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Invasion of the Tarantulas

With summer, comes critters. Some have more legs than others--enter the tarantula. They have eight. Hairy, blackish-brown in color, they appear from their burrows to feed on insects, which is OK with me. However, their size is a little intimidating, but they're outside spiders, not ones who prefer hotel accommodations. Whew!

After some of the monsoon storms, you'll see hordes of them crossing the wet pavement, like something out of a sci-fi movie. It's males on the move, looking for....females. Unfortunately, for males their life cycle is limited to a few months, but females have been known to live for 20+ years in captivity. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it?

Casa Wallace Tarantula
Females can lay upwards of a 1,000 eggs in their burrows. They spin a web over the opening, and VOILA! Dinner is served. Unsuspecting crickets and beetles are soon tasty morsels for the spider. My husband feeds the birds and rabbits, and now he's taken up feeding the tarantula who has a burrow just outside the side door. He'll kill a bug in the garage and place it on the web for the resident spider. She grabs it in seconds. Who knows how many little hairy babies are enjoying his food gifts. The eggs hatch within 45-60 days, and the spiderlings disperse from the burrow within a week of hatching.

Creeping around for some lunch
Contrary to popular belief, the poison from the tarantula isn't usually a problem for humans. It's peculiar to killing insects, not people. All those movies with the huge tarantula creeping up the blanket or crawling on someone's neck is all show. Other than some skin irritation, and a little bit of a scare, a bite shouldn't be dangerous for a human. But, don't go looking for trouble. The spider's appearance is rather deceiving.

 Just like we make quick judgments about the tarantula, we do the same with people. The tarantula is portrayed as a deadly predator in the movies, but that's entirely false. It's really a welcome bug eater in my courtyard. And so, before you rush to judgment on that person you just met, remember the big, hairy spider and what God told Samuel when he went to anoint the next king of Israel.

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."  I Samuel 16:7 NLT
Helpful Bug Eater


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