Golden Silk Orb Weaver--

Nephila clavipes

The golden silk orb weaver--also known as the "banana spider," because of it's shape--is one of the largest--and the creepiest, I have to say--spiders I've heard of. As you can see, it is very big, seeing as it's about as big as an adult's hand. And to add to the creepy-meter, it's elbows are furry. A lot of times, because the spider is so big, when people see it, they want to kill it. But this spider is beneficiary to your house. It loves to eat mosquitoes, flies, sometimes even other spiders! So, instead of smushing it, get a long stick, and slowly wind the web around the stick, in a spiraling motion. The spider will follow it's web, and once the spider is on the stick, quickly move it to a spot that pleases you. The females of this species will sometimes eat their webs when they are done with it. And this spider is venomous, but not lethal. It usually causes redness, swelling, and itching, much like the reactions you get fro a black widow's bite, although it isn't as potent. In the fall and winter, the females with lay their egg sacs on a tree that is near the webs. The egg sacs are about an inch in diameter. The females' bodies are about two inches long, and with legs outstretched, they can be 4-6" wide. The males are noticeably smaller than the females, with their bodies being only 1/3 of an inch long. Crazy, huh? The Golden Silk Orb Weavers are called such because the adults' silk is a beautiful golden color. Did you know?: One million female orb weavers from Madagascar made this extraordinarily unique cloth from spider silk. I'm simply astonished at the amazing beauty of this wonderful piece of art. Wow, just wow. Who knew? Well, someone in the late 1890s thought they would try it, and they wove only a small piece, almost nothing compared to the vast size of that wonder. Well, I believe I am done for the day! See you next week! Buh-bye.

Spiny-Backed Orb Weaver--

Gasteracantha elipsoides

The spiny-backed orb weaver (you can obviously tell why it is called such) is quite easy to identify, as the spines on it's back are uniquely conspicuous. Spiny-backed orb weavers--also spelled Spinybacked, and Spiny Backed--usually have at least two colors on them, and are usually red, white, yellow, black and/or orange. It spans all across the southern United States from North Carolina to southern California. It is usually 0.08 in. to 0.4 inches, and you can see a comparison here. Like most orb weavers, the adults lay their eggs in fall-winter, die in the afterwards, and let their eggs hatch in the later. Although males have been found in every month--except December and January--they are most common in October and November. Females are found year-round, but they are most common in October-January. They are poisonous, but not poisonous to harm a human. Probably not even harmful enough to hurt a gerbil. Not saying that that I tried it, though... In October-January, the females will lay their eggs on the underside of a leaf, much like many butterflies do. The eggs hatch after about two weeks, after which for a few days they remain in a pink and white stage until molting into their adult figures, but still small, as are their webs. In late summer-early fall both their webs and bodies grow significantly in size. They live their boring lives until October, when they begin to mate. Webs can be from 1-7 yards from the ground.

Sources:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/g_cancriformis.htm

http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?identification=Spiny-Backed-Orb-Weaver

Orb Weavers--

Family: Araneidae

Genus: Araneus

That spiny-backed orb weaver on the left looks pretty neat, huh? And on the right is a comparison between male and female orb weavers. Guess which one the male is? That would be the tiny speck near the top of the picture. Who knew that the female (if she could) would easily be able to swallow him whole. But she can't, luckily. Orb weaver females are usually the only ones to spin webs, as the males are usually on the ground trying to find a mate. This makes the females the ones most seen by humans. They spin webs very large, up to six feet or more in width. Just watch where you're going, as one of My sources say, just "be careful not to walk into their webs at night--the fright of this spider crawling over one's face can be terrifying and may cause a heart attack...*" Yes. Absolutely true, I say. And don't worry about getting bitten; their venom is not powerful enough to harm a human, although, as with all spider-bites, they should be washed thoroughly, as to prevent infection. Orb weavers make the kind of web that you would normally think of when you say "spider webs"(see image on the right). Some of them will make beautiful and intricate patterns on their webs. Most likely, Charlotte, from Charlotte's Web, was an orb weaver. Orb weavers lay their eggs in the late summer to fall, after which they die at the first frost. The eggs will survive through the winter, hatch in spring, mature in the early summer, and then
start the cycle all over again. Well, it's time for my post to die, but its eggs will hatch next week! Good-bye!

Sources:
http://www.insectidentification.org/insect-

description.asp?identification=Arboreal-Orb-Weaver

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orb-weaver_spider
http://bugguide.net/node/view/1972

http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/venanimals/ven_spidorb.html
*See the orb-weaver section.

Crab Spider--

Misumena vatia

The goldenrod crab spider is what my focus is this week! Another name that is used for this creature is the flower spider. It is yellow all around, and the young females can change colors at will, but over a long period of time. Changing from white to yellow take a little less than a month, about 10-25 days, while changing from yellow to white takes only about six. The reason crab spiders can change colors is because of a liquid yellow pigment they make secreting into the cells of the spider. It takes longer time to change from white to yellow, because the spider has to make the pigment before she can distribute it into her cells. The crab spider usually lives in flowers such as dandelions, which they blend in well with the petals, and sometimes the females will go to daisies, and change color to white. In spring and summer, the crab spider will eat bees and wasps pollinating the flower that little Miss Spider lives in. Crab spiders in general are called so because their front legs curve forward, much like the claws of a crab. In the picture above, the crab spider is pretending to be a flower. This may happen if one cannot find a flower to latch onto. Crab spider eggs are lain in late spring and summer. They will also eat mites, flies, butterflies, and pretty much anything it can get it's mouth on.

