Why a wastebasket?

[vgqn]

I just escorted a spider out of our bathroom wastebasket. Why in the world do you suppose she thought that would be a good place to set up household? I'm sure it wasn't in eager anticipation of my toenail clippings. In fact, she seemed most unimpressed. I hope life is better for her in the jade hedge. At least there will be fewer toenail clippings out there.

Comments

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I only just recently found this out: taking indoor spiders and moving them outside does the spider no favors, and probably does you no favors either. Most house spiders are just that: house spiders. They're specialized for the conditions that exist indoors, and the bugs they eat are the bugs that live indoors. If you take them outside, they generally do not prosper.

At least, so says this page of the Burke Museum's, on spider myths.

[wild-patience.livejournal.com]

But I'm sure they enjoy being outside more than inside with the hysterical screams.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Possibly, though KMS has never struck me as the hysterical screaming sort, except possibly with laughter.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it would be tough to do much gardening if I shrieked every time I saw an insect. Though I will admit to emitting some shrieks of rage at the squash bugs I'm currently waging war on. (I'm employing water torture, bwah hah ha!)

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it would be tough to do much gardening if I shrieked every time I saw an insect.

Might make things entertaining for the neighbors, though.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

What a great site! Too bad about indoor spiders not liking the outdoors, but you know, life in a wastebasket wasn't going to be that great either. C'est la vie (or la mort).

[jbru.livejournal.com]

If she was a funnel-web sort of spider, I'd bet the wastebasket would make a perfect frame for a lovely web.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

The spider probably thought, using it's bitten-by-a-radioactive-superhero brain, that flies would be attracted to the wastebasket. This may or may not be true, but spiders have limited options.