This article includes some interesting spider facts and information on how to identify black widow and brown recluse spiders.
Did you know that in the United States, more people die on average per year from shark attacks and lightning strikes than from spider bites? An average of two to four people die per year in the United States as a result of bites from black widow spiders, arguably one of the most venomous spiders in the word. The reality is that through the years, spiders have gotten a really bad rap.
Following are ten interesting facts about spiders.
1. Most spiders are beneficial as they eat insects that we do not like, including flies and mosquitoes.
2. If you are a spider lover and catch household spiders to put outside, you may be doing them a disservice. Indoor spiders are acclimated to living indoors, not outdoors, and may not last too long outside.
3. There are approximately 35,000 species of spiders, but there are only ten to thirty species that tend to live indoors in homes.
4. Most spiders are non-aggressive.
5. Most "bad" spider bites are actually bites from other insects.
6. Most spiders have eight eyes, but cannot see very well at all.
7. Some experts trace the fear of spiders back to the Middle Ages, when people were looking for reasons for the plagues. Apparently, many people decided that spiders were the culprits rather than rats. Rats carried the fleas that were responsible for the plagues, and spiders were totally innocent.
8. The downside of spiders is that most of them do have fangs and some type of venom. The upside is that most of those fangs will never, never, never be able to puncture human skin.
9. Not all spiders spin webs.
10. Not all species of black widow spiders eat their mates.
Speaking of black widows"¦.
Two types of spider are considered to be the most "dangerous" in the United States, black widows and brown recluses. Black widow species live throughout the United States. Brown recluse species are found in a more limited area. How can you identify these spiders?
Black widows are usually found in dry areas under rock piles or in wood piles. The females are the dangerous ones; males are not "harmful." Females can grow to be about one-half inch long or larger, and typically stay upside down in their low-hanging webs. They can be identified by a distinctive hourglass shape on their abdomen. The color of the hourglass varies according to the species.
Brown recluse spiders are blamed for all sorts of trouble across the United States when, in fact, they only live in selected areas. Their body colors range from tan to black, and they have violin shaped markings on the front section of their bodies. The recluses run from about three-quarters to one and one half inch long in body length. They like to live in dark areas, and can be found inside homes in the geographical areas in which they inhabit. Again, these spiders are not aggressive. People are usually bitten, for example, when a spider happens to be inside a piece of clothing and gets trapped between cloth and skin.
If you are concerned about spider bites, learn which spiders are indigenous to your area. There are a few other types of spiders that can pose problems that are not as widespread as widows and recluses. Realize most spiders would much prefer to be left alone to their daily spider lives and are not going to go out of their ways to attack you. If you are bitten by a spider and you suspect that it is a bad one, try to nab it and preserve it in rubbing alcohol to take with you to the doctor. Most people do not have this luxury, as they usually do not realize they have been bitten until symptoms start to occur. If you start to feel sick after you get a bite, take yourself and your dead spider if you have it, and get immediate medical treatment.
