Wolf Spiders & Arachnophobia
People have been reporting finding big scary spiders running around in their homes recently. These large critters are not nearly as big as some of the giant bird catching tropical spiders, but they are still a pretty impressive size.
These long legged and fast moving wolf spiders…a very apt name as these animals do not spin webs to catch their prey but, instead, they run it down like a wolf.
They pounce on prey as they find it, or they will chase it over short distances. Some will hide in a burrow as they wait for the next juicy meal to wander by.
Wolf spiders are welcomed into some homes as they prey on other kinds of spiders as well as any insects they find cutting down on any bug populations in your house.
Wolf spiders are basically harmless…except to insects..but they are capable of defensive bites, and will inject venom if continually provoked. Some South American species may give bites that are poisonous, but bites from our local species may only cause mild pain and itching.
And, they only bite if tormented…any wolf spiders you encounter would much rather run than fight!
Wolf spiders are unique and fascinating in the way they carry their eggs. The egg sac is attached to the spinnerets on the females’ abdomens, which enables them to carry their unborn young with them.
Mother wolf spiders are also unique in their method of infant care.
As soon as the baby wolf spiders hatch the tiny spiderlings immediately climb up their mother’s legs and crowd onto her body. Hundreds of tiny babies ride around piggyback fashion for about a week as they grow up a bit, then they disperse by flying away on a strand of silk or simply running off to make their way in the wide world.
I personally like spiders, find them very interesting and will save them if I find them trapped in the tub, or indoors someplace where they are not welcome. I am referring to harmless spiders of course…I would never mess with dangerous spiders!
And there are some species that you seriously do not want to encounter but most of these dangerous spiders live in, luckily for us, warmer climates.
In North America we do have Black Widows and the brown recluse, but while their bites can cause some serious effects they are not generally fatal.
One of the most common phobias is fear of spiders. Up to perhaps six percent of the population suffers from arachnophobia, where the sight of a spider terrifies them or causes a full blown panic attack.
A pal of mine recently told me how he was riding in a car with a friend, barrelling along on an interstate highway at 75 miles per hour, when his friend literally froze in terror and took his hands off the wheel. His wife leapt over and took control of the car…she knew what had happened. He had spotted a little spider on the edge of the window and his fear of spiders unhinged him.
Psychologists do not know the cause of this phobia, they can only speculate. Most people who have it have never had a bad spider experience to create the phobia, it’s like they were born fearing spiders.
When I was looking this subject up I found it interesting that two famous arachnophobes are JRR Tolkein and Peter Jackson.
If you’ve read or seen “The Lord of the Rings” you know one of the creepiest characters in the story is the giant spider Shelob. So Tolkein included this enormous man eating spider in his book, and Jackson created the special effects of a monster spider for the movie. Were they confronting their fears?
If you are afraid of spiders there’s a product available online called Spida Trap. These gadgets lay on the floor and the sticky surface traps any spiders or other insects that run across them. Some people wrote that they were finally able to sleep or sit with their feet on the floor without fear after setting up their Spida Traps!
Stephanie Kelley
