The battle starts--bodies everywhere

I checked the boat ramp about 7:30 this morning and the parking lot was full of vehicles with bicycle racks on them. Milling around were many buff-looking people wearing wet suits and running shoes, most of whom seemed to be anticipating something dreadful. Apparently there is an iron man event going on. Hauling the boat so I can paint the underside of the new top in the shade is out of the question -- at least for today. 


So I decided to attack the boat spiders. I use fabric softener strips such as Bounce as a repellent  in enclosed spaces -- the cabins, bilges and stowage areas. It works great. But Ms. Bettencourt's outside areas were swarming with arachnids. They were inhabiting the undersides of the rub rails, The outside eaves around the top, under the swim and anchor platforms and around the rafters inside the top.This is not good. 


I did some research and it turns out that boat spiders are not problems for power boaters alone. A search of the topic on power, sail, houseboating and wooden boat forums revealed many remedies. Here's a sampling:

• Donate the boat to charity.
• Cover the boat with landscape shade cloth
• No-pest strips
• Electronic anti spider devices
• Aerosol foggers
• Roach spray
• Encourage large wasp nests
• Acquire one really big spider
• A medium-sized cat
• Spider baits
• Lemon furniture polish

Others that I particularly liked included a witchcraft spell that involved vinegar (this one came from a wooden boat person who had forgotten everything about the spell but the vinegar). And there was another guy posting on a Chris Craft forum who said he was attacking his spiders with a spear gun. 


Then there were these instructions:  The boat owner is to place an open bottle of Jack Daniels whisky outside the cabin so the spiders are "...drawn out of the cabin, either falling overboard drunk or running around the deck wearing women's underwear on their little spider heads. This immediately gives their position away at which point they can be easily eliminated, providing the captain has not been into the Jack himself."


Surprisingly, there seems to be a fairly large pro-spider faction among boaters. Many of these spider advocates point out that these little creatures eat mosquitoes and flies. I have some sympathy for this position, but Ms. Bettencourt's outside spiders have pushed me into the opposite camp. They started leaving black splats all over everything, including the new top. I went to the home store, bought a gallon of  Home Defense insecticide and dumped it in a pump sprayer. I sprayed every place I thought they could hide. Results were rapid and satisfying.

A survivor on the dashboard. I will be back for her tomorrow.

This one was not so lucky. She and many others will be collected with the shop vac.









A relentless anti-spider campaign has begun. Tonight, when it gets cooler, I will scrub away the black splats. Then I'll vacuum up the sick and the dead and as many egg sacs as I can find. Tomorrow morning, Ms Bettencourt will see another perfect squall of spider spray.


This will continue for as long as necessary.


No, I am not making excuses for postponing the paint work. You can't paint with spiders hanging all over the place. And besides, it's too hot. There are too many swimmers with bicycles. The water level is too low. It is not patriotic to paint on the 4th of July weekend.