#but like the cellar spiders hunt and eat other spiders but they do build a web to sit on too and will share webs with each other | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hapalopus · 5 years ago

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Hi! I was wondering if you could help me with some spider questions in the fantasy genre. See, I'm trying to write a fantasy book and a group of humans have been cursed to live as abnormally large spiders without their human mind. I want to write the spider behavior somewhat accurately, despite the unrealistic situation (and I'm not sure what kind of spiders or if hybrids is the way to go), but I don't know where to start or what the specific key words are to figure out what I need to know.(1/2)

(2/2) I’ve done some research on it before but was unable to really find what I was looking for (probably also because I’m not sure about the spider type), so I was wondering if you were willing to point me in the right direction with some good, basic websites? (Danish, English or both are fine). Either way, thanks in advance!

Generalizing spider behavior is like generalizing carnivoran behavior! Like, sure, cats and dogs have a lot of behavior in common, but you wouldn’t say their behavior is the same. Just think about it: there are 270 species of carnivorans and all of them - even the close relatives, like wolves and coyotes - have different behavior. Meanwhile there are around 40.000 species of spider!! So you’re right that the reason you can’t find any concrete behavior is probably because you haven’t narrowed down any species to take your inspiration from :)

There are a few things you can generalize about spider behavior:

Spiders, like cats, are both predators and prey (and even then there’s exceptions like Bagheera kiplingi who are mostly vegetarian or Adelocosa anops who don’t really have any predators). Spiders aren’t confident apex predators who laze around, like lions. They have to be on guard at all times, and most prefer to hide when they aren’t actively hunting for food or mates. This may not be relevant to your story though, if your spiders are the size of Shelob!

Spiders’ primary sense is sensing vibrations in the air and ground with fine hairs on their legs and abdomen. Even species that rely heavily on eye-sight (like jumpers) still primarily sense with their hairs. They also detect sounds and smells with hairs on their legs and have no sense of taste in their mouth. Most spiders have really lousy sight and all of them have lousy hearing!

All spiders make web, but they make it for wildly different reasons (even a single species can easily have 5-10 different kinds of web). A few examples of webs include spiral webs, tangle webs, sheet webs, safety lines, sperm webs, egg sacs, gossamer threads, and cocoons. This article gives a really good overview [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_silk] and if you really wanna dig deep, the book “Spider Silk: Evolution and 400 Million Years of Spinning, Waiting, Snagging, and Mating” by Leslie Brunetta and Catherine L. Craig should be really good (though I haven’t personally read it yet).

All spiders (and all animals, honestly) exhibit some kind of social behavior. For some spiders this is overt aggression towards other members of their species. For others it’s tolerance, or even a preference for being social! The key is that they all react to and interact with members of their own species.

Some species I suggest looking into (aka some of my favorites, I’m very biased):

Long-bodied cellar spider (Pholcus phalangioides) - A common guest in bathrooms around the world. They may not look like much, but they have some of the most interesting social behavior imho! There’s a bit of conflicting information floating around, which is par for the course for any invertebrate, but to generalize: They’re semi-social, as the slings and juveniles will often cooperate when building webs and catching prey, and they’re web-pirates who’ll steal other webs and eat the former inhabitants. Young spiders are known to eat communally, and older spiders are known to live close to and tolerate each other. The female mixes sperm from several males, which means that all males have sired some of her offspring and thus won’t want to kill it because they might kill their own. The female protects her eggs and babies for weeks until the juveniles can survive on their own and disperse. This is a fairly common level of sociality that you’ll also see in a lot of other genera, including Metepiera, Cyrtophora, and Badumna. Can you tell I love my bathroom spiders?

Socotra Island blue baboon (Monocentropus balfouri) - This species is also ‘just’ tolerant of other members of its species, but it’s unique in that it’s a tarantula! Individuals from different egg sacs can sometimes attack each other, but if they’re raised together and have enough food they won’t mind each other. The females will defend and feed their offspring until they’ve molted a few times, so they’re also good mothers!

