Good Spiders?

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SOB

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I was checking out my hops yesterday and noticed a black spider, about the size of...I dunno, half of a pencil eraser (maybe smaller)? I immediately crushed it. Then I got to thinking that maybe it was a "good spider" that would hang out, eat bugs and not my hops. Is there such a thing or was it a spider mite? What does a spider mite look like?
 
Does not sound like a spider mite.

pest_spider_mites.jpg
 
I think "had" would be the right word conpewter....

actually, no, I guess SOB may still have that spider, it is just more flat than useful now! :)
 
I've got 3-4 types of spiders patrolling my hops, plus ladybirds. Lots of tiny webs with dead mites, dehydrated aphid skins, etc.
 
Yes I have a few flat spiders... My wife hates them, irrational and she admits it, but she just gets freaked by them, So it is my mission to keep the house spider free without posioning us with insecticides. For the most part I try to treat the outside of the house.

Yesterday I was getting ready to spray some dust stuff behind most of the furniture that kills bugs. I saw a particularly large spider so I quickly sprayed a bunch on it, well kind of made a pile on it. My wife walked in and the spider ran a few steps (with powder piled upon it). Before she could see it I stepped on it (sock feet...eww). Better to deal with them than have her scared of the basement again.
 
Doesn't sound like a spider mite. Spider mites are tiny and hard to see unless you look for them. Spider mites are either red, or (perhaps more prolific?) are the two-spotted spider mite. Pretty much all spiders are good spiders - they eat insects and not plants. In fact, there are a number of insects/arachnids that are good to have around. I have spiders that actually look kinda like two-spotted mites, whitish with two black stripes, but they're a bit bigger and are obviously not mites.
 
You probably just killed the last of a species.


But seriously, it sounds like it was just some variety of crab or jumping spider out terrorizing the insect population of your garden.
 
...it sounds like it was just some variety of crab or jumping spider out terrorizing the insect population of your garden.

Yeah, a couple seconds after I flattened it I knew I shouldnt have. Oh well...SWMBO didn't see me or else she would have been yelling at my about karma or something. I always tell her it was probably an aunt she didnt like anyways.
 
I think I'm going to go out and buy a flame thrower...just in case one of those things above comes around! I might have to sacrifice the hops but at least I'll get rid of the spawn of Satan!

Then the question is...would it's ashes make good compost?
 
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