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Freddie My Office Spider

My office is in the finished attic of our home.  It has a low, 7 foot ceiling that is vaulted on two sides. Even though it is ducted and air conditioned, our area of Texas gets pretty hot during the summers and the air conditioning (AC) units can't always keep up.  After all, heat rises, and my office is the highest part of the house.  And being a finished attic, there isn't much wall/ceiling between the inside of my office and what is the exterior roof of the house.

So we bought a small AC window unit and it does a great job.  Between it and the ceiling fan circulating the air, it is quite bearable.

Because we usually take the AC unit out of the window each winter, there isn't a permanent air tight seal around it.  Don't get me wrong, we have sealed it, it just isn't air tight.

When working in my office at night, I turn off the overhead lights and use one or two lamps.  One is a table top lamp near my desk and the other is a floor lamp several feet away.  They are square, oriental-style lamps and emit a pleasant diffused glow - perfect for late night work.

Even though the light is soft, it is also near the window and attracts flying insects.  The window unit is sealed well enough to keep out the big bugs, but the tiny gnat sized guys and the itty bitty moths still manage to find their way in.  Then they go directly to the lamps or to the low ceiling directly above the lights.

This brings us to Freddie.  Freddie is a jumping spider - sort of dark rust and black in color.  He's a whopping 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch long, legs and all.  He's quite attractive as spiders go.  We like 'em because they eat bugs.  He's animated and fuzzy.  Jumping spiders don't build a web to catch their prey. Instead, they use their amazing agility to catch supper.

I don't remember exactly when Freddie arrived on the scene - aka my office.  But it seems it was fairly early in spring time.  Each night he would appear in my office, usually on the wall or ceiling near my table lamp.  His presence night after night was welcome as he did his part for insect control.  The tiny insects seemed so oblivious to Freddie's presence.  Sheer numbers must play a large part in the survival of tiny flying insects.

It was facinating to watch Freddie as lay in wait for a bug to walk near him.  He never expended much energy chasing after them.  Instead, he would move toward them a short distance at a time.  Then he simply waited until the insect walked too close.

Freddie would do his hunting work.  I would work on my computer.  Once in a while a tiny, empty insect carcass would slowly float from the ceiling, down to the floor.  Lots of dusting and vacuuming happens especially during warm months.

Freddie and I worked together all summer and even late into the fall that year.  When the cooler temperatures came the tiny insects, and Freddie too, stopped making an appearance.

During the summer I had considered moving Freddie outside, where he was "supposed" to be. However, he was a small guy, he didn't bother anything, he had plenty to eat and was in a safe, comfortable place.  So, I'd like to think he had a good life. He was certainly a comforting bright spot in mine.

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