Friendly Spider

[dannyd]

Over the past few days I have enjoyed watching a spider thrive near my plants. Her web has been between a few of my 4" pots for a few weeks now, and I never saw the creature until last night, when I went out with a flashlight. She had some type of bug caught/wrapped up in her web, but was not eating it. When I checked late this afternoon she was in the midst of wrapping up/eating a tiny red beetle looking bug, but I think I startled her, because she dropped it soon after I looked. And, the bug I saw caught in her web last night is still there. It will be interesting to see when/if she eats it. She is a small spider, and the bug in her web is almost the same size.

So, obviously having her around is beneficial, as I have read in many posts. The problem is, her web is connected between many of my 4" pots, which I will have to move when I transplant into 5 gal. buckets in a few weeks (late, I know, but I'll save them for next season so my effort will pay off). Will she create a new home in my plants when the transplant is complete, or move somewhere else? Should I move her to my serrano plant that is already in a 5 gal? It would be nice to keep her around.

I think she is the same spider I placed on the serrano a few weeks ago, when I found her outside with an elaborate web inside one of my empty buckets. Her web has been hit with neem spray and bug b gone, and she is still there, living in it.

Anyway, she is fun to watch, and I am glad she is around to help take care of my plants. I will take/post a picture tomorrow night.

 

[Scovie]

That's awesome.
I would think she could ride it out during the transplant, as long as you don't shake the living s**t out of the plant while doing so... even then, it would be like a big wind to her.

Whenever I see a spider web in a great spot, I'll go catch a bug and throw it in their web, just to watch the whole thing. Pretty fascinating...

 

[dannyd]

That's awesome.
I would think she could ride it out during the transplant, as long as you don't shake the living s**t out of the plant while doing so... even then, it would be like a big wind to her.

Whenever I see a spider web in a great spot, I'll go catch a bug and throw it in their web, just to watch the whole thing. Pretty fascinating...

Well, the web is not actually in the plant, it is connected on the outside of 4 of the 4" pots, just below the rims. I have 8 lined up in 2 rows of 4:
O O O O
O O O O

The web is positioned on the outside of the circles, as poorly depicted below:
O O O - O
........|.....|
O O O - O

So, there is no way to avoid completely destroying the web during the transplant since I won't even be using those pots afterwards. There will be 5 gallon buckets in place of them.

And I agree, it is fascinating.

 

[Scovie]

Looooove the graphics LOL...

Transplant two into the 5 gals. put her on one of them, and then continue the transplanting.

Like this...

o o o O
I
o o o O

 

[Cayennemist]

Name her Sharlet