Spider Update

Okay, I realize there are few who are as fascinated by this spider and web on my front deck as I am. Admittedly, it is creepy-looking and I did make sure the kids avoided the front steps as much as possible over the weekend. I wasn't sure how aggressive it would get if one of them got too close. (It is not poisonous, btw.)

So we looked at it every day, standing a safe distance away, and on Friday evening I noticed it was not on the web. I looked around, and saw it on the side of the stairs, sort of sheltered beside a spindle, sitting on this big brown ball.

Yes, that is an egg sac. It's a very large egg sac. Sadly, it's an egg sac that must be destroyed.

I just finished a little research on the yellow garden spider and that egg sac contains anywhere from 300 to 1400 tiny arachnids. Not only that, other insects and species of spiders are known to burrow in and use these sacs to hibernate over the winter. We don't want that. Even as fascinating as I think they are, I don't want a thousand little baby spiders on the front of my house.

I don't have to be in a hurry, though. Those babies will hatch soon, but will stay in the egg sac until Spring. Mama will die sometime in the next few weeks - when we get our first hard frost if not before. As soon as that happens, that sac is history.