Spiders & Scorpionselementary P.e. Games

Quick facts about spiders

1. Camel Spiders
2. Types Of Spiders
3. Black Widow Spiders

1 History 1.1 The Incident 1.2 Goblin Night 1.3 Spider-Geddon 1.4 Superior Spider-Man 2 Notes 3 Links and References 3.1 Discover and Discuss 3.2 Footnotes Peter Parker was once a promising young student, invited by Max Modell alongside his best friend, Gwen Stacy, to tour his bleeding-edge company at Horizon Labs. One of the experiments the pair observed was a massive colony of spiders Modell. Spiders are capable of producing silk that is elastic, adhesive and strong. This silk is used to spin webs as well as to construct egg sacs and line spider dwellings. The size and shape of spider webs vary by species: some are orb-shaped, while others are funnel-shaped; some webs are orderly, while others appear haphazard. Some spiders are named for how they look—like the wolf spider or the pumpkin spider. Pretend you discovered a new kind of spider. (Be sure to give it eight.

• Spiders are insect relatives that are beneficial because of the large number of insects they eat.
• Spiders are not aggressive or dangerous and bites are rare.
• The number of spiders in and around homes can be reduced but it is not practical to make a home spider-free.

Identifying common spiders

Spiders are closely related to mites, ticks and scorpions and are collectively known as arachnids.

Both spiders and insects are arthropods, meaning their skeletons are on the outside of their bodies (exoskeleton).

Web-building spiders construct webs in calm, undisturbed places to capture their food.

• They live in or near their web and wait for food to come to them.
• They generally have poor eyesight and rely on sensing vibrations in their web to find prey.
• Some species of web-building spiders can survive and reproduce well indoors and outdoors.

Hunting spiders are outdoor spiders that may wander indoors accidentally.

• They do not make webs to capture food.
• They are quick and have good eyesight that helps them to capture prey.
• Active hunters search for and chase their prey.
• Passive hunters lie in wait and capture prey as it approaches.
• They live outdoors but may enter into homes accidentally, particularly in the fall.
• They do not survive well indoors and usually do not reproduce indoors.

• All spiders inject venom through their hollow fangs into living prey to disable the prey.
• They liquefy their food with digestive fluids and then suck in the digested food.

• Silk is produced by all spiders as a liquid in specialized structures called spinnerets located at the tip of the abdomen. Silk hardens after contact with air.

• Spider silk is used to build webs and other types of snares that capture prey, and to make egg cases, draglines, shelters and retreats.
• Silk produced by young spiders helps them to move with the wind in a process called ballooning.

Spider bites

Spiders very rarely bite people. Most spiders are harmless to people and are incapable of biting, even when coaxed.

Most people and even medical doctors over-diagnose “potential spider bite” based on symptoms such as redness, swelling, cramps, severe pain, or even necrotic lesions. These are usually caused by other factors including diseases or medical conditions and bacterial skin infections.

Neither black widow spiders or brown recluse are native to the upper Midwest and are rarely encountered.

Descriptions and pictures of different spiders

Open a drawer to see pictures and descriptions of common spiders found in Minnesota. Sizes given for each spider represent the length of the body not including legs. Read about the difference between web-building and hunting spiders above, under 'Identifying common spiders.'

Cobweb spiders are members of a large group called the comb-footed spiders and are very common both outdoors and indoors.

They are brownish or grayish small to medium-sized spiders (about 1/8- to 3/8-inch long) and have a rounded abdomen and a small cephalothorax.

They do not move a lot and build irregular, tangled webs for which the group is named.

Webs are built in undisturbed, out-of-the-way places such as wood and stone piles and in quiet areas of buildings such as basements.

A common type of cobweb spider found indoors is the American house spider (common house spider). It is grayish to brownish with chevron-like markings on its abdomen and a body length of over ¼ inch.

It builds a loose tangle of cobwebs in secluded and undisturbed areas of the house such as basements and crawl spaces.

Cellar spiders are common in dark secluded places such as crawlspaces, basements and cellars.

Cellar spiders are 1/3 to ¼ inch long, pale gray to light tan in color and have long delicate legs (resembling the daddy-longlegs).

