Spiders are our friends why do we dislike them so? (Spiders in General)

Member Name: goosey

Product:	Spiders in General
Date:	10/10/09 (182 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: They catch flies

Disadvantages: make boring pets

My love-hate relationship with spiders really began in my early youth, when I was a paper girl, delivering newspapers at 6.00 oclock on dark, wintery mornings.

Very often I would be one of the first through the gates, getting there before the milkman or postie. In those days, each of us walked the same rounds at approximately the same time. Oh those halcyon days - we shall never see them again - a postman before midday! Youngsters delivering the dailies, or hear the soft, muted hum of the electric milk floats and the chink of bottles against their crates.
Ooops, I was off on one of my trips down memory lane then.

As much as I enjoyed the early morning air, I was ever eager to finish the round and return home for breakfast, yet at the same time, would try and slow my pace to allow the postman or milkman break the huge cobwebs strung across the entrances, but there were some places neither would deliver their goods and inevitably, I would be the first to cross the spider's threshold. A sticky web would slam into my face and the resident spider, then hitch a lift upon my shoulder.

When passing through gates with tall hedges or bushes on either side, I would brandish the newspaper in front of me, like a machete. Many a daily was delivered with its free gift of freshly plucked web, clinging to the front page.

On frosty, moonlit mornings, however, it was lovely to see those webs in all their glittering glory along hedgerows and dangling from branches or across gaps. Even I was reluctant to destroy one, and on the odd occasion could slip under a cobweb without disturbing the beautiful silken structure; but then would sometimes forget to duck on the return journey.

=====SPIDERS====

There are over 80,000 species of spiders in the world, and fortunately, all the ones natural to the UK are harmless.
Apparently, for the majority, their fangs are not strong enough to penetrate human skin, although I have heard tell of one or two species that can bite, albeit a harmless nip.

There are far too many species of spiders to describe in any detail, so will just generalise and perhaps detail one or three of the more interesting, non-poisonous ones.

Spiders are classified as Arachnids. Their bodies have two segments; head and abdomen. Attached to each segment are two pairs of legs, making eight in total. On the head, there are also two pinchers and eight , yes, eight simple (not compound) eyes, each giving them incredible eyesight - akin to that of flies.

All arachnids are carniverous and consume their victims by injecting poison into their prey. The poison contains digestive enzymes that transform the victim's insides into a soup, which the spider is then able to suck out, leaving a neat, clean, empty shell behind.

When a spider's body is stretched to its limit, in order to grow, it's skeleton, unlike ours, is on the outside. It has to shed its outer shell, and what we often mistake for a dead spider, is in fact a shed exoskeleton.

Unlike many insects, spiders do not have antennae; it is the multitude of sensitive, hairy bristles on their legs, which act like antennae picking up signals. Spiders, it is said, can also taste things with their feet.

Female spiders can live up to 4 years and survive much longer than the males , which die soon after maturing. After death, they are eaten by the females - waste not want not. I believe though, the Black Widow spider, doesn't wait for her mate to die, she kills then eats him, if he doesn't escape quickly enough.

Their eggs are spherical, and in some species are laid in large numbers; then covered in a sac of silk. The little spiderlings hatch in the sac and are blind, virtually hairless, lack poison and the abiltiy to spin. Soon afterwards they moult into nymphs, resembling the adult form, then leave the sac once they are capable of feeding. Cannabalism can occur when any weak spiderling or nymph may be eaten by their stronger siblings.

====COBWEBS====

Arachnids have three pairs of glands which open out into tubes called spinnerets. The spider begins weaving its web by pressing its spinneret against a solid object and pushes out some silky liquid. The spider, as it moves away, draws a long, fine thread which hardens when exposed to the air.
I have watched a spider spinning its web, an incredibly fascinating procedure.

