This fellow with huge fangs was weaving a web right in front of my little chair in the hermitage, lowering himself down right in front of my face. “Where’s the camera?!” thought I to myself. Having grabbed the spider forthwith, I took a couple of pictures and tossed him just outside to weave a web another day, perhaps just outside the hermitage. I would let him stay inside if he hunted Brown Recluse spiders. Probably not. More bites from the latter. I’ll spare you the details… for now! A shot of the design he sports:
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
You might consider gathering some osage oranges, They are supposed to contain a chenical that repels spiders. This is supposed to help keep them out of your house. Also to repel spiders on your person – essential oils of citrus – especially lemon is rumored to work. Since spiders taste with their feet I’ll bet if you rubbed lemon on you exposed skin (arms, legs, ankles) it might help keep the little monsters away. Seems like it would be worth a try.
Are essential oils all worse than gasoline? I remember in Australia tha eucalyptus essential oil was truly explosive! Of course, explosions here and there would keep the little beasts away, I suppose!
Kinda worried for you, Fr.- how many of these bites per year can one person handle before there are dire consequences?
As long as they are only cutaneous, as many as the spiders want. Blech.
My mother used to say that spiders in the house meant good luck….. you must be the luckiest person on the planet! YIKES!!
So are you saying that you are dabbing gasoline on your exposed skin as an insect repellant? That might work but what happens when it evaporates?
Yeah, essential oils are probably expensive but regular lemons might just work and also could prevent scurvy. Maybe a St Francis medal might work too.
No! No gasoline! And hopefully no scurvy! I must admit I like tomatoes, which have plenty of vitimin C. I must admit I did notice that I felt much better after some days of a taking daily multi-vitamins a very kind soul sent in to the hermitage. I must have been missing something somewhere. I wonder if “Deep Woods OFF”, tested in my North Woods of Minnesota, would also work to repel spiders…. Cheaper and less goopy and much more convenient. If I remember if I see it…
the designs of the spider are beautiful, i admire your courage.. cause there is NO way i would pick one up to take a picture! eek!
Yeah, if I saw one of them coming down in front of my face, I’d probably go looking for a shoe. Eeek!
Clearly I’m not a Franciscan.
Ok Father, I did a little research and “they” claim chestnuts and osage oranges (also known as Horse Apples) will keep spiders out of your house. Also Lemon Pledge will keep them away. Maybe a spritz of Pledge will word as a repellant. Also you can soak chewing tobacco in boiling water let it cool, strain it and spray it outside to get them to move away.
They don’t bit through clothing do they?
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I had to look up osage oranges. Don’t think there are any around here. In Minnesota, and here, horse apples are… um… something else!
Lemon pledge sounds pretty fancy for the hermitage. The wood wouldn’t know what to do.
I could take up chewing the chewing taboacco and forego using a spitoon. Just spitting here and there around the hermitage. I could get to be a pretty good shot! Just a thought!
I don’t think they bite through clothes. But gloves and a face-mask are too much in the summer!
Dear Father,
Don’t put citrus essential oils right on your skin without diluting them a fair amount in an oil or cream – it’s easy to get sensitivity reactions from putting straight essential oils (from the bottle) on the skin; also even if you dilute them in oil or cream and put them on your skin, wait a while before going out in the sun (or put them on at night) because you can get phototoxicity reactions.
Thank you so much for all of your writings – these have been very helpful for me. You do seem to get an amazing amount of spiders in your house, though!
Yikes! Thanks for the advice. Yes, this official rain forest has a goodly number of God’s good creatures! Praise the Lord!