too, that come in with the plants. Most aren't too scary and I just need to be careful not to hurt them. The scary ones go outside (or, in winter, to the garage). I use Beverly's husband's method or a ziplock bag (then open to free the spider). We do have a large funnel-type spider hiding behind some of the pots but unless it comes out, we aren't going near it! :0

[Paul]

Cute lil bugger. Oh, and it's a jumping spider (Salticidae) not a wolf spider.

[RosieC]

I like little spiders and tend to leave them be when I see them in my collection. The bigger they get though the more likely I am to try and put them somewhere else. I have some reasonable size ones living in the greenhouse... it's fine until I move my face though a web they've built... yuck!

[GardenTheater]

It is interesting and kinda creepy when they look back at you as you photograph them.

[fotofashion]

Rosie C: You would never want to come where I live. We have these absolutely huge garden spiders that spin their webs between trees. Usually the web is sufficiently visible enough to avoid that but it does give me the creeps when it happens.
Beverly A.

[nikkik]

I have a huge spider, Voodoo, that lives in my solarium. Even though, spiders creep me out a bit, I let him stay because I know he's doing a job. I would even mist his web on really hot days in the summer, I don't know if it did anything for him, but it made me feel good! Lol!

[No-Pro-mwa]

I do allow the jumping spiders to live among my plants but I did draw the line the other day when I have been getting rid of this web that kept coming back. I had not seen the spider but the web kept coming back turns out it was one of the big Black widows.

Yes it got the Raid. We have allot of them outside but I had not seen one in the house for a long time. We also have at least 3 different kinds of them with different colors on there backs. Now those really creep me out EEEEEk

[Kevin_PR]

Originally Posted by RosieC

I like little spiders and tend to leave them be when I see them in my collection. The bigger they get though the more likely I am to try and put them somewhere else. I have some reasonable size ones living in the greenhouse... it's fine until I move my face though a web they've built... yuck!

Yep, me too, as soon as I get a web to the face or hair, "ya' gotta go". In just destroy the web though and leave the spider be. I was upset one time, a huge spider I have never seen before had built a nice web and a guest's child smashed it and the spider to bits.