The cellar spiders build a loose, irregular web in corners near the ceiling or floor.

Orb weaver spiders (Araneidae) are commonly seen outdoors in gardens, fields, and landscapes, but are rarely found indoors.

• Orb weaver spiders make the typical spider web of concentric circles and radiating lines.
• They range in size from small to large (1/8- to 1-inch long) and are found in a variety of colors.
• Orb spiders have large, swollen-looking abdomens, including some that are oddly shaped.
• Despite their large size and bright colors, orb weaver spiders are not dangerous.

Common orb weaver spiders

The barn spider is large (4/5-inch long) and yellow and brown in color. The barn spider is the model for Charlotte in E.B. White's famous book, Charlotte's Web.

The marbled orb weaver spider is a striking spider that attracts attention because of its typical bright orange color, though specimens vary from orange to beige to pale yellow and white.

Orb weavers do not do well when they fall to the ground. They move very slowly and have very poor vision, even for a spider.

They are extremely unlikely to bite people.

Argiope (ar-JYE-o-pee) spiders or garden spiders are also orb weavers. The large, black and yellow spiders usually are found in late summer in the center of big, round, flat webs. They have bodies measuring one inch long and, counting their legs, can be several inches in length.

There are two common species in Minnesota, the black and yellow argiope (Argiope aurantia) and the banded argiope (Argiope trifasciata).

The black and yellow argiope has a black body and yellow markings on its abdomen, somewhat resembling flames.

The banded argiope has a series of thin yellow, white, and black transverse (side to side) bands on its abdomen. Garden spiders are typically found building their webs in gardens or in tall grassy areas.

People assume because these spiders are large that they must be dangerous to people. They actually are very shy (as nearly all spiders are). They stay in their webs, eating insects they capture and rarely, if ever, are found off of them.

These spiders are not dangerous to people and should be left alone.

Funnel weaver spiders are generally brownish or grayish with stripes near the head and a pattern on the abdomen.

They have long spinnerets and are moderate-sized (¾-inch long).

They produce a flat, horizontal web with a small funnel-like retreat off to one side.

Webs are commonly built on the ground, around steps, window wells, foundations, and low shrubs.

Barn funnel weavers (a type of funnel-web spider) have a pair of dark stripes behind the head and may build webs in corners and closets indoors.

Grass spiders (a common funnel weaver) build their horizontal webs in the short grass of lawns. They have three light colored and two dark colored stripes behind the head.

Wolf spiders are moderate to large-sized spiders (¼- to 1-inch long) with dark brown and slightly hairy bodies.

They are found on the ground or under stones in a variety of habitats, such as woodlands, grassy meadows, beaches, landscapes, gardens and fields. Some even live underground.

They commonly hunt during the day or at night when it is warm.

Wolf spiders are alarming because of their large size and rapid movements. They are not aggressive.

Sac spiders are normally found on foliage or on the ground. They are small to medium-sized spiders (1/5- to 2/5-inch long) and are usually yellowish or light-colored.

Sac spiders hunt at night, feeding chiefly on small insects, and hide during the day in a silken tube or sac, from which they take their name.

They do not construct webs. Outdoors, they usually roll up leaves into a tube or may construct a retreat under stones.

Inside buildings, sac spiders are found in retreats in a variety of places including high up on walls near ceilings.

Fishing spiders are typically seen near ponds, swamps, or slow-moving streams, but some may be found at considerable distances from water.

Fishing spiders are the largest spiders in the Upper Midwest (1-inch long). With legs spread out, some fishing spiders cover as much as 4 inches.

They are generally dark-colored, usually brownish or grayish, with white markings.

Fishing spiders can “skate” across water and can dive underneath to capture prey.

They also can catch tadpoles, small fish and other small vertebrate animals.

Sowbug spider, also known as the woodlouse hunter or the dysderid spider, is an introduced species that is now common in the United States.

This medium-sized spider has distinctive coloration: the cephalothorax is purplish-brown, the abdomen is grayish-white, and the legs are orange.

Unlike the majority of spiders, the dysderid spider has only 6 eyes.

