A Day in Port - Spiders

One thing about boating that is not often discussed is spiders. We became spider experts at our marina on the Connecticut River. It was a beautiful location also known a “spider island.”  The spiders were so bad, we could clean the boat in the morning and it would be dirty in the afternoon.  We ultimately moved to a marina on the shore to get away from the spiders. It took 18 months to clear all of the spiders off of the boat.  

Once we got to fresh water on the Loop, we began encountering spiders and we have had to put our past experience to good use. 

If there are bugs (food) there will be spiders. The more food, the more spiders, and the faster they grow.  Spider Island had lots of bugs and while we have not experienced that again, we have had a lot more bugs on the Loop than at the shore. Once they set up house in the cabin, you know you are in trouble. 

They make a mess both with the dead bugs and with the spider poop. 

Here are some pointers based on our experience: 

1.  You have to squish spiders to keep them from coming back. They can swim and have many ways to get back on the boat. They will climb aboard via dock lines, and some of them can jump. 


This spider will not return

2.  We primarily wash the boat to keep the spiders under control; cleaning the boat is secondary. They hide in difficult to reach places. Zippers, dock and fender lines, seams in canvas, corners in railings, corners in windows are all hiding places. A cleaning for spiders is a thorough cleaning. Good soapy water will make them come out of their holes so you can squish them. 


3.  But that is still not enough for the big, smart ones.  That requires the Night Patrol! Once it’s dark, one takes a flashlight, along with a paper towel (for squishing) all around the outside of the boat. You might need a couple of paper towels because the big ones are quite juicy. 

Night Patrol


Validation of success is quite easy. If you go out in the morning and see no webs, no dead bugs and no spider poop, you have won for now. 

But they come back over time so we have to follow the procedure again.

In case you are wondering, poisons and other sprays are not sufficiently effective, so remember “a squished spider is a dead spider.”
 ðŸ•· 

Comments

  1. BrickAugust 28, 2021 at 2:01 PM

    I’m pleased to know that you have become a proficient arachnidoligist, although “squish” is not the technical term that I expected in that lexicon. Fun story though from the comfort of my spider-free house!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Taurus Great LoopAugust 28, 2021 at 8:55 PM

      In the future we will refer to compressing the spider to exceed MAWP (Maximum Allowable Working Pressure).

      Delete

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