New Spider Pics!

[Deku Scrub]

This is our resident house spider I've been feeding for months.
Well, the other day I caught a large dragonfly, ripped its wings off and put it in the spider's web. The dragonfly pretty much got owned!

 

[Empi]

I just found a huge house spider crawling on my wall. I captured him in a deli cup. He has got to be the largest spider I've ever seen in Washington state. He's got to be three and a half inches across. Do you know anything about keeping them? Where are you at in Washington?

 

[danread]

What a shame, i'm sure there are some better feeder animals than dragonflies.

 

[arachnojunkie]

Cricket, Dragonfly, whats the difference other than size? Taste?

 

[Wikkids_Wench]

Excellent photos - I'm looking forward to autumn and all the spiders coming back out of our roof thatch into the house for warmth. I might see if I can keep a couple...

 

[Deku Scrub]

I just found a huge house spider crawling on my wall. I captured him in a deli cup. He has got to be the largest spider I've ever seen in Washington state. He's got to be three and a half inches across. Do you know anything about keeping them? Where are you at in Washington?

Hi. I know house spiders are very common in this area.
They can look terrifying, but they're harmless.
If you want to keep it, a small aquarium will do. In my experience they do not live long in captivity (not that they live long in the wild either!)

I live in the Renton highlands.

Regards,
Andy

 

[Venom]

I don't have a prob with putting things like moths and larger insects in for prey, but dragonflies eat mosquitos ( lots of 'em ) so except for the occasional spider-stuffing, I think these are more useful keeping my backyard free of skeeters. I'm sure that Tegenaria is very well fed now tho

 

[danread]

Cricket, Dragonfly, whats the difference other than size? Taste?

rarity for one......

 

[Empi]

rarity for one......

I don't know about the uk but there is dragonflys all over the place here. I have never seen a wild cricket here though. So I would say that the crickets are more rare. I see about three or four dragonflys a day.

 

[Empi]

Hi. I know house spiders are very common in this area.
They can look terrifying, but they're harmless.
If you want to keep it, a small aquarium will do. In my experience they do not live long in captivity (not that they live long in the wild either!)

I live in the Renton highlands.

Regards,
Andy

Yeah there is a lot of them. And they do look pretty terrifying! I just fed mine a moth, he just sort of pounced on it. That was pretty cool. But harmless or not I'm sure as hell not going to touch the damn thing!

 

[Deku Scrub]

Hi. Thanks for all your comments.
I was not trying to start a debate by using dragonflys. I understand your point of rarity, but like empi said- they're all over the place here. Not rare at all.

And yeah, the spider is well fed. :drool:
Also, it is now ignoring smaller prey such as potato bugs.

Take care,
Andy

 

[JPD]

Hello fellow Washingtonians!
Very nice looking Tegenaria. Recently, I set out to collect some T.agrestis (Hobo Spiders), from the area. To my dismay, they are much more difficult to find then they once were. Thanks to critters like the one in your photograph (which I am betting is a T.gigantea), they are slowly losing their foothold here in the Northwest.
I concur with the Dragonfly population comments made here. If you ever wish to see an amazing amount of Dragonflies, go hiking around Discovery Park near Magnolia. Hundreds of them!
Good meal choice for the spider, however, the tearing of the wings makes me cringe.....Keep in mind that if Dragonflies rule Heaven....then you my friend are in big, big, trouble

 

[edesign]

Well, the other day I caught a large dragonfly, ripped its wings off and put it in the spider's web. The dragonfly pretty much got owned!

you think? what is it gonna fight back with?

plenty of dragonflies here too...plenty of mosquitos as well, prefer to keep the mosquito eating critters alive