The fangs are quite large and project forward.

They wander at night in search of food and are ground-dwellers commonly found under rocks and debris.

Their preferred prey are sowbugs and pillbugs.

Jumping spiders are compact, medium-sized spiders that leap on their prey, often jumping many times their own body length.

They are active during the day and are often found on windows, ceilings, walls, and other areas exposed to sunlight. They are about ¼- to ½-inch long and dark-colored with white markings.

Some can be brightly colored, including some with iridescent mouthparts.

These spiders move quickly in jerky, irregular motions and can run sideways and backward.

Jumping spiders have the best vision of spiders (have large middle eyes), seeing objects up to eight inches away.

Parson spider is a medium-sized spider (½-inch long) with a brownish body and gray abdomen with a white band running down over half the length of its abdomen.

Parson spiders move quickly. They actively hunt at night and chase their prey.

During the day, they are found outdoors under stones or loose bark.

Indoors, they hide under objects or in cracks or crevices.

They have been known to bite if trapped inside clothing or bedding. The bite can be painful and may cause allergic reactions in some people.

Crab spiders are small to medium-sized spiders (1/10- to 2/5-inch long) ranging in color from yellow or red to brown or gray.

The first four legs are longer than the back four and are held out to the sides giving a crab-like appearance. They can walk forward, sideways, or backward.

They are passive hunters; they wait motionless and feed on insects that pass by closely.

Crab spiders are often found outdoors on flowers, stems or leaves.

They are rarely found indoors.

Control of spiders is best achieved with an integrated approach that includes different non-chemical methods and occasionally insecticides. The type of spider can influence how you control it so it is important to identify the spider that is found.

Remember that spiders are not harmful so tolerate spiders when possible. When just small numbers are found, the easiest control is to capture and remove them.

Elimination of all spiders from a home is difficult and unnecessary. Properties located in areas where insects are numerous, such as by rivers, lakes, or fields, are more likely to have large numbers of spiders.

Each situation is unique, but the following guidelines describe the integrated techniques that can be used to control spiders.

• Eliminate insects that serve as a food supply. Check in and under webs to see what insects have been captured.
• Capture and remove individual spiders that have wandered inside.
• Remove papers, boxes, bags and other clutter to reduce the number of good sites for spiders.
• Remove webbing with a broom or vacuum and destroy any egg sacs that are found. Look especially around windows, in corners and in quiet places.
• Sticky traps (small glue boards or cockroach traps) can be used to check for presence of spiders. Place traps along walls, under furniture and appliances and in other undisturbed locations.
• Osage oranges (hedgeballs or hedge apples) are not effective and their use is not recommended.

Using pesticides

If you have a very large infestation of spiders and cannot control them otherwise, you can apply insecticide to cracks, gaps and other places where spiders may hide. Surface treatments and fogs are not effective.

Most insecticides labeled for ants and cockroaches are also labeled for spiders.

These products are commonly found in ready-to-use aerosol and liquid forms.

CAUTION: Mention of a pesticide or use of a pesticide label is for educational purposes only. Always follow the pesticide label directions attached to the pesticide container you are using. Remember, the label is the law.

Spiders are beneficial and an important component of the ecosystem. Getting rid of spiders in the lawn, landscape and garden is not recommended.

Use the following methods to prevent wandering spiders from getting inside your home:

• Remove piles of bricks, firewood and other debris that may serve as homes for spiders.
• Keep grassy or weedy areas near buildings cut short.
• Trim back shrubs and other plants that directly contact your home.
• Remove webs with a broom, vacuum or a hard spray of water.
• Remove and destroy any egg sacs that are found.
• Replace screens that fit poorly or are damaged.
• Reduce outside lighting to control insects that encourage spiders.
• Try to install yellow lights (less attractive to insects) instead of mercury or sodium vapor lights.
• Place security lights on a pole shining toward a door rather than on the building above the door. This will reduce attracting insects.
• Caulk or seal cracks or gaps around the foundation, doors and ground level windows.