I had always assumed that spiders started, by making long strands radiating from a central position, outwards and anchoring the ends to branches, then to complete the web would make concentric circles around the elongated anchored strands, working from the centre outwards. However, this was not the way my spider spun its web.

Although I did not witness the start of the build. The incomplete web, already had strands anchored to solid objects and strung out like washing on a line. The spider ran out from the centre, as if climbing the rungs of a ladder (already in place) taking a length of silk to the outer edge. It would then pull a length of silk around the outer perimeter, before returning to the centre. It would then make the same journey at right angles, or thereabouts, to the first journey and repeat the circuit around the outer perimeter. These processes were repeated over and over again. Each time, adding a fine line of silky thread to the web. It was enthralling to watch. Made me feel guilty for ever destroying one.

The spider is able to do this without becoming stuck to its own web, by coating its legs with an oily substance from its mouth - clever little creatures really, considering their heads and brains are not much larger than a pinhead.

I have wondered for years how spiders managed to cross gaps to anchor their webs. Well, I wonder no more. It climbs to the highest point, attaches one end of its web to an object, then lets out a long strand of silk, which the breeze catches and lifts into the air, taking the spider with it. Landing, however, is a bit of a hit and miss affair, but they always seem to land safely.

It is interestsing to note that the silk strands are extremely strong and it has been estimated that if each strand were woven into a thread, one inch in diameter, it would be three times stronger than an iron rope and would support many tons in weight.

There are so many different species, around 600 in Britain alone, so I may be forgiven for not listing or describing them all.
I have just reduced the list to four of the more interesting types and their methods of catching prey.

~~~~The Spitting Spider~~~
This spider sprays a gum over its prey and cements it to whatever surface it happens to be on. The spider then slowly approaches and injects poison, before consuming the insides.

~~~~The Raft Spider~~~
This species, found on marsh-lands and in swamps, vibrates the water surface with its feet to attract small fish or flies, which it then kills in the usual manner of injecting poison.

~~~~The Purseweb Spider~~~
These little creatures build a silken tube into the ground, with one end protruding at the surface. Both ends are closed with the spider inside.
It stabs, any prey landing on the tube, through the closed mesh. The prey is then pulled into the tube and consumed once the mesh has been mended.

~~~~The Jumping Spider~~~
These have excellent eyesight and very slowly stalk their prey. When only a few cms away, they pounce and grab the victim with their front legs, before killing and consuming it in the usual spider manner.

I have hardly touched on the subject of spiders, it is impossible to cover all the aspects of these creatures without spreading it over many more pages. I'm not sure there would be anyone with enough time to read all there is to know about them, in one sitting.

I must tell you though, of my one resident spider, living in the wing mirror of my car. I discovered it just over a week ago, when getting ready to drive to town.

The sun was shining (for a change) and as I glanced towards the wing mirror, saw a spider scuttle across a small web it had spun from the door to the mirror. It had emerged from the gap behind the glass, housed in the wing-mirror casing. I suspect my opening the door had vibrated the web and the spider came out to investigate its catch.

I started the engine and drove off, the web flapping in the wind, and the spider, safely tucked away behind the glass again.
I did not expect the web or spider to be in situ by the time I got to the shops, but there it was, in all its sturdy glory, completely undamaged. How could I destroy such a well constructed home?
It is still there, my spider is content to travel with me- I have named him Incy - well, that is the only spider name I know.

I leave you with one of my silly ditties about a noisy spider - a take off of a popular nursery rhyme.

Incy Wincy spider climbed up the spout.
He thought he did it quietly, but then he heard a shout.
"For goodness sake, remove your boots, dear Incy-Wincy, mate.
It's bad enough to hear just one, but you are wearing eight."

So with a frown, he clattered down, his hobnails to discard,
And shuffled up the spout once more, with feet well shod with lard.
Now Incy-Wincy spider is happy - that's for sure.
His feet stay dry, are silent too, as he glides across the floor.

Summary: You have to admire their skills if nothing else