Social wall spider (Oecobius civitas) - This one’s probably the most unique (and the one with the scarcest information online). These spiders’ webs are connected, and can hold up to 200 spiders per 100 square inches. If one spider is disturbed it’ll dart out of its little web burrow and try to find another hiding place, and if no hiding place is available it’ll run into another spider’s burrow. The spider in this burrow will then flee and try to find a new hiding place, which can lead to tens of spiders running around for several seconds until they’ve all found new hiding places. Another thing these spiders do is having a shared egg sac in their colony where all the females will deposit their eggs, which are then protected communally by adults and older juveniles. They also hunt communally which lets them take down larger prey, and have been known to regurgitate food to feed spiderlings.

Honorary mention to Agelena consociata, Anelosimus eximius, and Archaearanea wau who might actually be the most social spiders, but whom I’d have to read up on to accurately cover. I’ve already spent much more time on this than I meant to, RIP. The book “The Encyclopedia of Land Invertebrate Behaviour” by Rod and Ken Preston-Mafham covers their behavior.

This paper gives a very quick overview of the social behavior of a bunch of different species: [https://www.academia.edu/2702901/The_evolution_of_social_behavior_in_spiders]

#ask #bugblr

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ruinouss-archived · 3 years ago

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Dossier

Disclaimer: This contains the basics that mainly center around a more modern world. Any verse specifics can be found under her VERSES page.

The backstory TL;DR of her bio is at the bottom. Backstory tws: child/domestic abuse mention, alcohol, drugs, and death.

Mini Ref - Other Visuals - Tattoo and Scar Guide (coming soon)

General

Name: Faye Rivera

Nicknames: Red, that bitch

Race: Human (most verses)

Age: 28

Gender: Cis-Female

Orientation: Demiromantic pansexual

DoB: May 3rd

Occupation: Gun for hire

Appearance

Height: 5'3"

Body Type: Hourglass

Skin Tone: Tanned

Hair: Reddish Brown

Eyes: Heterochromia blue (left) & brown (right)

Notable features: Freckles over bridge of nose, beauty mark on left jaw, notch in right ear, scar across right side of neck, and small ones scattered over body

Modifications: Three piercings in right ear, five piercings in left ear, behind left ear, and on her left hip/thigh.

Face Claim: Adria Arjona

Personal

Skills: Expert hand to hand combat, expert marksmanship, expert swordsmanship, first aid, cooking, minor mechanical knowledge, minor hacking knowledge

Weapons: Dual swords/daggers, hidden blades, retractable bo-staff, dual pistols, various other weapons depending on the job

Likes: Cooking/eating, drawing/painting, danger, drinking, the ocean, music (listening and playing)

Dislikes: Authority, failing, spiders (borderline phobia), being alone, losing her temper

Fears: Blackout darkness, claustrophobia

Family: Fiona Rivera (mother), Ryder Rivera (older brother), Cesar Steele (father), Joseph Duvall (Mentor/adoptive father)

Personality: Upon first impression Faye comes off as a cocky, audacious smartass with a death wish. She lives life to the fullest and tends to be rather reckless in some of her actions. But don’t let this fool you, she’s very calculating in her risks and has at least two back up plans already in the works. She’s slow to trust and can come off as a bit callous in some of her mannerisms and responses and her chaotic neutral disposition can prove unfavorable if a higher bidder comes along. It’s a cruel world and she’s learned the hard way to do the double cross first. She’s constantly looking for the next job/adventure and can find the silver lining in even the most bleak of situations. Her mouth tends to operate faster than her mind which often gets her into some sticky situations but she’s learned to adapt and roll with the punches. Literally and figuratively. If one manages to tolerate her and stick around long enough to gain her trust they’ll earn themselves a friend who’ll gladly trade her life for theirs. They’ll also learn there’s more to her than meets the eye. And as a final warning, be mindful as she has a nasty temper that can get the best of her in the blink of an eye.

