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Friday, August 3, 2018

terror on the doorstep

A pleasant bug man came a-knocking a few nights ago.  He gave me the old, "Hi, I'm here in the neighborhood killing bugs over at Vic's house, and I can give you a deal to kill your bugs too since I'm already here 😁" bit.

And I was thinking, "What makes him think we have bugs?"

Actually.  No.  I did not think that.  It's obvious, especially from where he was standing.  Our front porch...


Let's get a close-up, shall we?  Of one of the many spiderwebs full of bounty that adorn the front door.


I spray them. With water.  I spray them goooooood.  I spray them because they are so strong, a broom doesn't really hack it.  I spray them on full hose pressure with the nozzle set on JET.

The spiders laugh at me and rebuild within a day or so.

No, I didn't take the bugman up on his offer, mainly because I don't give in to sales people who come a-knocking.  But... should I have pest control come?  What all do their materials do, anyway?  Bugman says he can kill existing bugs and repel future wannabes.

I've pondered this before, when my spraying can't match the spidery zeal.  Wolfgang was my voice of reason last summer.

"They're doing you a favor."

"How's that?"

"See all the bugs they catch in their webs?  If it weren't for the spiderwebs, those bugs would be inside the house."  

So that can be my excuse.  Our front porch spiderwebs are not unsightly, unwelcoming, creepy things.  

They are the moat to our castle.  

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Linking up with Mama Kat this week for the prompt:
2. Write a blog post inspired by the word: dirty




9 comments:

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

Abby I am forever taking my broom to the area around my front door as you showed. I too have the same "bug guy" knocking on my door telling me he was taking care of the ants for the gal across the street. I told him I didn't have ants. He insisted I must. I wanted to smack the 20 something. But hey, I figured at least he was working and for a 20 something that is huge. I did not take him up on his offer. But I will admit when we had our vacation lake home we did hire a service to deal with all of this inside and out on a monthly basis since we were not there every day. It really did work but the chemicals are the other thing.

Chatty Crone said...

i have the same exact problem - we will be ready for Halloween. There are some determined spiders in the world. sandie

Madamdreamweaver said...

I agree with Wolfgang, spiders are doing a job. However, I do take a broom occasionally to wipe off around the door---usually just abandoned shards of webs. If I see them in the garden, I leave them be. And if we find one in the house, Hubby or I usually practice a "Catch & Release" program and send them outside. (usually they're all small).

Linda Hensley said...

I'm going to borrow your "moat to the castle" line :D

May said...

The moat to our castle. In social work that is what we call a "reframe", and an apt one at that. I eyed a rather huge "moat" on the screenwindow in my sunroom the other day and have meant to go brush it down ever since, but now it hardly seems right!

Patty said...

I think many of us have walked through a spiderweb at home, screamed, flapped our hands in the air and through our hair before sweeping it away and the next day... it's back. Must admit I do admire the work behind the spun intricacies that show up where we least expect them...or want them!

The "moat" philosophy? Awesome. Just love it!!

ShadowRun300 said...

When I lived in Illinois, huge “tomato” spiders, as the locals called them, would build their home in the doorway of my home. They were ugly, and I couldn’t look at them, but I lived by my philosophy that unless they were inside my home, I left them alone. Needless to say, that doorway was not used by me. As much as I don’t like spiders, or any bugs, IN my house, I know they have a role in the outdoors. No need for a nice bug guy.

LL Cool Joe said...

We have a bug man in AZ. He sprays inside and outside the house every month, even though we aren't there that often. :D Occasionally I'll find a dead cockroach inside, but at least it's always dead.

Unknown said...

True. Spiders are not the enemy.
But the cobwebs maybe a bit unsightly, just shoo the spiders aside first.