The Melmerby Beach resident found a large spider in her home Monday that leaped from behind her wood stove and fought back against her curious cat before she was able to get it into a plastic container.
“The cat was buzzing around the wood stove and then all of a sudden it went plop on my floor. It was nighttime and I switched on the light and I grabbed a jar. I said, ‘I need to find out more about you.’”
Kowalski said she is an animal lover, but is not a fan of insects so she wanted to find out more to make sure it didn’t lay eggs in her home.
She contacted some Nova Scotia biologists who believe her guest might be a wolf spider but wanted to get a closer look at it.
Wolf spiders are between a half-inch and two inches long. It has eight legs, but also two additional tiny legs extending out the front. Males, such as this one, have a rounding in front of two legs which sets them apart from the females.
Luckily, if biologists are correct, this is a male spider so there is no fear of babies crawling out from behind the woodstove.
They are found in Nova Scotia, but rarely spotted by people. Outside they live in grassy areas or firewood, but inside they tend to take shelter around doors, windows and house plants. Wolf spiders do not build webs but instead hunt their prey. They can bite – it is not deadly, but can be painful.
She said she did bring in firewood recently for her wood stove so it is possible the spider crawled out of that.
Kowalski is treating her guest well by making sure it has plenty to eat, but is anxious for someone to take it off her hands.
She said she might release it, but if she does, it will be a long way down her road, away from her home.