Bio: Ever since she was born, life was difficult to put it simply. Her father, Cesar, was a cruel man who took over a criminal empire at a young age. Her mother was forced to be his property in exchange for her sister’s life. He found his men to have too many morals and decided to treat his two children as experiments, forcing them to commit heinous acts at a young age and severely and inhumanely punishing them when they disobeyed. Faye got the worst of it as her she got his tenacious and rebellious spirit. Her mother did what she could to protect her children, attempting many times to escape with her children. Each failed escape ended with a worse punishment that only fueled a fire and hatred for the man. It wasn’t until she was around eight and her brother was eleven that they finally got their chance to escape. A highly trained mercenary had been hired to infiltrate Cesar’s domain and gather what intel he could. Upon discovering the family, he decided to assist them in escaping, believing Faye’s mother, Fiona, would be able to divulge valuable information. It was an escape as Cesar always seemed to be a step ahead. They managed to escape the compound but didn’t get very far before Cesar had tracked them down. The mercenary, Joseph, was badly injured during the firefight, leaving the three basically defenseless. In a last ditch effort, Fiona gave her life to save her children. Faye and her brother took to the woods, using their smaller size to their advantage as night fell. Assuming they’d succumb to the elements, Cesar gave up the chase and returned to his base of operations. The pair waited for hours before finally moving, knowing there was nothing else but to look forward. Eventually they came across train tracks and followed it to a city where they survived in the slums by stealing and taking advantage of anyone that crossed their path. Over a year passed before their luck took a curious turn. Faye was attempting to pickpocket a stranger when they managed to catch her by her wrist. To both their surprise it turned out to be the same mercenary who had rescued her and her brother. He had survived his injuries that fateful night and spent days searching for them before ending up in the city. He decided to offer her a deal; he would adopt her and her brother but they’d have to follow his every command or they could remain on the streets where eventually their luck would run out. At the thought of becoming mercenaries themselves and avenging their mother, they agreed. The following years were exhausting and difficult as they went through rigorous training to prepare themselves for the cruelty of the world while also having to balance school work. When their vindictive intentions came to light, Joseph confronted them with him and Ryder having a huge falling out who refused to bow down. A fight ensued but Joseph was quick to put Ryder back into his place, showing their was still much the eighteen year old could learn. This only upset Ryder who took off, leaving Faye to train alone. Despite the pain she felt from her brother’s abrupt disappearance she remained with Joseph, continuing to learn the trade and feeling the first sting of betrayal. They had been on a mission when one of their comrades double crossed them for a large cut. While they managed to complete the mission, Joseph suffered injuries that required him to retire. Faye continued on and when she was twenty-one fell in love with a man named Ethan who showed her an even more lucrative world dealing in the underworld. She ignored her father’s warnings and pleas to not go down that path, running off with Ethan who manipulated into doing just about anything. A few years went by before she was ultimately betrayed by Ethan who attempted to kill her, slicing her neck and setting the building they were in on file. Miraculously, Faye managed to survive and pull herself out where she was able to get medical help in the nick of time. Her father came to visit where they reconciled. However, it was a short lived reunion as Ethan had heard of Faye’s survival and sent some men to dispose of her. Joseph was killed protecting his daughter. Grief stricken, Faye gave in to her rage and spent the next several months tracking Ethan and anyone associated with him down before brutally killing them. Unable to properly cope with her grief and pain, she dissociated, becoming a living weapon. She reached out to contacts in the underworld, taking damn near every job offered to her no matter how gruesome or cruel the specifics might’ve been. She turned to alcohol and drugs to help dull her senses. This continued for about a year until her brother managed to track her down. It was a rough month as he forced her to detox and face what had happened and what she’d been doing the past year before finally bringing her back to normal. He helped her grieve and the two caught up where she learned he had in fact killed their father and took over the criminal empire, changing things so it was mainly just guns and drugs they dealt with. He’d always kept an eye on her but it wasn’t until she really went off the rails that he decided to step in. Ryder remained with Faye, accompanying her on a few missions and showing her a few of his contacts that assisted in more training and fine tuning her abilities. He stayed until he was certain she wouldn’t slip back into a dark place. The two remained in contact and Faye continued working as a gun for hire with jobs ranging from being a body guard to contract killer. She remained rather neutral with the jobs she took, only stating killing animals and most children were off the table. Old habits died hard and she found herself finding some comfort in alcohol on the lonely nights. TL;DR: Father was a crime lord and murdered her mother in front of her and her brother as they were trying to escape. The siblings lived on the streets for a year before a mercenary took them in. She trained with him even after her adoptive father and brother had a falling out and her brother left. She eventually ran off with some guy who manipulated her and introduced her to the underworld before eventually betraying her. She managed to survive and reconciled with her father right before her ex’s men tried killing her and instead ended up killing her adoptive father. This sent her in a rage where she hunted down her ex and his associates. After successfully killing them, she was unable to cope with the guilt that came with her father’s death. She cut herself off from her emotions and started taking just about any job even if it meant killing innocent. This continued until her brother decided to step in and try and get her back on the right track. When he managed to break through they caught up and she learned he’d killed their father and had taken over the criminal business with some changes. They remained in touch and eventually Faye started working as a gun for hire again, taking jobs that ranged from being a body guard to a contract killer with a slightly better moral compass than before.

