Did you ever wonder where spiders are between sightings?

By David McClelland

While sitting in a doctor's office recently, I spotted a small spider on the table with the magazines. It was very busy moving about the table from one magazine to another and I imagined that it was reading the headlines to make decisions for later reading.

Then, I wondered where the spiders spend their time when they are out of sight. I did a little research and this is what I learned. Spiders live almost everywhere. They live in the hottest of climates from rainforests to deserts. They live in water, forests, trees, gardens and peoples' homes.

If you think that spiders are insects, they are not. They belong to a group of animals called arachnids which does not include insects. Spiders have 8 legs whereas insects have 6. Arachnids don't have wings, whereas insects do. Spiders use the hairs on their bodies to sense the world around them, but insects have antennae that grow from their heads to sense things.

Spiders vary greatly in size. Some are large enough to eat birds, mice and frogs. Others are so small that they can barely be seen with the naked eye. As you probably know, the largest spiders are the tarantulas. Most spiders are poisonous, but only a few are dangerous to humans. Since spider bites can be painful, it is best to avoid them. Only two spiders in North America are dangerous to humans. They are the brown recluse spider and the female black widow. The brown recluse cannot live in temperatures below 40 degrees F. and few are found in Michigan. In fact, there have been only two sightings. The brown recluse has three pairs of eyes arranged in a semicircle on the front of its head. It also has a violin-shaped marking between its eyes. They are most active at night and prefer dark, undisturbed areas. Its bites are seldom fatal, but do require medical attention.

Spiders can move quickly and some baby spiders can move through the air. They cling to silk threads that are blown by the wind. This is called ballooning. The silk is produced by the spiders' own bodies. Many spiders use the silk to spin their webs. The webs are sticky and if an insect comes into contact with the webs, they will stick to it and the spider will go to it, inject its poison into it and then eat it. That tells me that spiders are immune to their own poison. Sometimes, a spider will wrap its captive insect in its silk to eat later.

Not all spiders weave webs. Those that don't are called hunting spiders. The tarantula is one example. They go out hunting for their prey. Jumping spiders attack their prey by jumping on them. Some spiders even eat other spiders. Spiders are not easy to like and you may not know a single person who likes them, but they do us some good by eating insects that are harmful to plants or which carry disease.

In Michigan, the version of the black widow is not nearly a big as one would think from seeing them in the movies. The body of the female is about ½ inch long (1 ½ inches including its legs). Males are even smaller. Black widows are black, shiny and have very round abdomens. Females (only) have a red hourglass marking on the underside of its abdomen. This type of spider is often found around woodpiles and may be encountered when a homeowner carries firewood into his house. Its bites are sharp and painful and, if bitten, one should seek medical attention immediately. One should wear gloves for the wood carrying job.

Spiders are here to stay and it is wise of us to know all about them.