Wolf Spiders--

Lycosidae

Wolf spiders are particularly large spiders, as with the legs outstretched, they can be up to 4" long. Although, they range in size, with body lengths ranging from 1/4" to 1". They do not usually build webs, as they stalk their prey rather than wait for the meal to come to them. In fact, they got the name because of that habit, stalking their prey, because wolves do that as well. They hardly ever go into houses, and they most likely do that because a door was left open. Because of their rather big size, they can't slide in through cracks under the door. Wolf spider bites are very rare, and as harmful as a bee sting. In fact, bee stings are more common than wolf spider bites, because bees have to protect their hive, whereas wolf spiders are quick enough (most of the time) to evade capture. Wolf spiders only bite when handled or picked up, so if you find one, gently guide into a big enough container with a stick or pencil. They can be black and brown, and hairy. They resemble tarantulas in appearance, but are not. They have very good eyesight, and the females usually attach the egg sac onto her spinnerets until the babies hatch, as seen above. The wolf spider has eight eyes, four on the bottom, two extra big ones in the middle, and two medium sized eyes at the top. In total, there are more than 2000 wolf spider species. Wolf spider bites are usually emitted by the larger species, as the smaller ones do not have the ability to penetrate skin. It may swell, turn red, itch, but usually it goes away within a few hours. Because the bite may get infected, wash it frequently so this will not happen.

Loxosceles reclusa-The Brown Recluse

The brown recluse spider is venomous, as venomous as a black widow. It is about the size of a quarter, and is noted for the violin shaped marking on its head, with the "neck" of the violin pointed at towards the spider's back. The prefer to build their webs in dark, dry places. This makes them different from the black widow, because the black widow prefers dark, moist places to live.
The brown recluse' bite is a large, red, swelling blotch, followed by nausea, vomiting, restlessness, fever, and shock. After the bite turn red, it turns into an ulcer. If left untreated, it can--but not always--cause the victim to die, as the black widow's can too. The ones most likely to be the most affected by the venom are children under the age of sixteen, and the elderly. The red mark on your skin can both: be 1-2 and 3/4 inches long; and once it heals, it can leave ugly scars.
The brown recluse is mostly found in the mid-south, including Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Though it can live almost anywhere. The most common ways for a brown recluse to change its home is to move with you in old boxes that haven't been opened in a long time. Some of the most common times that a brown recluse with bite is if you are getting dressed, and the spider was hiding in your apparel, and if putting on shoes that the recluse was nesting in. The brown recluse hardly ever bites you in your sleep, as it usually only bites when in danger, and your weight would most likely squash the recluse before it could bite. They will only nest in places where they can find food, so if you keep all pests out of your house, the recluse will have to leave as well. The same is true for all spiders, and bugs that eat other bugs, such as ants. Yes, I have seen ants carrying a granddaddy long legs to their hill. I actually thought it was a large crumb at first, but then I saw the legs, and I thought: "Wow, I've never seen that before!" I was surprised. Well, that is what I know! And stay tuned, because holly bushes and trees are starting to get berries! So I will be editing my post to include those as well. Bye-bye, and I hope to have more readers next week!

Black Widows-

Southern Black widow, or Lactrodectus mactans

I have never seen a black widow for more than ten seconds before, so I don't have any pictures to show you. But, I can tell you some things about them. Females are most recognizable by a distinct hourglass marking on their under-abdomen. Females are always black, with a glossy tint. Males can be black, but are usually red or brown. The black widow in general, whether it be male or female, has a cephalothorax that is much, much smaller than the abdomen. The abdomen is shaped somewhat like a sphere, very round, and large. The venom of the female black widow is rarely fatal, if given immediate medical attention. The usual signs of a black widow bite are nausea, vomiting, sweating, cramps, faintness, headache, itching, and increased blood pressure, to name a few. If bitten by a black widow, or, now that I think about it, any spider at all, instantly seek medical attention. Black widows, despite their notorious reputation, are not as aggressive as you might think. Even if disturbed in it's own web, a black widow will most likely try to run away rather than bite. To prevent spider bites, wear heavy gloves when working outside, especially when reaching into unseen places, such as in a log, under a log, under a house, etc. Black widows prefer to have their webs close to the ground, or a solid surface, such as a large shelf. Don't worry about juveniles, whether male or female, because they are harmless to humans. Try to keep your smaller pets (such as small dogs and cats) away from places where a black widow might be, because us humans are big, so there are only small traces of venom in our blood, where as cats, for example, have less blood, so there will be larger amounts of the venom in Mr. Whisker's blood, which may be deadly. Black widows will eat most anything that is smaller than it, such as flies, scorpions, even other spiders! I wish I could give you more information, but this is all I know. Bye-bye!