Extras

Knows a few different languages

Claustrophobia and fear of darkness stems from being locked in a footlocker/closet/cellar as punishment from her father

Usually always has snacks on her

Sometimes gives people nicknames

Has used the pseudo name Sharon Peters (say it fast)

Has safe houses scattered all over

#Dossier

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thesafepesticide · 3 years ago

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Do Spiders Eat Cockroaches? Do Spiders Eat Cockroaches? Cockroaches and spiders are both seen as a nuisance inside the home. However, their bad reputations aren't always warranted. In the wild, these insects play a valuable role in the ecosystem and against each other. Certain spiders will hunt down and eat roaches and their eggs. Spiders that eat cockroaches include American house spiders, wolf spiders, huntsman spiders, jumping spiders, running spiders, brown recluse spiders, and widow spiders. Most of these are active hunters that will track down prey. Those that rely on trapping cockroaches with their robust silk webs. Smaller spiders can eat smaller roaches, while bigger spiders can eat bigger roaches. Depending on the type of infestation you have, it's wise to look at different species of spiders. Just keep in mind that this form of natural pest control won't be effective against a large roach infestation.

Do Spiders Eat Cockroaches?

Spiders can eat cockroaches, but not all spiders do so. Here are the varieties of spiders that hunt cockroaches:

Wolf spiders

Huntsman spiders

Jumping spiders

Running spiders

Brown recluse spiders

Widow spiders

These spiders also eat bugs that aren’t cockroaches. That means you can trust them to handle other household pests, including:

Earwigs

Mosquitoes

Flies

Bed bugs

Clothes moths

In the wild, spiders will hunt and feed on various prey based on what's available in their environment. That includes other insects, small mammals, and fish. Since roaches are a prominent species globally, it's no surprise that many spiders of different regions use them as a food source. However, no one spider species relies on cockroaches exclusively for food. Instead, spiders will eat roaches opportunistically. If a spider is hungry enough and a roach is available, it may decide to pursue it. Likewise, if a roach gets caught in its web, larger spiders won’t pass up a meal.

Do House Spiders Eat Cockroaches?

House spiders do eat cockroaches, but usually only small roaches. ‘House spider’ is a broad category that will cover up to 10 or more different species, including the:

Long-bodied cellar spider

Brown recluse

Daddy long leg

Sac spider

Jumping spider

Wolf spider

Hobo spider

The most common species is the American house spider. This spider is mostly harmless to humans. It relies on eating prey bugs with few defensive capabilities that can be caught in its web. Some roaches are more resilient against their passive tactics. That's true for large varieties, like the American cockroach, which can break out of thin webs. That's the case for many other common house spiders. For example, Daddy long leg spiders are docile and have small mouths. They would be unable to crack through a roach's thick outer shell to eat the bug. They would also struggle to fit the roach into their mouth. Their webs are thin enough that giant roaches could breakthrough. If you're looking for spiders that can work as pest control, you need to pick more significant types.

Appearance

American house spiders are a dull brown with a spotted pattern. They're usually around ¼-inch in size. They can't attack and eat roaches that are bigger than them. However, they may eat those if they come across a smaller cockroach, like the brown-banded roach. That's especially true if the roach gets caught in their webs.

What Else Do They Eat?

