KENNEWICK -- This is the time of year when gardeners start to prepare their gardens for winter.
It also is the time of year that Halloween decorations start to appear.
Ghouls, monsters, pumpkins, spiders and bats seem to be a pervasive theme. Halloween is all about spooky and scary things, but we do an injustice to spiders and bats who are actually two of our garden friends. Making them out to be frightening creatures is unjust.
Generally, spiders should be regarded as good guys. Why?
Dr. Linda S. Rayor, assistant professor of entomology at Cornell University, says, "Spiders are considered to be the most important terrestrial predators, eating tons of pest insects or other small arthropods every year. Spiders are generalist predators that are willing to eat almost any insect they can catch. They are abundant and found in most habitats. They only need to be left alone!"
That's why I get upset when I hear about folks who want to spray around their homes to kill all the spiders and other insects because one or two might find their way inside. This certainly knocks the balance of nature out of kilter. When spiders migrate inside at this time of year, looking for a mate or a warm spot to spend the winter, just smash them with a shoe or tissue. If you have lots of spiders migrating indoors, it probably means you need to tighten up your home, replacing weather stripping on doors and sealing cracks and crevices that provide entry to spiders and other creatures.
A common "scary" spider noticed at this time of year are the orb weavers (Araneidae). There are a variety of different orb weavers, some with interesting angled peaks or tubercles on their large abdomens. They can also be quite colorful, coming in a variety of colors including orange, yellow, black, white and brown.
A female orb weaver can appear quite large at this time of year because she is carrying several hundred eggs in her abdomen. Before the end of fall, she will create an egg sac and then die before winter arrives.
The orb weavers build amazing large wheel-like circular webs that are works of art. When insects find their way into an orb weaver's web, their vibrations enable the spider (orbs have poor vision) to locate and trap their hapless victims. Most orb weavers rebuild their webs each day.
So, if you see spiders or their webs around your yard and garden, don't be alarmed. Don't try to kill them. They are helping keep insect populations in check. If you see spiders inside the house, just usher them back outside, where they can do some good or smash them.
Bats also eat a tremendous amount of insects, including mosquitos, and should be considered our friends. As with spiders, by encouraging bats we are allowing nature to keep the insects in our yards and gardens in check.
Learn more about encouraging the native bats in our area from local bat expert Cole Lindsey at Fall Garden Day on Oct. 1.
Fall Garden Day is a daylong educational program on fall gardening for local gardeners. The keynote speaker will be Lisa Hill, talking about "Planning for Hummingbirds and Backyard Birds in the Garden," plus there will be a variety of other fall gardening classes taught by Master Gardeners.
For a registration brochure, call 735-3551 or get one at http://county.wsu.edu/benton-franklin/gardening.
* Marianne Ophardt is a horticulturist for the Washington State University Benton County Extension.
