Something else that many do not know about spiders is the fact that most spiders also have eight eyes, even though they don’t see very well. Spiders use “feel” to navigate with the aide of special hairs located on their feet. Spiders breathe air, and their lungs are located under their body. Their body is in two parts, consisting of the acephalothorax and a stomach, or abdomen. Spiders are arthropods from the order of “Araneae”, and can be divided into two groups as modern spiders which made their beginning appearance during the “Triassic Period”. The two groups, or sub-orders are as follows:

• Mygalomorphae
• Araneomorphae

The oldest surviving sub-order of spiders is the “Mesothelae”, which are very much like the “True Spiders”.
Spiders are known for the web that they produce, but not all spiders produce a web. They make this of proteinaceous “Spider Silk” which extrudes from their spinnerets. The common reason known why spiders would do this is to catch their food or prey. When a spider web is no longer in use, it is referred to as a “Cob-Web”, but there are exceptions to this also in the world of the spider.

The common” House Spider” often lives in your home or business, as the name implies. They can live in any structure including schools. “House Spiders” might spend their entire life inside your home or other structures. They like to live in places where people are not likely to see them.

Every once in awhile you will see a “House Spider” scurrying across the floor or dangling from a thread as they make their spider web. Not all spiders make a web, though. A lot of younger children might think the spider’s web is their home, but they mainly make these to catch food. In this way they are of service when they eat insects which might be a pest to us.

Its a little scary being too trusting of spiders, especially if you have children because some of them are highly poisonous, such as the female “Black Widow”. She does not create the beautiful spider web as we know it, she makes a kind of jumbled web which catches larger prey, such as Beetles. Spiders live everywhere, including your home.

You might accidentally surprise a spider hiding in your storage area amongst boxes, in your closet, in your shoes, and also while you are cleaning up clutter. Spiders can also be accidentally disturbed while you are doing yard work, such as cleaning up leaves, or when pulling weeds. Spiders like to hide in brush piles and in your firewood. Spiders also like to hide under your bed, and other furniture. Spiders can hide in your work area, and in your tool box. Spiders are more likely to be encountered if there is a lot of clutter. Make sure you can see where you are reaching and feeling with your hands. Also if you have a lot of debris in your yard, spiders can be a problem.

Some places spiders like to hide where you most likely won’t surprise them is in cracks and crevices. Cracks and crevices are usually safe hiding places for them. Cracks and crevices are not safe hiding places for them if a pest control service has been hired to eliminate them. There is no place for them to hide from an expert pest control company.

• House Spider
• Tarantula
• Giant Crab Spider
• Black and Yellow Garden Spider
• Jumping Spider
• Wolf Spider
• Brown Recluse
• Black Widow

Some spiders are more harmful than others. The “Black Widow” is the most poisonous spider in the whole United States, and yes, it likes the Arizona area. The “Brown Recluse” is also dangerous.

The “Tarantula” and the “Wolf Spider” are intimidating, but not a real big threat except in looks. Their bite can be painful. A lot of people like keeping the “Tarantula” as a pet. You will often see them playing a part in some big Hollywood movie. Most spiders have a short life span, but the “Tarantula” can live as long as 25 years in ideal conditions.

All spiders can bite, even though it is said that the male” Black Widow” doesn’t bite. It is best to be wary. Even the common “House Spider” can bite when surprised, but it is usually not serious. Be aware of the spiders that live in your area and take necessary precautions.

Spiders cannot inflict as much damage on your home as they do you personally. Spiders are found in almost every home. Almost all spiders bite, and it can be painful, but not all spiders are poisonous enough to inflict harm in that way on a human being.

The most poisonous spider of all in the United States is easily identifiable because of it’s coloring and marking. It is called the “Black Widow”. The picture book perfect “Black Widow” is the female. She is the one that is shiny black with a bright orange, almost red hourglass shape. The bright color against black is really noticeable. She is about one and a half inches long, including her leg span.

Usually when people get bit by a “Black Widow” female she does not inject enough poison to cause severe problems. The male “Black Widow” is smaller, and they are a grayish/black color with bright orange, reddish spots which are just spots, and not hour glassed shaped. It is said that the male “Black Widow” does not bite, but maybe that is said because it is not as poisonous as the female.

Other spiders may be in your home, including the “Brown Recluse” which is also poison, but usually does not cause great harm. In rare cases it can cause tissue damage where the bite was inflicted. You should be concerned about the spiders in your home inflicting damage on the humans present, and remedy a spider problem by getting hold of a pest control company as soon as possible.

If you are bitten by spiders or a spider, the best thing to do is wash it well with soap and water. Try to identify the spider if you can, or at least describe it’s appearance. After you have washed the area good, you can use a cool compress for pain and to alleviate any swelling. You can make a “home-made” cool compress by using a dampened cold wash cloth folded on some ice.

If you have reason to believe that it is a poisonous bite, such as from a female “Black Widow” (with the red hourglass shape), or a “Brown Recluse”, raise the area (elevate) if it is on an arm or leg (extremity). If in doubt, or you know the spider was poisonous, seek medical attention, because it is better to be safe than sorry. This applies even if you feel fine, but know that you got bitten by a “Black Widow” or “Brown Recluse”.

Many times people will not even know they were bitten by a “Brown Recluse” because their reaction is so mild. It kind of all depends upon the person and the situation. The “Black Widow” doesn’t usually release, or inject a full amount of her poison, so the reaction to her might not be as bad as expected. But she can release a lot of poison, and in that case the bite is very serious. You just never know, and it is always best to be prepared if you get bitten by spiders or a spider.

Fluff out your pet’s bed, and shake it out doors. Inspect the actual container, or pet abode, if they have one for spiders and other insects which attract spiders. Two spiders that can be harmful to your pet if they get bit by them are the following.

