A B-I-G Spidey

People think I’m weird because I have a pet spidey in my bathroom. A Very Big pet spidey! And they don’t like to go in there until they can check exactly where she is. Yes, she has eggs and makes littlies and I don’t kill them either.

Why? Well, I have a pet spidey because:

I have books, lots of books (two rooms, plus a few extra placements) and I like my books. I want them to live very dull lives and remain in good condition without the marks of critters that like to kill and devour books. So, I got rid of the carpet, put in a hard floor – and found the enemy! Those tiny little things that come in the night and Eat Paper! Lots of them. Turn on the bathroom light at night and there you have ’em! Rotters. They do not belong!

I could have got out the poison and blasted everything. I could have called in a specialist to get into the roof-space and poison everything.

But . . .

There was a better way. I would prefer not to kill all the birds that eat these things, or the lizards, or the frogs, or . . . I like all the critters – when they live in places where they belong. Silverfish do NOT belong in my house.

I waited for the first spidey to show up (they always do, you know). I shepherded her into the appropriate location and let her get on with the job.

Of course, there was a spread of territory – for the spideys, that is, because the silverfish became less and less with each family of spideys.

Until recently, when the spidey communities were noticeably reduced in numbers. Population reduction due to resource reduction? When was the last time I saw a silverfish or a moth or a fly or . . .

Months. It’s been months since the enemy was sighted.

And now the last spidey, the biggest of them all, sits in the bathroom alone in the corner closest to the vent. She is a big spidey, and she needs food. Do I feed her, keep her here?

No. She is a wild creature. Takes only what she needs. Breeds only to meet the demand of the resources. She will never take more than necessary. My enemy is defeated, but for her to survive, she will need to find other resources.

What to do?

Ah, the laundry! The door to the laundry has a gap where things come in. The screens appear to work, but still they come.

Spidey looks very happy in her new home. I smiled this morning when I saw the small male on the far corner. She was stepping out to meet him. Life would go on. Without silverfish.

copyright CS Dunn 2016