When we were kids, my brother and I used to catch spiders during the spring and summer.  We usually kept them in jars and I would like to say that there was some sort of scientific value in our efforts, but we really just liked to watch them fight and eat bugs.  About 7 or 8 years ago, I thought it would be interesting to catch a whole bunch of spiders and keep them in a more complex environment where I could watch their development over a long period of time.  My idea was for a "spider collective" of sorts.  Let’s call it "The Spider House."

spider house front
      The view from the front
click on the picture to view a larger image
So years ago, I built a small spider habitat in a 1½ gallon aquarium.  I filled it with about 10 spiders or so and it was pretty cool for a while.  But at that point in time, I really had a lot of competing interests and my interest in the project faded.  I held on to the aquarium, though, and with the arrival of spring this year, my interest in building a spider commune has returned.  I recently got the old habitat down from a shelf in the garage, dusted it off, and added some new nooks and crannies for the forthcoming occupants of The Spider House.  

Included inside the tank are some rocks, a Gargoyles action figure (without any wings), some bits and pieces from around the garage, and a broken head from a statue that I found smashed in the street near our house.  The lid of the tank is plywood with a few holes drilled in the top.  The "domes" are the tops of bubbles from a toy vending machine.  These cover the two large air holes.  The air holes were originally covered by some plastic screen pieces when I had first built the habitat, but when I had dumped some feeder crickets in the tank for the spiders and one night the crickets chewed right through the mesh and they all escaped.  At that time, I was keeping the tank in my office at my old job and the crickets were all over the office for weeks.  

spider house front
      The view from the top
click on the picture to view a larger image
Most of the spiders that I catch are small run-of-the mill orb weavers, although from time to time, I might be adventurous and try to nab one of those gigantic garden spiders or some funnel weavers here and there. I prefer female spiders, partially  for their longevity and also because it is really cool when their babies hatch.  I have already welcomed 6 or 7 spiders into the new and improved Spider House and I have tossed in a few flying insects to make sure that the spiders don’t turn on each other right away.  

I was going to take pictures of the spiders as I catch them and offer readers of this page a chance to give the spiders names, but I decided there must be some kind of limit to my geekiness.