If they can’t find small roaches, American house spiders tend to eat:

Flies

Moths

Mosquitoes

Earwigs

Other small insects

Do They Bite?

American house spiders do not bite humans. That makes them relatively safe to keep in your home. In fact, depending on your region, you may have a few with you right now. Rather than clearing them out, you can enjoy some peace of mind that they might eat small roaches.

Do Wolf Spiders Eat Cockroaches?

Wolf spiders will eat cockroaches. Since wolf spiders don’t spin webs, they stalk and ambush their prey like a wolf. Some varieties will burrow into the ground and place a web covering over this pit. They will then wait for unsuspecting insects to pass by. At this point, the wolf spider will burst out and attack its prey. In your home, wolf spiders usually linger in the corners of your home or prowl across your walls. If they spot prey, they will either rush it at high speeds or leap great distances to land on it. This can make them effective at taking out more giant roaches or faster species of insect.

Appearance

A wolf spider’s excellent eyesight and agile body make it easy to track down cockroaches and snatch them up. This good eyesight also helps them hunt at night when roaches tend to be moving around the most. To spot a wolf spider, it is usually about ½ to 1 ⅓ inch in size, and its eyes are arranged in 3 rows. They will have thick bodies, and they may seem like a small tarantula to the average person. They come in light brown and dark brown colors and may appear slightly fuzzy.

What Else Do They Eat?

When not eating cockroaches, they like crickets, beetles, and even mealworms. In the wild, larger species of wolf spiders may even hunt small mammals. They use their deadly venom to clot the blood of their victims, killing them over time. Once the prey is dead, the wolf can eat at its leisure. They are on the larger side so that these spiders can hunt larger prey. Oriental roaches, American roaches, German roaches, and brown-banded roaches will be no issue.

Do They Bite?

Wolf spiders do bite. While their venom isn't deadly to humans, unlike with black windows, it can be harmful. It may create an infected wound that will need medical attention. If you see a wolf spider in your home, it's better to get rid of it. Even if it's an effective cockroach-hunter, it may be more of an issue to you. Wolf spiders don't openly attack humans, but they can get startled into biting. Likewise, they may bite defensively if you get frightened and try to smack it away.

Do Huntsman Spiders Eat Cockroaches?

Huntsman spiders are known for eating cockroaches. As a bonus, they're often kept as pets. They enjoy the taste of cockroaches and will actively hunt them if there is no other food around. Like wolf spiders, huntsman spiders don't spin webs. Instead, they use stealth and speed to catch their prey. Some homeowners even use huntsman spiders to control their cockroach population.

Appearance

To have huntsman spiders eat cockroaches, you must be willing to let a 3-5 inch spider into your home. They look like a hairless tarantula, so it's a large pet. In exchange for a warm, safe home to live in, it will track down the other insects in your house or apartment. It's a chemical-free way to control pests. Huntsman spiders have eight eyes and are a light shade of either brown or grey. Some have black and white undersides or red markings around their mouths. Their legs are spiny, but their bodies are pretty furry. They are often found in sheds, garages, or places in the house that people typically don't use often. Usually, you won't see them, as they rarely walk around during the daylight hours. While they may have many eyes, their eyesight isn't as good as other spider types. You'll have to be careful about not stepping on the bug or accidentally setting items on them. Your huntsman spiders, if allowed to roam free, might not avoid the danger.

What Else Do They Eat?

Besides cockroaches, huntsman spiders also hunt and eat:

Palmetto bugs

Crickets

Silverfish

Cockroaches are their favorite, though!

Huntsman spiders have no interest in people and only want the bugs in your home.

Do They Bite?

Huntsman spiders actively eat cockroaches but don’t bite or use venom via biting.

Do Brown Recluse Spiders Eat Cockroaches?

Brown recluse spiders do eat cockroaches. They build thick, resilient webs that are capable of holding small-to-medium cockroaches steadfastly. This allows them to snack on trapped prey at night during peak feeding times. When they're not checking their webs, brown recluse spiders may also creep around your home. They will look to capture roaches and use their venom to subdue them. These spiders are sometimes kept as pets but do so carefully. These spiders have powerful venom. If they were to bite you accidentally, you could get an infected wound.