Using pesticides

You may lightly apply a broad-spectrum insecticide on the outside of your home to reduce invasion by wandering spiders. Spray under siding, in cracks and crevices, and other places where spiders may hide. Make sure the insecticide is labeled for use on the exterior of buildings.

CAUTION: Mention of a pesticide or use of a pesticide label is for educational purposes only. Always follow the pesticide label directions attached to the pesticide container you are using. Remember, the label is the law.

Reviewed in 2018

How To Identify & Control Spiders

Latin Name

Class Arachnida

Appearance

Eight legs, two body regions,no wings or antennae. Three or four pair of eyes.

How Did I Get Spiders?

Loose screens and cracks under doors, windows, and other openings are all possible entryways for a spider. These pests may move indoors while searching for food, mates, warmth, or moisture. The presence of insects and other prey in homes is a common reason for spiders to come inside. Spiders are also accidentally introduced inside homes when they are unknowingly introduced to the home’s interior via infested items such as plants, firewood, clothing and other items stored in attics, basements or other storage areas.

How Serious Are Spiders?

While most spiders pose little or no danger to people, some species can deliver venomous bites that may cause medical issues. In the U.S., the two most common venomous spiders are the brown recluse, distinguished by the violin-shaped marking on the top of its cephalothorax, the body part consisting the spider’s fused together head and thorax. The other important venomous spider is the black widow, notable for the red hourglass shape on the underside of its jet-black abdomen.

How Can I Get Rid of Spiders?

The Orkin Man™ is trained to help manage spiders and other pests. Since every yard or home is different, your Orkin technician will design a unique program for your situation.

Keeping spiders and pests out of your home is an ongoing process, not a one-time treatment. Orkin’s exclusive A.I.M. solution is a continuing cycle of three critical steps — Assess, Implement and Monitor.

The Orkin Man™ can provide the right solution to keep spiders in their place...out of your home.

Behavior, Diet & Habits

Some spiders like moisture and are found in basements, crawl spaces and other damp parts of buildings. Others like dry, warm areas such as subfloor air vents, upper corners of rooms and attics. They hide in dark areas.

Tens of thousands of spider species have been identified throughout the world. These arachnids have eight legs and two body segments. Spiders have three or four pair of eyes. Many spiders have poor vision, but some species of spiders, such as the jumping spider, have exceptional vision.

Camel Spiders

They feed on insects, other spiders and any other prey they are able to subdue.

Spiders do not have chewing mouthparts and commonly utilize digestive enzymes in their saliva to break prey down before consuming it. Additionally, the gut of a spider is too narrow to allow for consumption of large food particles. Almost all spider species are predators, although one plant-feeding species has been documented.

Reproduction

Females produce an egg sac from which emerge spiderlings. Spiderlings undergo a series of molts and eventually become adults. Males of many spider species court the female. For example, male jumping spiders perform elaborate dances to attract the attention of a female. Mating can be a dangerous event for males, since they may become a meal for the female afterwards.

Spiders are capable of producing silk that is elastic, adhesive and strong. This silk is used to spin webs as well as to construct egg sacs and line spider dwellings. The size and shape of spider webs vary by species: some are orb-shaped, while others are funnel-shaped; some webs are orderly, while others appear haphazard. Some spider species live in burrows rather than webs, while others are free ranging and take refuge in crevices.

More Information:

Types of Spiders

Black Widow Spiders (Latrodectus spp.)

Brown Recluse Spiders (Loxosceles reclusa)

Crab Spiders (Family Thomisidae)

Types Of Spiders

Cellar Spiders (Family Pholcidae)

Daddy Longlegs/ Harvestmen (Family Phalangiidae )

Ground Spiders (Herpyllus ecclesiasticus)

Funnel Web Spiders (Family Agelenidae)

Hobo Spiders (Tegenaria agrestis)

House Spiders (Parasteatoda tepidariorum)

Huntsman Spiders (Heteropoda venatoria)

Black Widow Spiders

Orb Weaver Spiders (Family araneidae)

Spinybacked Orb Weaver Spiders (Gasteracantha cancriformis)

Wolf Spiders (Family Lycosidae)

Jumping Spiders (Family Salticidae)

Tarantulas (Theraphosa apophysis)