Feeding an Orb Weaver Spider

[Cohiba]

Hey All,

I'm throwing out a curve ball on this one.....just go with it.

Are we(my wife and myself) the only ones who like to feed the native species of spiders.....the Orb Weaver? What I'm saying is, we have a cool little spider that is taking up residence under the corner underside eve of my house.

Every evening it spins or repairs it's web, waiting for a meal. Soooo, the wife and myself oblige by feeding it small crickets from Pet Smart.

Are we "enablers".....not letting nature take its course, if the spider didn't obtain food on its own....it would die. Nature taking place.

Is it the Scientist in my wife and myself(it is our profession) coming out and enjoying the beauty of science, and Fauna?? We will miss it when it lays an egg sac and the frost kills it........ Yes, we let nature follow through.

To a certain extent, don't we do this when we feed birds and other wild species?

Bottom line: does anyone else do this or are my wife and myself crazy??

A picture of the type of OrbWeaver....not the actual one.

Cohiba

 

[Biggsly]

At my house they get a good meal of RAID! I hate spiders. They can all hurt you. Some with venom and others just scare you and make you hurt yourself.

 

[Cohiba]

Ooohhhh come on Biggsly, kill the "bad" ones.....recluse & black widow, but let the others take the place of that raid can.

Let the "bug" getters ....get those bugs and watch the show.


Are you afraid of a little ol spider??.............

Cohiba

 

[GlockPride]

We've been feeding crickets and some flying bugs to her every few days, though I think she fairs really well on her own. My wife HATES grasshoppers so she feeds them to her.
For the most part I say let nature take the course. She will move before she starves.

 

[bulbboy]

Kill It With Fire!!

 

[Biggsly]

Ooohhhh come on Biggsly, kill the "bad" ones.....recluse & black widow, but let the others take the place of that raid can.

Let the "bug" getters ....get those bugs and watch the show.


Are you afraid of a little ol spider??.............

Cohiba

I let the ones in the flowers live. Not the ones that hang from the house. Nothing worse then walking out at night and feeling that web wrap around your face........

 

[Cohiba]

Growing up in the country......3 miles East of Carney, Oklahoma I've encountered many a night spiders web. Heck, while huntin' coon with the old blueticks, I've run across several copperheads in brushpiles and creeks.

The ones I didn't like..........and it sacred the heck outta the coon hounds was a bobcat. Somehow, someway, those dogs knew(so did I) not to keep on treeing and messin' around with that bobcat.

Thats one critter.......espceially when it growls and screams.....makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up!!! Spiders....as a kid, I use to catch a few trantulas. Don't see them or the hornytoads like I use too.


Cohiba

 

[SoonerDVM]

I used to catch moths and feed them to the orb weavers. I think it's cool. I bet they enjoy the nice store-bought crickets, though!

 

[Shadowrider]

I had an orb weaver under my eave all last winter. I was watching it one evening and a moth flew into it's web and started trying to get away. Here comes mister spider for it's meal! That spider was there for several months of the winter. During the day it was nowhere to be seen, but every night would come out and build a web and hang out. It was pretty cool to watch nature do it's thing, but I just don't get having them as pets. I let the orb weavers hang around and if they are in a doorway or something I just harass them until they move to a less intrusive place.

 

[OicnaiC]

My Wife and I love watching Argiope sp. We don't feed them, but we will leave a light on if they're by one to help bring in some food. At our last house we had one that built a web next to the front door. Everybody that came over was freaked out and hated it, we loved him. I had to relocate him to the bushes when he expanded his web over the door, couldn't have that.