Coexisting with Spiders

Daniel Beard kept his spiders in jars.  Seth keeps his spider in a worm composter.  Why, because his spider is a black widow.  Black widows do not like light, or dry places so a jar is not a good home for one.  A worm composter is the perfect habitat for a black widow, it’s cool, damp and very very dark!

Instead of living in fear of these potent arachnids, we prefer to live in peace with them.  There is no use killing one because another simply appears in it’s place.  Everyone in the household knows that the spiders live on the inside of the composter lid.  When adding compost we remove the lid carefully so as not to disturb the spiders, we put the lid back on as quickly as possible because neither the spiders nor the worms like the light.  This of course begs the question why would we want black widows to live in our compost bin?  Answer:  Because they eat flies, it’s a symbiotic relationship.  There is nothing worse than opening the lid to your compost only to be swarmed by hordes of fruit flies or worse.  I much prefer to see a well fed black widow, to whom I nod politely as I empty my coffee grounds and go along my merry way.

Since people around Seth have talked to him about spiders, black widows in particular, he knows that they are poisonous, what they look like, what their habitat is and how to watch out for them.  Black widows like to live in cold, wet, dark places with open air underneath them.  As a fore mentioned, a worm composter is a perfect home.  Another perfect home is on the sides of stacked terra cotta flower pots (always separate pots with gloves on).  Several times I have overheard Seth say to another child who is about to overturn an upside down bucket, “check for black widows under there.”  This is music to my ears, not only is Seth looking out for his friends he has the foresight to use caution when encountering a possible black widow habitat.

The second location that we encounter black widows is under the oak barrels.  Seth could kill these spiders at any time, but he does not.  We have a rule at our house that we don’t kill bugs, especially spiders.  The beauty of not killing spiders is that we can observe them in all their grace and agility.   It is fascinating to look (but not too closely) at these black widows with their prodigious abdomens and segmented legs.  It is natural and healthy for children to be aware of spiders.  The more we know about spiders the more empowered we are to live among them and they among us.

Seth’s appreciation of spiders runs deep.  He was born in a cabin in the Santa Cruz mountains that was home to many a healthy spider.  Some of his earliest memories must be of garden spiders, because he was very fond of the garden spiders that lived in our herb garden.  He would toddle out and look at each on it’s web, rapt with fascination.  When we lived in the white house we had a pet spider named Stacey (named after a former pet tarantula) who lived in the woodwork of a window sash.  She build an elaborate web with a hole to her house at one end.  Seth would ask to be lifted non stop to check on Stacey, to inspect her latest catch, and to see her in action scurrying about stinging, wrapping, eating and growing!

One way to help your child learn about spiders is to let a spider make a web in your home.  Let your child observe everything the spider does, and most importantly give your spider a name!  I suggest making a sign and taping it up near the spider’s web.  The sign can give the name, species, and date of residence for the spider.  This way everyone who walks by can learn about your spider.

Help your children learn about spiders.  I know for some of you it may be hard, even repulsive, but it is worth overcoming your own reservations and handing your kid a magnifying glass.  Spiders are beneficial insects and play a very important role in our environment.  Not to mention that they are super cool to look at and do fascinating things like hang upside down in space!  Spiders are also fundamental to the little boy in all of us.  I don’t care who you are, the allure of everything spider is intoxicating, from watching a spider spin a web to popping on those spidey jammies it’s all grist for the little boy mill!