Every October I write about something spooky, creepy, or just plain weird in honor of Halloween. Last year I wrote about bats. This year it’s spiders.
Most people think spiders are creepy. After all, they have eight legs and most have eight eyes. Not to mention the fact that they create sticky webs that nobody likes to walk through, and they mummify their prey before liquifying it and slurping it up like some milkshake gone wrong. And, to top it all off, some spiders are dangerous. Geesh! No wonder people don’t like them.
However, the naturalist in me can’t help but admire them. Maybe, I can help you come to admire them too, or at least appreciate them from a distance.
According to my research, 680 spider species have been identified in Portage County. Of these, there are only a few that are potentially dangerous and those are rarely found in the area.
Brown Recluse spiders have necrotizing venom that can cause tissue death. In Ohio, they are typically encountered indoors in warm, dark, dry places like attics and closets. They grow ¼ - ½ inch long and they are brown. The adults have a violin shape on their abdomen although most people probably wouldn’t get close enough to a small spider like that to see the shape. These spiders are not aggressive and typically only bite in self-defense. Most brown recluse bites are not a medical emergency and cause only minor discomfort around the location of the bite. Sometimes, people have a more severe reaction to the bites and professional first aid is required.
The other dangerous spiders are in the Widow family of spiders. Research revealed differing opinions about which ones might actually be found in The Buckeye State and none of them are common. As a family, they carry neurotoxic venom which affects the central nervous system. Although the bite can cause pain, barring a severe reaction, most of them are not life threatening. Death from a widow bite is rare just like the prevalence of these spiders in Ohio.
OK, now that we are past the danger, let’s take a closer look (figuratively) at spiders in general with some fun facts.
It’s a myth that male spiders can’t spin webs although most of them don’t bother. They typically move around their territory hunting as they go. Most webs are built by females who stay in one spot. The web is their way of catching prey. Some spiders can build a web in just 20 minutes.
Most spiders are very good at eating insects. If left alone, they can be effective predators removing annoying and even harmful pests from your yard or garden.
99% of spider species have eight eyes. Some have fewer. A few have none!
There are 49 spider species unique to Ohio. There are more than 53,000 species that have been identified worldwide.
Spiders use a combination of muscle and blood pressure (hemolymph) to move.
The biggest spider in the world is the Goliath Tarantula or Goliath Bird Eating Spider with a leg span of almost 12 inches. That’s the size of a dinner plate. Don’t worry, they live in South and Central America. The largest spider in Ohio is the dark fishing spider with a maximum leg span of around four-and-a-half inches. ( I saw one of these as a child and I have never forgotten it).
The stringy fake spiderwebs that many people use as Halloween decorations are much stronger than real spider webs. They can trap beneficial bugs (like bees) and even small birds. Please don’t use them in your outdoor displays.
Hopefully a little understanding helps you appreciate the spiders living around you. Happy Haunting!