More on Spiders - Spooky or Friendly?

In light of the Hallowe'en festivities all around us, we will share more information on spiders today, with a look at what makes them spooky and  how we can focus on their more redeeming qualities. Spiders have amazingly bad press. They have been cast as villains in horror movies, murder mysteries, and even fairy tales! The truth is that most spiders are harmless, and extremely beneficial. Part of the delicate balance of nature, spiders eat harmful and nuisance insects in our yards and homes. As noted in this week's bug quiz, only two varieties of spiders in San Diego County can be considered dangerous: The black widow and the desert recluse. Of those two, the black widow is most common. The desert recluse is, as its name suggests, reclusive - preferring to live in remote and unpopulated areas. Bites delivered by these two spiders may be painful, but reactions vary widely and are most often no more serious than a bee sting.  So how can you avoid the scariest spider in San Diego? The more you know about the black widow, the easier it will be to avoid their bites. 

Black widow spiders (pictured above) are shiny, black spiders with thick legs and bulbous abdomens, on the underside of which they sport a distinctive red hourglass marking. Females are around 1/2-inch long, males much smaller - around 1/4-inch, with a longer, narrower abdomen and somewhat longer legs. Black widows are shy, preferring to build their webs in dry, protected locations. Outdoors they are most often found in woodpiles, under rocks, beneath benches, under decks, etc. The web of the black widow is thick, sticky and irregular in shape. If you see this kind of web, use care in knocking it down - although spiders typically have eight eyes, their vision is not good, so they are most often alerted by vibrations. If you encounter black widows or their webs inside (very rare) use a vacuum to remove spiders, webs, and egg sacks - then seal the vacuum bag and discard immediately. Like so many other pests, spiders may be looking for harborage as the weather cools down - so inspect doors and screens to be sure your house is secure. And wear shoes outside! If you are seeing too many spiders in the house or yard, call a pest professional. But remember - spiders eat flies, moths and mosquitos, so as long as they are not bothering you or multiplying out of proportion, let them do their job.

Finally, although we don't see a lot of big scary spiders here, you can rely on videos and news reports from around the world to see the kind legends are made of. Check out the photo and article on a bird-eating spider from Australia here. Take a look at a photo and video of camel spiders here. Or check out the truly scary Monster Spider Web found in Texas here. Enjoy!