Asa here. Today I would like to introduce you to the most misunderstood character of Halloween, the Spider. Seen lurking in the shadows, scurrying across our floors, or clinging to the ceiling, and featured in countless movies and television shows, the Spider is an enduring presence in our lives. But do we really know them? Here to answer your questions is my eight legged friend, Steve Spider.
Asa: Hello Steve Spider! So nice of you to join us today on Living with a Golden, where Chuck Billy and I write about our daily life. What is a typical day for a spider?
Steve Spider: Thank you, it is my pleasure to be here. Despite the increased attention we receive this time of year, most spiders prefer to avoid the spotlight. We tend to mind our own business, and try to be inconspicuous. However, with that said, humans do tend to notice our webs.
In fact, there is something I’d like to get off my chest today. Why is it that humans spend all sorts of money in October to decorate with fake webs, while sweeping away ones made for free by spiders? Sure we can’t all be like Charlotte’s Web, and write clever messages in what we weave. Yet have you ever stopped to look at the artistry that goes into making some of the commonplace webs found in your homes and yards? They can be really quite intricate like the finest lace, yet the silk in our webs is actually five times stronger than a strand of steel of the same thickness.
Despite their delicate appearance, webs need to be strong to not only hold our weight but the weight of the insects we capture. Which for the record, spiders are are arachnids, not insects. So please stop lumping us all together. Instead you should be thanking us, for quietly going about our day removing unwanted insects from your home and yards including mosquitoes, flies, and ticks!
Asa: If you’re so focused on helping to keep homes free of bugs, why is it that you are most often found in creepy haunted houses?
Steve Spider: We tend to live in haunted houses because ghosts aren’t such fastidious cleaners. Also they appreciate the ambience we create. But rest assured, with an estimated 38,000 species of spiders worldwide, researchers estimate that humans are never more than 10 feet away from one! However, before you get paranoid that we are watching your every move – we’re not! Despite having eight eyes, we are actually nearsighted. Although we can sense shadows, you have to be really close for us to get a good look. This is why we wait for our prey to come to us in our webs, rather than hunt for them.
Asa: Speaking of hunt, is it true spiders are poisonous?
Steve Spider: According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are only three types of spiders in all of the United States recognized as having venom that is threatening to humans. This list includes Black Widow Spiders, Brown Recluse Spiders and the Hobo Spiders. Here in New England only the Northern Black Widow is native, and sightings are exceedingly rare. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t find the other types of venomous spiders here from time to time. Occasionally, they do like to travel and will hitch a ride from places around the world in shipping containers, and sometimes even in a bag of grapes! So you do need to be aware, but thanks to colder temperatures here in Maine, most of the venomous ones can’t survive.
However, there are times when a spider may bite. But dogs, cats, and even the occasional human toddler will bite too, and you don’t feel the need to squish them on sight! Besides, despite the creative special effects used in horror movies, spiders don’t actually have teeth! We inject digestive juices into our prey and then suck up the liquefied creature. Think of it as our version of a smoothie. But if you do find yourself on the receiving end of one of our bites, be sure to clean the wound immediately because although it won’t kill you, it can lead to a nasty infection.
Asa: This has all been very informative. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Steve Spider: Well yes, there is another thing I’d like to share with your audience. Lighten up! No really! Spiders can be easily squished. Sure we find it funny that a human who is a bazillion times bigger than us will shriek at the sight of one of of us scurrying across the floor or wall. But please keep in mind that you’re more life threatening to us than we are to you, and more importantly that we are actually helping you with pest control in our own special way. So please can’t we all just coexist?
Asa: Thank you Steve Spider for taking the time to educate us about spiders, and why we shouldn’t be afraid of you this Halloween.
