Phase 1 was moving the young black widows to new, spacious quarters and giving them a day to get comfortable. Phase 2 is giving them a big meal so they aren’t hungry when meeting their beaus.
Here’s one female who has just been given a hearty breakfast.
The splotches near the center are spider poop, I’m sorry to say. I’ve been keeping them well fed, so they had to, ummm, relieve themselves immediately after the move. I dropped a large mealworm in this morning — it immediately scurried under the coconut fiber on the left. The spider was very excited, though, and has one leg on its butt, and although you can’t see it, has a silk line attached to it already.
I expect the ladies to be fully satiated and ready for love when I introduce them to some males tomorrow. Friday should be exciting!
Phase IV is when we all submit to our new ant overlords.
They’re called black widows, right? Do the males realize this?
Can PZ rationalize sending the males to their demise by way of the principle of double effect?
In the words of Sam Seder, voting is not a love letter, it’s a chess move.
Oops. Previous comment ended up on the wrong post. I have nothing to say on this topic.