Itsy Bitsy Jumping Spider

I’ve had one other encounter with jumping spiders, and I still feel bad about it (HERE – by the way, there’s an account by the spider in the comments).

I rarely kill bugs, preferring to relocate them outside the home. I kill roaches, but now that we’re no longer in Hawaiʻi, I rarely see any, and certainly not in the house. I also kill ants, but I feel bad about it.

It’s just that it’s not practical to capture and relocate them; the roaches because they are too fast to catch, and ants because there are many and so small.

Outdoors, I prefer to photograph insects as opposed to killing them — mosquitoes excluded, but even then, I don’t go out of my way to kill them unless they aim to feast on me.

Anyway, around the middle of October, I still had hummingbird feeders out. I always check for bugs when I bring them in to clean and refill them. One, because I don’t want bugs in the house, and two, because I run the feeders under scalding water, and any bug hitching a ride would end up being boiled alive.

Anyway, I did a visual inspection of the feeder I was refilling and brought it in to clean it. The moment I ran the hot water, I thought I caught a tiny movement . . . I quickly turned the water off and examined the sink. Yup . . . a very small bug was trying to keep from being carried by the water down the drain.

After rescuing it, I realized it was a tiny jumping spider. I realized it because it jumped. By the way, jumping spiders will readily jump on you. As long as you don’t mess with them, they won’t bite.

Anyway, this guy was too small to give any significant bites, and after I put him (her?) into a styrofoam container, I went and got the camera.

Cute, ain’t he (she?)? I believe it’s a Tan Jumping Spider. After reading about them, I think that’s a male.

I briefly considered keeping it as a pet. For anyone interested in getting started with keeping jumping spiders as pets, I give you THIS site.

The thing is, I wasn’t prepared . . . I would have to order a suitable container, create a suitable habitat, and provide it with food.

In the end, I returned it outside, but not at the feeders. I have some rocks with lots of crevices that I thought might be a good place for it.

It’s difficult to tell from the photos, but I would say this spider was small — 2-3 millimeters. Really, by the naked eye, it was difficult to even see clearly.

Anyway, it was a fun little diversion, and I might look into preparing a nice habitat in case I come across another one.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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