spider

[nextqueen]

got a lovely juicy mottled brown spider living on our patio door.he is so clever how he weaves his web. i have christened him Boris. im now wondering if he could be a she and am hoping for babies. he/she is growing by the day but i think this is due to eating the big flies he is catching. how can you tell the sex of a spider and if it is pregnant? i wish he/she would turn around as we never get to see the underpart of him/her. also will he hibernate or just die as the weather gets colder? im going to miss Boris or Borissa.

[carmalee]

don't know how you tell the sex of spiders but expect another spider will! Aren't they great - fascinating creatures, I've have declared my home an area of great scientific interest to the insect world and have various mosquito control officers all over the place.

[LoftyLottie]

I must admit, I can't handle spiders but have educated myself to cope with them and welcome them in the house. We have four large 'Mosquito Control Officers' (LOL) in our spare bedroom. They are all called Fred. Every large black spider is called Fred, it's easier.

I must admit they are fascinating, I just don't like to think of picking them up if they are over 1/2".

[KARL]

We too have, for many years, had at least one large spider in the house. They occasionally emerge when they make a dash across the floor, most often in the evening. We are quite happy to let them be - we rather suspect there are more than one because apart from not having years of a lifespan, they are not all the same size. Like Lottie, we hava a single name for them all - Spid - not very imaginative but it serves the purpose. I am about to fish one from being trapped in the (empty) bath because it is too shiny for them to crawl out (can't get a grip) so this Spid will go outside into the wider world. That may be a bit of a shock because every part of our house is permanently above 18 degrees. I have always thought that they are all females because, if I am not mistaken, the male is only a fraction of the female's size. Thus Spid is a useful name because it may be taken as gender non-specific.

[paddywak]

better not let boris see this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8dSBWysmnM

[LoftyLottie]

Fred can be short for Frederica!!

Sometimes all four Freds meet up in the corner of the room!!

[eyethenkyew]

Get a life.

[nextqueen]

it's a girl! apparently they eat their web and any catchings in it every night and rebuild a new one. my husband did comment this morning that the web was in a different place but i wasnt convinced! so Borissa it is, ahhhhhh!