Appearance

The most telltale sign of a brown recluse spider is a dark, violin-shaped mark on its body. The neck of the mark will point toward the abdomen. These spiders also have a light brown or yellow-brown thorax.

What Else Do They Eat?

Besides cockroaches, they also eat:

Firebats

Crickets

Ants

Other spiders

Centipedes

Other crawling bugs

When hunting, a brown recluse will pounce, inject its venom, and then wait for it to do the work.

Do They Bite?

As mentioned, brown recluse spiders handle prey through the use of venom. Their bites aren't powerful, but the resulting wound and infection can be surprising. It's not advised to let them roam free in your home. Unless you're experienced with spiders, you should avoid keeping one. If you spot a brown recluse living in your home, take it outside before it has the chance to bite anyone.

Do Jumping Spiders Eat Cockroaches?

Jumping spiders do eat cockroaches, but only if they're hungry. Most roaches are larger than this spider, even the tiny German cockroach. As such, it will eat a roach if it can get ahold of one, but it's an uncommon practice. As their name implies, jumping spiders like to hunt through ambush attacks. They will creep throughout your home and lay in wait. If they spot their prey, they will jump onto their target, hold tightly, and eat it.

Appearance

This type of spider has eight eyes and much better eyesight than the huntsman spider. It is also the largest family of spiders inside of its particular branch. That makes this family rather small. Jumping spiders can look different from each other. They can be brown, tan, or grey. This will be matched to white, grey, yellow, blue, red, or green markings. They are about ⅛ -¾ inch in size and are covered in hair or colored scales.

What Else Do They Eat?

Jumping spiders mainly eat fruit flies, mosquitoes, and pests that tend to go after plants or crops. They will eat the occasional cockroach, but it would have to be a small one.

Do They Bite?

These spiders do bite and have large fangs. Their venom is not deadly to humans, but it's best to remove it from your home if you see one.

Do Running Spiders Eat Cockroaches?

Running spiders do eat cockroaches. As another spider that doesn't make webs, they use other skills to catch their prey. As the name implies, running spiders use their speed to sneak up on cockroaches, attack them, and eat them. They can run up to 1.2 miles per hour, while roaches can run at 3 miles per hour at top speed. Of course, that means a roach could outrun this predator. Luckily, these spiders are great at ambushes. According to PLOS ONE, running spiders are aerodynamic and use air displacement to ensure their prey doesn’t detect them. Roaches barely know they are coming before the spider has them.

Appearance

To identify a running spider, look for a dark-red head and thorax. It will be matched to a beige or tan abdomen. In stark contrast to the rest of their body, their back legs are pale white.

Do They Bite?

Running spiders do bite, and it's painful for humans, but they are not poisonous. Because of their bite, most people do not want running spiders in their homes. They can serve as fairly good pest control, but it's not worth the risk.

Do Widow Spiders Eat Cockroaches?

Widow spiders, or black widows, are species that spin webs and also eat cockroaches. They use their sticky, intricate webs to catch their prey. Their traps are resilient and can hold even the most powerful roach. According to Science Magazine, a black window's silk is just as strong as Kevlar; or it would be if it were scaled up to size. Once their prey is trapped, black windows will bite the roach and wrap it up in silk to prevent escape. The venom will eat away at the roach, making it a tasty meal for later.

Appearance

Widow spiders, as you can probably guess, are either dark brown or black. Their clearest identifying feature will be the red or orange hourglass shape on their undersides. Some may have red spots or no extra markings at all. They are also quite small, at less than a ⅓ inch big. Widow spiders are shy and nocturnal. At night, they do their hunting, so you're unlikely to see them. This makes them great at capturing roaches, which may creep throughout your kitchen in the darkness.

Do They Bite?

Black widow spiders are venomous. A single bite can be very life-threatening. They may only bite if provoked, but an injection of their venom can result in extreme damage to your muscles and nerves. According to the Journal of Cell Biology, this is especially effective against frogs and other prey larger than black widows. The venom causes a breakdown in the cells, extreme pain, and eventually death. If you find a black window in your home, have it removed immediately.