• Brown Recluse- The “Brown Recluse” can inflict a bite which causes soft tissue damage, in rare instances. If your pet has been bitten by a “Brown Recluse” and displays a reaction on their skin that does not seem to be healing, you will need to take them to your veterinarian for treatment.

• Black Widow- The “Black Widow” is the most dangerous spider in the entire United States. They can bite your pet, the same as they can bite you. Usually a pet gets bitten when they surprise a spider. Spiders do not go out of their way to bite humans or pets.

Pets do have an extra layer of fur which can sometimes make them harder to get bit by a spider. Pets also have areas of skin that is exposed and tender. Around the nose area is a common place for pets to get bit. Yes, spiders can definitely be a danger for your pets.

The best way to prevent spiders from invading your environment is to seek the advice and services of a professional pest control company. There are certain conditions that seem to be an automatic “invite” for spiders, and clutter in one of them. Spiders love it when a home, business, or other area is cluttered. It makes so many places a great “hide out”.

Clutter can be in your office, at school in your locker, in your home, storage areas, and your yard. Your yard is a definite starting place for spiders to gain access to your home. Try to keep piles of leaves and other clutter away from your entry ways. Often times a spider can gain access to your home in a shopping bag, carton, or box of some other means.

As you are coming and going from your dusty and cob web laden storage unit, you can carry spiders home with you and into your house without even knowing it. Take time and shake out the stored “Christmas Decorations” you carried in from the shed. A lot of spiders that have a tendency to enter your home lay 100’s of eggs all at the same time. Spiders lay eggs in sacs, and there may be as many as 200 hundred eggs in each sac. Many of the common house spiders lay 9, or so, of these sacs all in one sitting. “Black Widows” are no exception. Keep it in your mind how many eggs spiders lay as you are seeking to prevent spiders from invading your environment.

• Common House Spider- Doesn’t usually bite, but it will in self defense. Is capable of killing another spider of it’s size.

• Wolf Spider- Bite can be very painful. Spider is big and scary looking.

• Tarantula- Bites are painful, but not poisonous. It’s looks are very intimidating. The abdominal hair is barbed and can cause irritation to your skin area.

• Black Widow– Bite is very poisonous. It is considered the most poisonous spider in the United States.

• Brown Recluse- Poisonous bite, but not fatal. Can cause serious skin damage to area around bite in rare cases.

It is best to stay away from spiders no matter what kind they are. Most spiders have to be provoked, or surprised to bite you or a loved one. If you already have spiders it is best to seek the advice of a pest control expert, and he/she will help you decide the best plan of action.

Outside they have a little more free reign, but still like to keep out of sight. You will often see a “Garden Spider” on it’s web during the day. Humans are really good at knocking down spider webs. Spiders can build webs really fast. You go to bed, and wake up to a spider web that wasn’t there the night before. “Black Widow’s” have a different kind of web from the beautiful ones that you see, all built symmetrically. The “Black Widow’s” web is straggly, and course, with no definite pattern. This is because they catch the bigger insects such as beetles. Many of the larger insects are also nocturnal.

There is a whole busy life going with the insects, rodents, and spiders, as we sleep. As time progresses, as in evolution, some types of spiders have become “Diurnal”, meaning they are most active in the day. But still, they like to keep “out-of-sight”. Ultra violet radiation seems to play a big role in these modern times affecting the performance of orb webs. Another reason that spiders like to stay unseen during the day is because their predators, such as wasps and birds are after them. On the average spiders are definitely more active at night.

When some spiders mate or “court” they give off a scent, or strong odor to attract the opposite sex. They can actually tell by the scent if the other spider is of the same species and rather the female is receptive to mating or not. Sometimes after mating the female spider will kill the male spider.

The male spider will often perform rituals and dancing type movements to exhibit that they are attempting the mating process, so they won’t get eaten by the female spider, which is often larger. Most male spiders have relativity short lifetimes and are lucky to survive at least two matings. There are exceptions to the short lifespan, such as with the “Tarantula”, who can live up to 25 years or so, especially if kept in captivity as someone’s pet.

“Silk Egg Cases” are made by the female through her weaving abilities, and each egg case can contain several hundreds of eggs. Many species of spiders care for their babies after they are hatched. They will carry them around and give them food, such as minute insects.

There is an intermediate interception of the sperm from the male spider, he does not actually put it in the female’s body. The male spiders make “Sperm Webs”, just like the female spider makes her “Silk Egg Case”, as mentioned earlier. The male spider puts his sperm on the “Sperm Web” where it is intercepted by the female. The birthing and reproduction cycle of spiders is rather complex, but very productive.

“Spinnerettes” and “Silk Secretion” came at a later date. Otherwise, there was not always spider webs as we know them. The oldest known spider type creatures, or land arthropods, are known as “Trigonotarbids”. They also had eight legs as the spiders of today, and the same pedipalps (almost like an extra pair of legs) near their mouth parts, used as sensory organs. “Trigonotarbids” are not considered true spiders, even though there are may similarities shared. The actual species that evolved into the spider, and it’s close relatives, as we know them today, all over the Earth, is the “Tetrapulmonates”. The very oldest true spiders are about 300 million years old. They are from the “Carboniferous Age”.

The spiders we know in North America most likely belong to the group of primitive spiders, called “Mesothelae”. It is pretty sure that these were ground spiders, whom lived close to the Earth. These had their “spinnerets” underneath their abdomen, instead of at the end like the spiders of today. Their silk was most likely used as a covering for their eggs, instead of the beautifully contrived spider webs we see in this day and age. Except for the “Black Widow” she does not have a pretty web. Yes, times have evolved in the interesting history of the spider as we know it today.