Monday, October 29, 2007

Spider Season

Never mind scary monsters. Crabtown is crawling with black spiders for Halloween. Real ones.

It was extraordinary: in the course of a single day, the whole of Crabtown was covered in a giant cobweb and I am not joking. At first I thought I was seeing things: were those really silky strands floating through the air? Were those really giant webs winking in the sunlight? Or did my sunglasses just need replacing? But no. The spiders have come. They are here. And they are many.

Apparently it is an annual phenomenon in Crabtown. Migrating spiders (who knew?) parachute in (everyone here uses sporting verbs to explain such monstrous things as billowing giant cobwebbery descending on the town)...so they parachute in and then they take over.

And you thought Halloween was scary.

Try getting into your bed every night and seeing spiders skitter off to the side to make room for you. At least three in my bed that I know of every single night. Horrible. Little. Black. Crabtown. Spiders.

Try sleeping after you just did this creepy craft with Crabtot and co. for Crabmommy Volunteers in the Classroom Hour.

I have been assured they don't bite. And Crabhusband thinks it's very gauche and silly to make a fuss about the creatures. But while I know it sounds weird, I just don't like getting into a bed full of spiders. It would be one thing if they were just passing through and just needed a room at the inn for a few nights. But I was recently told by a helpful local that spiders live for many years. Many years!

I picture them with memories, arthritis, regrets.

Has anyone heard of this migrating spidey phenomenon? Got any tips on spider removal? I don't want toxic fumes in my house. But then again, I don't really want to grow old and wise with a spider by my side.

Also: new post today at the bloglet. Talking about Halloween. And Crabtot's doomed costume.

18 comments:

Leann I Am said...

Wow! That sounds like an absolute nightmare for some people that I know! I, myself, am not particularly afraid of spiders. That being said, I never want share a bet with one. I've never found any creatures in my bed, but that has always been a fear of mine.

Have you spoken with any of your other 'townfolk' about this? They can't ALL be okay with this. Maybe you can contact a pest control guy that you know for a FACT has had the same problem. My bug guy lives two streets over from me and has the same critter problems that I do.

Yeah, I think your best bet is to find out how the locals deal with it.

So, they parachute down? Just like in 'Charlotte's Web?' Cool, yet also CREEPY!

Leann I Am said...

*share a BED with one.

OOPS!

Crabmommy said...

So far the locals I have polled all seem perfectly fine with the spideys. This is, after all, a land of bravado and tough mountain mommies. And I have also bee assured that this year we've been lucky the infestation is relatively light. I heard that a few years ago spiders were literally everywhere, telephone poles a seething black mass.......

Anonymous said...

yucky! My husband just called from a trip up north (northern Arizona)and told me of how he hopped out of the car to take a picture of a monster tarantula, he said it was the size of a baseball!! I did not understand why he didn't run screaming back to the car to smoosh it, but that is just me.

Anyhoo- as for your spider delima, there are natural pesticides out there. I called around a few years ago and found a guy who uses things like ground Chrysanthemum powder and other plant things to rid your house of unwanted pests. I suspect that you may be hard up in your neck of the woods to find people that do that sort of thing...just a hunch.

Google around for natural spider killers, there should be something. In the meant time? Sleep with the lights on!

LizLSB said...

Salutations! This is so Charlotte's Web :) We have lots of spiders around here, and while I don't want one on me, I love to look at their webs. Last year, a garden spider made an amazing web between a bush and the glass window of the atrium at school. My students checked it out every day (Ewww! Cool! Look at it! It's huge!) I wanted to take pictures but the maintenance crew took it down. Sigh.

Unknown said...

can't you just burn them with flames?

skape7 said...

In my home town right now we have a huge amount of cabbage white butterflies! I definately prefer those to your spiders. Though I must say, everytime a spider jumps out at me here, I remind myself that at least it's keeping the population of cockaroaches down. Right after I leap away, shrieking. This is Australia after all, and all our small-type beasties are bloody huge.

info@thebabymarketplace.com said...

Too many spiders here too!

Jege (Jen) said...

A friend of mine's mom, who incidentally is the wife of a man of god, has this saying (I'm paraphrasing here, since my unchurched mind cannot recall it exactly):

"All god's creatures have a right to be here...unless they come in the house".

So squish 'em, Crabmom.

Also, read Jurgen Nation's eerily appropriate blog entry on the subject: http://jurgennation.com/2007/10/29/triumph-aint-just-a-passenger-vehicle-on-ebay.php

I think the link is too long to show up properly, so just go to the web page and read the "Triumph" entry.

Anonymous said...

I seriously could not handle the spider thing. I remember after seeing Arachnaphobia several years ago I kept thinking I was feeling something on my leg and flipping out slapping at it.

NH Yocal said...

I hate, I mean hate spiders. The thought alone is making me swat my legs and arms right now. We have recently been having a problem with them in our basement (thank God only there) and the freakin' things are huge. Like teranchiles (did I spell that like ter-an-chillies?). Anyway, I send hubby down there as quickly as possible (similiar to shouting "fire"). He takes care of them, no problem. Do you want me to send him over?

Crabmommy said...

Melinda, do send him over. I could have sworn one walked over my leg in the middle of the night. It actually woke me up with its gentle padding feet. And I hate to say it felt like it was going at a very leisurely, proprietary, I-live-here kind of pace.

CRUSTY MOM-E said...

gauche! LOVE THAT WORD!!

Ew...spiders..YUCK!
but better than bugs that's for sure..
ALways,
Crusty~

Daisy said...

I was going to recommend an exterminator, but that would mean chemicals. A licensed exterminator is often safer than home remedies because they have training and they have legal limitations to the amounts and concentrates of the chemicals they use.

Anonymous said...

I am not a fan of any bugs but spiders really irk me---i got a plug in thing that sends out some kind of ultrasound or sonic waves or something that keeps bugs away but doesn't bother humans or pets---it works very well...no pesticides to worry about---might wanna give it a try

Anonymous said...

I doubt you will ever read this but my advice is Get A Cat. Cat's love to chase things that move on their own and to eat those things. my cat does it all the time. if I find a spider I pick up my cat and make my cat see it and she kills it.

Rachel said...

hey, did your spider problem ever get resolved? What did you end up doing? I just started to have a spider problem myself. 5 spiders in my bedroom on the ceiling over my bed all in the same week...oh and one in my dirty clothes...i already have a cat. do you have any advice?

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