Spiders have never been Dana Harrison’s favorite animal. She actually has no love for them at all, but suddenly she has had a change of heart.
According to Harrison, who spoke to The Dodo, “Last summer, my husband told me that spiders are beneficial for my garden and that I should let them survive since they eat bugs and other spiders. I made the decision to let the jumping spiders survive and take care of the bugs as long as they stayed near the glass when they appeared in my window.
Harrison had a jumping spider living in her kitchen window for four months last fall, and when a new one recently moved in, she decided to name him Lucas.
Initially, Harrison and Lucas had a simple arrangement. She gave him a place to live, he took care of the other bugs and they tried to stay out of each other’s way. As time went on, though, something strange began to happen. Harrison began to grow fond of little Lucas.
Harrison stated, “I’ve even seen Lucas in the sink and on the ceiling. The other day, I had a sink full of filthy dishes and he was in there. I attempted to get him out by scooping him out with a spoon, but he wasn’t having it and kept digging deeper.
I decided to remove all the dirty dishes later before washing them to ensure he made it out. Nevertheless, I was relieved that I didn’t have to when I later noticed him on the microwave outlet. I placed a pop cap on the window sill since I was unsure whether he used the sink to get water.
Harrison was never one of those people who went out of her way to help spiders. She never imagined she’d form a friendship with one, but Lucas has helped her see that maybe spiders aren’t so scary after all.
“It’s actually a lot of fun watching him,” Harrison said. “Jumping spiders don’t build webs, so they rely on their jumping and stalking skills to catch their prey. It’s like watching National Geographic right in my house. I even try to shoo flies towards him — it’s like I’m hunting with him.”
Even though Lucas won’t stick around forever, there are bound to be other spiders who make their homes in Harrison’s kitchen window — and thanks to Lucas, they’ll all be a little more welcome.