Reply to my niece's comment

First, I feel I must address a comment made by my niece today. She said she did not respect spiders and therefore they were all killed.

Let me tell you why I say I respect spiders and I'm not just referring to the fact they kill bugs. When I was bit last summer by a Hobo spider while working in my garden, I did some research when months later after being bitten, I was still having some problems with a weeping wound, nausea, and body aches.

In the past, I'd had my house sprayed a few times against spiders and I was wondering if I should hire the exerminator to come once more. Around here, in the fall is when the spiders move indoors looking for a warmer hang out. The occasional spraying had occurred after I'd been bitten by a black widow - twice. I still feel spraying for those spiders was the correct decision at the time. Our oldest daughter had moved in with us after college and her belongings took up every available space making our garage and basement a spider's haven and I saw more and more spiders crossing the floor upstairs. This was also after a tornado when many spiders have been displaced and they are on the move looking for a new home. The spraying helped eliminate our problem at that time.

What I learned last summer though made me rethink my death to all spiders leaning. Killing off all the spider in your yard encourages the invasion of Hobo spiders. That's a scary thought isn't it? You see no human method or technology can effectively compete or destroy and keep a hobo spider away from your home in comparison to the activities of competitive predatory spiders. In other words, other spiders compete for the bugs to eat and for places to build spider webs. Less food, and home locations means fewer hobo spiders. Spraying encourages them to move in. Thankfully they like to move about a lot, hence, the name Hobo spider. Now as I mentioned I'm seeing lots of Daddy Long Legs and in comparison to Hobo spiders and Black Widows, they are a welcome sight.

I've learned once more about the delicate balance in nature and so for the past couple years not spraying is the wisest decision. So if a spider is in my home, he or she is dead; outside and I'll let them live. All except black widows and hobo spiders that is. I've yet to see a recluse and I'm hoping they don't exist in my yard. Kirk may jokingly say I haven't a complete set yet of Wyoming poisonous spider bites but neither one of us really wants for me to see what happens if I'm bit by a recluse spider. First hand knowledge isn't always what one desires.