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The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again
The Tale of Little Miss Muffet
Spiders are arthropods called arachnids. There are some 34,000 species belonging to about 105 families, although some specialists in the study of arachnids estimate that only 20 percent of spider species have been described, which means that there may be as many as 170,000 spider species.
Not Like Insects
Unlike insects, which have six legs and three body parts, spiders have eight walking legs and two body parts. They have fangs that are adapted for liquid feeding instead of jaws. All spiders are predators that eat insects, other spiders and related arthropods.
All spiders have finger-like appendages at the end of their abdomen called spinnerets that secrete silk during all stages of life. However, not all spiders spin webs, but all spiders do use silk for a variety of purposes, including capturing prey, rearing young, moving about and making shelter.
Because spiders are predators, they have poison glands and are capable of biting, but the vast majority don’t pose a health risk to humans. However, if you’re bitten by a spider, you should preserve it in alcohol for positive identification and if you suspect it to be one of the widow or brown recluse spiders, you should seek medical attention immediately. These spiders can cause painful injuries or systemic illness. Fortunately, they seldom, if ever, are fatal to healthy adults.
The Infamous Black Widow
While the female black widow spider’s infamy comes from eating the male after mating, these spiders are shy and nocturnal, biting only when their webs are disturbed. The female is shiny black with a reddish hourglass shape on the underside of a round abdomen. Her body is about 1.5 inches long. The adult males are harmless, about half the size of the female, with smaller bodies and longer legs. They usually have yellow and red bands and spots over the back.
In Florida, black widows come in two varieties: the southern black widow and the northern black widow. There are also red and brown widows in addition to the brown recluse. All the widows are very similar in body shape. The brown recluse is not an established species in Florida while the southern black widow is the most widespread widow in the state. The red widow is found in sand pine scrub habitats in central and southeast Florida; the brown widow resides south of Daytona Beach along the coast.
Daddy Long Legs: A Kissing Cousin
Daddy long legs are closely related to spiders, but are not true spiders. They prefer to be near water. They don’t bite humans nor do they spin webs.
Don’t randomly kill spiders in your yard or garden. They are actually beneficial, consuming even more insects than birds or reptiles. Because spiders are closely related to insects, they are just as susceptible to insecticides. A broom or vacuum cleaner is effective in controlling spiders indoors. Outdoors, they are barely noticeable, where black widows are usually found in wood piles, crawl spaces and cellars.
Don’t end up like our friend in the video. If you find that you do have an infestation of spiders, call the experts at Insect Protection Pest Control for a FREE consultation. They can help you rid your home of these unwanted guests.
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