Spiders—Keeping Bug Populations Under Control

Spiders prey on harmful insects and other pests. They are far more beneficial than they are dangerous, and are in fact shy and normally harmless to humans.

Spiders are considered by many to be the most important predators of insects, killing more than all other predators combined.

All spiders can and will bite if in danger or accidentally touched, e.g., in shoes or clothing.

Any spider bite can cause a reaction. People react in different ways so it's best to be cautious around all spiders and only look at them.

Spiders eat any insect that they can catch.

They're not specific to any one prey. They prey on aphids, flies, gnats, caterpillars and other pest insects, and a few beneficial ones too.

There are two types of spiders:

Web Spinning Spiders

• St Andrew's Cross Spiders—is harmless to man.
• Wraparound spiders—have broad, flat abdomens.
• Golden Orb Weavers (Nephila edulis)—one of the largest spiders found in Australia.
• Garden Orb Weaver—Araneus diadematus including over 2800 species in over 160 genera.The life span of these spiders is short, only lasting one season.
• Golden Silk Orb Weaver—Nephila clavipes is the only species in the Nephila genus that exists in the USA. Also known as the golden silk spider.
• Shamrock Orb Weaver—Araneus trifolium build beautiful, complex-looking webs all over the world.
• Marbled Orb Weaver—Araneus marmoreus are known for their bright colors.
• Black and Yellow Argiope—Argiope Aurantia has a short life span.
• Banded Argiope—Argiope trifasciata build vertical orb webs and are active both day and night.
• Silver Argiope—Argiope argentata found in tropical regions.
• American House Spider—Achaearanea tepidariorum can be found during any season.
• Jewel Spiders—Gasteracantha Minax also known as spiny orb weavers.
• Spiny micrathena—Araneidae Micrathena sagittata males will not build webs after getting sexual maturity.
• Green Lynx Spider—Peucetia viridans jump onto their prey in a catlike fashion.
• Venusta Orchard Spider—Leucauge venusta live in Maine to Florida, west to Nebraska and Texas.
• Nursery Web Spider—Family Pisauridae resemble the Wolf Spiders.
• Southern House Spider—Kukulcania hibernalis males of this species are often mistaken for the brown recluse spider.
• Daddy Long Legs—Pholcus phalangioides confuse with the long-legged Harvestmen.
• Funnel Weaver Spider—Agelenopis species bites are not known to be very toxic to humans.

Dangerous Web Spinning Spiders

• Black Widow—Latrodectus mactans venomous bite of the Black Widow Spider, causes muscle spasms and breathing difficulty in humans and may be fatal.
• Brown Widow—Lactrodectus geometricus is an introduced species in the United States and is found mainly in the tropical states. The Brown Widow Spider is one of the species with the infamous "red hourglass" marking on the underside of its abdomen.

Hunting Spiders

• Huntsman Spider—Heteropoda venatoria can run sideways as well as forwards.
• Fishing Spiders—genus Dolomedes walk on the surface of water and dive beneath to feed on insects and even small fish.
• Jumping Spider—Sitticus palustris bites people and causes only mild local pain.
• Flower Spider—Thomisus spectabilis also known as the Crab Spider.
• Tarantula—Genus Aphonopelma sometimes known as Bird Spiders or Monkey Spiders and will inject a paralyzing venom into their prey.
• Camel Spider—Solfugids also known as Sun Spiders or Windscorpions reported as dangerous to the soldiers in Iraq.

Dangerous Hunting Spiders

• Brown Recluse—Loxosceles reclusa—If the bite of a brown recluse spider is suspected, collect the spider and consult a physician immediately.
• Hobo Spider—Tegenaria agrestis bites previously attributed to the Brown Recluse Spider are now thought to be caused by the Hobo Spider.
• Wolf Spiders—Lyosidae, Genus Lycosa is named because it stalks its prey like a wild dog.
• Yellow Sac Spider—Cheiracanthium inclusum generally produce instant and intense stinging pain.
• Brazilian Wandering Spider—Phoneutria fera thought to be among the most venomous spiders known. Also is called the Banana Spider.

General Information About Spiders

• All spiders have fangs and most kinds have poison glands. A spider's bite will kill insects and other small animals.
• They do not have chewing mouth parts and therefore eat only liquids.
• In North America, six kinds of spiders harm people: the Brown Recluse, Sac, Black Widow, Brown Widow, Red-legged Widow and Varied Widow.
• Spiders are helpful to people because they eat harmful insects, including grasshoppers and locusts, flies and mosquitoes, and even tadpoles, small frogs, small fish and mice.
• Most females are larger and stronger and will eat the males.
• They live in fields, woods, swamps, caves, deserts, underwater, near the top of mountains, houses, barns, on the outside of buildings, on walls, and in the corners of doors and windows.
• The spider eats some of the solid tissue of its prey by predigesting it with digestive juices on the tissue. These juices dissolve the tissue.
• Most kinds of spiders have two to six spinnerets, which are short, fingerlike organs with which the spider spins silk. Some have another spinning organ called the cribellum.
• Spider silk is made up of protein. Silk cannot be dissolved in water and is the strongest natural fiber known.
• They have many enemies including snakes, frogs, toads, lizards, birds, fish, and other animals. Some insects eat spiders, like the wasp, which is one of the spider's worst enemies. A spider species called pirate spiders eats nothing but other spiders.

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