Do Cockroaches Eat Dead Spiders?

You don't have to worry about the cockroaches in your home turning the tides. Roaches do not eat spiders and are not predators. However, cockroaches will feed on the bodies of dead spiders. This isn’t a surprise as cockroaches will eat other cockroaches. Any dead house spiders in your home may become a food source. That's true if you've just carried out pest control methods on a spider population. If you've recently purchased spiders to hunt down roaches, some may die through natural means. You should clean up these bodies as well to avoid helping a roach population thrive. In some cases, a roach may eat a live spider. If the spider is small and the roach is hungry, it will take advantage of food opportunities. However, this will be a rare event.

Can You Keep Spiders To Get Rid Of Cockroaches?

You can keep spiders as a natural form of pest control against roaches. With spiders in your home, they can stop more roaches from coming into your home. It can also eat the ones that are already there and decrease the population. However, this does not work against large infestations. If you're dealing with a full colony of roaches, a spider or two won't be able to reduce the population. They will be overwhelmed by the numbers. Likewise, bringing in more spiders may mean that you'll be dealing with them as a new kind of infestation, which will grow out of control. Keep sharing Do Spiders Eat Cockroaches? with your friends and family members. Read More: https://thesafepesticide.com/do-spiders-eat-cockroaches/?feed_id=120&_unique_id=611372c7a3992

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djgblogger-blog · 7 years ago

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Should I kill spiders in my home? An entomologist explains why not to

http://bit.ly/2rMaXt6

youtube

He comes in peace. Matt Bertone, CC BY-ND

I know it may be hard to convince you, but let me try: Don’t kill the next spider you see in your home.

Why? Because spiders are an important part of nature and our indoor ecosystem – as well as being fellow organisms in their own right.

People like to think of their dwellings as safely insulated from the outside world, but many types of spiders can be found inside. Some are accidentally trapped, while others are short-term visitors. Some species even enjoy the great indoors, where they happily live out their lives and make more spiders. These arachnids are usually secretive, and almost all you meet are neither aggressive nor dangerous. And they may be providing services like eating pests – some even eat other spiders.

A cobweb spider dispatches some prey that got snagged in its web. Matt Bertone, CC BY-ND

My colleagues and I conducted a visual survey of 50 North Carolina homes to inventory just which arthropods live under our roofs. Every single house we visited was home to spiders. The most common species we encountered were cobweb spiders and cellar spiders.

A cellar spider, sometimes called daddy longlegs (not to be confused with a harvestman). Matt Bertone, CC BY-ND

Both build webs where they lie in wait for prey to get caught. Cellar spiders sometimes leave their webs to hunt other spiders on their turf, mimicking prey to catch their cousins for dinner.

Although they are generalist predators, apt to eat anything they can catch, spiders regularly capture nuisance pests and even disease-carrying insects – for example, mosquitoes. There’s even a species of jumping spider that prefers to eat blood-filled mosquitoes in African homes. So killing a spider doesn’t just cost the arachnid its life, it may take an important predator out of your home.

It’s natural to fear spiders. They have lots of legs and almost all are venomous - though the majority of species have venom too weak to cause issues in humans, if their fangs can pierce our skin at all. Even entomologists themselves can fall prey to arachnophobia. I know a few spider researchers who overcame their fear by observing and working with these fascinating creatures. If they can do it, so can you!

youtube

An arachnologist’s story of growing up terrified of spiders but ultimately becoming fascinated by them.

Spiders are not out to get you and actually prefer to avoid humans; we are much more dangerous to them than vice versa. Bites from spiders are extremely rare. Although there are a few medically important species like widow spiders and recluses, even their bites are uncommon and rarely cause serious issues.

If you truly can’t stand that spider in your house, apartment, garage, or wherever, instead of smashing it, try to capture it and release it outside. It’ll find somewhere else to go, and both parties will be happier with the outcome.

But if you can stomach it, it’s OK to have spiders in your home. In fact, it’s normal. And frankly, even if you don’t see them, they’ll still be there. So consider a live-and-let-live approach to the next spider you encounter.

Matt Bertone does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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