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Take a trip to Leeds. No bin collections for five weeks means plenty of flies about.
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And boy are they tough spiders this year. I have one thats survived 100mph swinging in its web round the wing mirror. Some in the garden tried to drag the dog into the undergrowth. I have one the size of a persian carpet thats taken over the utility room, we are hoping it dies soon as the laundry basket is in there and I am running out of underpants.
Edited by Altea Ego on 30/09/2009 at 11:15
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There was a spider in my garden a couple of weeks ago that was so massive her web was sagging under her weight. We've had a few actually, this year, that have been monstrous. One made a glorious web between the house and shed but instead of sitting in it, she hid under the edge of the roof with one long leg sticking out resting on it. Fabulous.
I don't get flies on the car anymore either despite crossing Europe at high speeds a couple of times a year. Then last week a neighbour had my car for three days to take it to his garage 80 km away and he brought it back absolutely caked in the things. And the wipers just smeer the remains all over the glass making it difficult to see anything.
Edited by Big Bad Dave on 30/09/2009 at 11:44
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There was a spider in my garden a couple of weeks ago that was so massive her web was sagging under her weight.
Araneus diadematus, AKA "Cross Spider", probably. One of the Orb spiders.
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He he RF.
The webs are so strong, I can lean a broom against some between our garage and the fence.
Strangley the prolific ones in the garden are house spiders though we have some evil looking black ones in the house shiny black, one in each corner of the conservatory, any attempted human intervention and they retreat at the speed of light, then after the area has been naplamed, nuked, detoxed and eradiated they reappear as if from nowhere!
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Spider's silk is said to be as strong as steel for any given diameter. Some facts:
www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/silk.html
tinyurl.com/ycpgc4q
www.scienceinschool.org/2007/issue4/spidersilk
What is really amazing is that spiders have had no instruction in spinning webs when born, but are "programmed" to do so.
The really big beasties, at least in our back garden, are those that live in the ivy and create a veil-like web between the leaves.
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The flies are alive and well. They are residing on top of my wheelie bin. Since we went to fortnightly collections they just love it. Although they cannot get into the bin, they love the aroma of my little boys 10 day old nappies. Especially when the bin sits in the sun all day.
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...they love the aroma of my little boys 10 day old nappies....
Which is a gentle - but obviously unheeded - hint to use washable nappies. :)
No smelly wheelie bin, no flies, no big bales to lump home and store, cheaper all round and better for the environment.
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Not seen many Daddy Long Legs either this year...... reminded me when I saw a deceased one in the kitchen extension today.
Normally if we leave the patio windows open after dark they come in and strike terror into the heart of Erin Dors.
Quite funny to see her dancing round the lounge screaming at me to catch it......better than anything on the telly !
Ted
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There were plenty in Scotland around 1st June - Berlingo was absolutely splattered on an evening dash down the A9 from Inverness to Perth. Washers just not up to the task, had to stop every half hour and clean the screen with kitchen roll.
Daddy long legs/Craneflies are down this year but they were a plague 3 or 4 years ago. Had a late September camp on a farm site near Malvern - thousands of the blighters. 1990, the year we moved up here, was a bumper year for them as well. A couple of tears later before we were assured that they were not a "feature" of Northants life.
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Just got up early to do some work and there is a very annoying blue bottle buzzing around, up before the spiders perhaps ... ... aha, I can see him there up on the wall looking down at me, just below the ceiling so out of arms reach ... ... you know that feeling when you think someone is looking at you ... ... if only he could understand, he can fly around as he wishes if only he would stop the buzzing ... ... he's gonna get it with a rolled up newspaper unless he goes back to bed ... ...
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...they love the aroma of my little boys 10 day old nappies.... Which is a gentle - but obviously unheeded - hint to use washable nappies. :) No smelly wheelie bin no flies no big bales to lump home and store cheaper all round and better for the environment.
>Your having a laugh. My wife works shifts, and I work long hours. The childminder wouldnt use them and we are not interested.
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Let us know where you buy your eccles cakes, HJ... so we can avoid the place!!
There doesn't seem as many around this year, though I agree re the spiders, there do seem more of the beggers, and they do seem bigger... connection perhaps?!
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Could also be the reason why we've only saw a handful of swallows and swifts this year, as well as the past two or three years.
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