Garden friends
By geraniumdad
11 comments
There are many creatures that inhabit our gardens and do a great job keeping the pests down.
The obvious ones I suppose are the hedgehog (eating beetles as well as worms, one hopes they get some of the nastier (to plants) ones) and ladybirds: eating those greenfly!
Other garden friends tend to be ones that make some folk quiver and quake: toads and frogs, spiders and wasps!
All good examples of predators, hunting down those pests.
Now, if we had a warmer climate, the pests would be bigger and so would the predators….
(Can you see where this is leading yet!).
In South America, for example, tarantula spiders are actively encouraged into households to keep the bug population down! No stamping on spiders there.
This is my pet pink-toed tarantula, incy wincy (named by my twins)!
This sort of tarantula is arboreal (lives in trees) and is welcomed in households in South American countries where it and its cousins come from.
Now, just imagine if these were living in your garden the amount of pests they would consume…..
Before you ask: their venom is not harmful to humans.
In fact, mine would rather squirt poo on me than try to bite when she comes out to play.
Bye for now, and please:
don’t have nightmares!
17 Oct, 2010
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Comments
Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you.
I love tarantulas but can't abide house spiders: they run too fast! At least you can see where these spiders are.
Like I told my wife when I brought the spider home, if it escaped we would only have to look in the corners of the ceiling!
17 Oct, 2010
Oh I like her and i can see why she's called a pink toed tarantula lol.
17 Oct, 2010
The toes are an orangey oink depending on if she is newly shed or not. She is very soft to the touch: she will let me gently stroke her abdomen, lifting it up.
I have to be careful though, as this is when she sometimes squirts her poo! Its one of her defense strategies, another is flicking hairs from her abdomen with her back legs. They act like itching powder and would give her time to escape from being turned into a meal!
17 Oct, 2010
Flipping heck,(I WASN`T EXPECTING THAT). sorry no like for this one, I usually like members pets and have to say this is one pic I`d rather not have found.......
Yep I am a coward, I know.....
17 Oct, 2010
What a lovely creature. I once held a Mexican Orange-kneed Tarantula called Henry. He was gorgeous too. My garden helpers are a Praying Mantis - also called Henry, an Eyed Lizard by the name of George and a dragonfly we refer to as 'The Helicopter.' They do a great job, although we have to be careful where we put our fingers and feet! ;o)
18 Oct, 2010
OMG, I'm getting itchier by the second here, sorry but I have to agree with WL and LINCS.
18 Oct, 2010
You have an interesting if unusual family Nariz, your pic seems to have revealed the 'Little Miss Muffets' on here. I like the names especially "incy wincy" !!!
18 Oct, 2010
Nice pet ! lol :o)
I like her though .....
18 Oct, 2010
ooooooooooooow !!!!!!!!!!
18 Oct, 2010
I like her too..but at a distance,...Lol.
18 Oct, 2010
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Oh dear....I just about jumped out of my chair!!! GDad...you delight in scaring us all....so long as you keep your little (BIG) friend in your neck of the woods....no probs.
Venomous or not....I couldn't be within 50 yards of it I'm sorry to say. I think we need a health warning before viewing!
17 Oct, 2010