Les araignees- spiders

Anyone who has an old house in rural France will know about the problem of the spiders. Consulting my nature books the ones who are the vast majority in our house are Daddy-Long-Legs-Spiders (Pholcus Phalongiodes). They are described as usually found in buildings and houses, typicaly haning upside down and who spin a tangled untidy web. That's the little critters alright.


You do not have to be arachnophobic to have a severe dislike/hatred of the little blighters they just seem to be everywhere.Nevermind the cobwebs theres nothing like looking up to the eave's ceiling above your bed to see a large one just sitting there gloating at you, just waiting for your other half to say "get up I can't sleep with that thing there get rid of it". It's not that you can just swat them as they leave a mark on your nice white ceiling oh no you must remove it quickly and efficiently in a tissue or such like.

No sooner have you think you have thoroughly cleaned your house when there they are again. At the end of the season as you leave the house for the last time you spray insectocide in all the places they haunt hoping to have got rid of the blighters. The following year when you enter the house for the first time you feel that slight touch on your hair from the cobwebs and you know they are back. They congregate around the windows and doors, on the ceiling, under chairs, on the beams you name it where else. They just seem to be "breeding like rabbits" if you can excuse the expression. Where to they get the energy to grow from? There are not mega-numbers of flies caught in their webs.

Mr Henrie

Yesterday my able assistant (Mr Henrie) and I had completed a full sweep and suck of the premises, got you  I thought as I sat on the throne in our white tiled bathroom in the evening. Looking over my shoulder I saw not one, not two but three of the little s--s casually walking up the tiles. When  I returned in the morning to do battle once again they were not to be seen. Do you ever get the feeling they are taunting you.

One last thought if all the house spiders in all French houses were gathered together how many tons do you think they would weigh. Food for thought - well not food -yuck