Just Your Neighborhood Spider Colony!

   Son and I have been doing some carpentry work inside the house since we are still seeing the lingering rains from Tropical Storm Claudette.  Apparently, this is the "storm that never ends" as it keeps dumping rain on us.  While doing the work, it is sometimes necessary to trot to the shed for tools.  This is easy enough to do since the laundry room door is just about 15 ft from the shed door.  It is almost just a matter of going out one door and stepping into another with just a small back deck in between the two.  Easy peasy except for the fact that you have to dodge numerous spiders on the way.  It seems that every last egg that the orb weaver had in that lovely egg sac has hatched and nary a one of the "children" wanted to move far from their childhood home.  Now, the back deck, the doors, the pathway to the shed and everything in between is one huge spiderweb dotted with the soon to be 4 inch spiders.  I feel so guilty when I inadvertently break one of the long anchor threads and the web starts to dangle.  

  One of the spiders insists on draping her web across the back door.  The screen door has several of the long anchor threads leading from it to the pear tree.  With Son and I trying to work, we have to use that door often. He and I have taken to "unhooking" the web strands from the door and wrapping them on the deck railing in hopes that the spider will take a hint.  Nope.  She patiently rebuilds the web to the screen door.  It seems she never learns!

  While most folks would be a bit squeamish about having so many spiders so close to the doors, I appreciate them.  The wet weather has created perfect breeding spots for mosquitoes.  The spiders are great about catching multitudes of those pesky, blood-thirsty mosquitoes each night.  Personally, I would rather have the spiders than the mosquitoes any day!  Carry on, Mrs. Spider.  We are happy to have your whole family as neighbors!