Spider identification

Spider Identification charts like this are very common in the industry. They can help but some of the spiders such as the Hobo and Grass spider are so similar even scientist have difficulty doing a positive I.D. and as with that example to be certain they have to get them under a microscope and look at the genitals which is, I know, a TMI situation to be sure.

The other problem is we are seeing some species change coloring. I was in a class on spiders last year pointing out how Black Widows in North America are actually changing some of the their coloring.

Spiders grow and change as they become larger. Their average life span is a year and a half to two years. But we change this life cycle by creating false environments with our heating and air conditioning systems.

With all of this in mind before you start pouring over spider I.D. Charts, remember that if you are bitten you need to see a doctor. We discussed several times the bacteria element of a spider bite and we know that everyone reacts differently to spider bites. There can be an allergic reaction for one person and not for another.

Here are some spider I.D. Charts:

Spider identification in general.

Poisonous spider identification and treatment.

The information can be intimidating. Please don't become paranoid about a possible Hobo spider or even the Black Widow. Yes, both can be a threat to our health if we allow them to bite us, but it is amazing how you can go under an old house and find both of these spiders in abundance, indicating they have been there for generations, yet no one in the house has even seen a spider.

Spiders will be near food sources such as fly and mosquito areas, doing what they were designed to do, limit the insect population. It is not necessary to hunt spiders down and kill them because they could cause a threat, that would be like getting rid of cars because they can hit a person, you need to respect where they are and if they are in a position to create a dangerous human encounter. Such as under your dresser or a shop bench. But if they are outside in an environment children and adults will not encounter, they are simply doing an important job.

Why do spiders bite us?

Do Spiders come after us?

My wife and a dozen of my customers will absolutely swear they do. It does seem like that when they are on the ceiling and keep coming our direction.

I believe part of the fear of spiders  is their stance and attitude. They are not fearful and bashful, but have a way of moving, and even staring at us, that is unnerving. This is because they are a major aggressive predator in the insect world. If we were the size of an insect, they would have us dead to rights, no problem. Their speed is amazing in quick burst. Some have up to 8 eyes with incredible movement vision. They seldom run as their first defense, but turn and face the new contact and try to identify it first. All of this makes them intimidating when we encounter them.

However; even the most aggressive spider is not out to get you. They are intelligent enough to know they are outgunned by large mammals and their biggest enemy, birds. After that first response of trying to identify you as threat or prey, and the boot comes down with a crash of a near miss, they retreat as quickly as possible. The only exception I've seen to this is the Black Widow protecting her eggs. She will get down right nasty and come right after you.

So why do we get bitten by spiders?

I have seen dozens and dozens of spider bite victims in my line of work and every wound has been a defensive bite. A situation where we put our hand into a drawer or under a cabinet the spider was using as a home. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe we should let them take over our house, but in fairness, we have to admit, we entered what the spider had thought was it's domain.

The second situation is a spider moving through the house seeking something warm, unfortunately this can be us in our bed. Then we roll onto the spider. Usually the first bite is warning, "hey fat buddy, you're squishing me!" The next bite has more venom, and the final bite unleashes it all.

A Hobo spider found it's way down my shirt collar two years ago. I wear a very lose long sleeve tucked in when working. The spider was fine until it got down to my spare tire and got trapped between my roll of fat and the shirt. It did the classic three bites (not sure why I didn't feel the first bites enough to react) and on the third, I got a major problem like the photo posted before.

I didn't take it personally because it was just an encounter that's hard for me to avoid, crawling under houses in in spider infested areas.

The black jumping spider will actually jump toward you and act very aggressive. It's vision is one of the best and we think that it has so many visual receptors that it is reacting to the minor movement of a finger or hand and cannot see what the giant the finger is attached to. But a jumping spider has never been recorded to jump onto a person and actually bite them. In truth, as the link points out, we are told their bite will not even effect us, though I'm not inclined to test that. Remember that their fangs can still carry a bacteria.

Arachnophobia movies have done a real number on our subconscious fear of spiders which has not helped. I try to help clients with this fear but it is no use. Keep in mind, even though they are an aggressive predator, you still out weigh them a millions times over and most bites are not the end of the world.

If you can remind yourself that the spider is not out to get you, just reacting the way it normally does to try and identify what you are, it does help eliminate some of that fear.