Spiders are not insects but Arthropods; their bodies are in two divisions with eight legs and up to eight eyes. You will never see a spider with antennae or wings. They are more akin to ticks, scorpions, mites, and even grand daddy longlegs. They live around water, rubble, leaves that have fallen and are decaying, and thick, low plant growth.
Spiders are invertebrates; cold blooded, cold temperature slows them down considerably even to the point of inactivity during winter. The young spiders are called “spiderlings” and are hatched from eggs. The eggs are in a baglike structure wrapped together in a membranous pouch. The sac may be carried around under the female spider or hid in an out of the way place. The spiderlings are duplicates of the adults and grow by a procession of “exfoliation.” Surprisingly, spiders can live up to 2 years. Spiders create and use “silk.” Located at the pinnacle of the abdomen is a collection of glands from which silk is produced as a liquid that solidifies to air exposure. The silk is used to catch prey, build cover, to assemble the web sac, and as leverage.
Spiders have pinchers that are fang like, and special poison glands, used to defeat their prey; the poison is inserted through the hollow fangs. Spiders can be advantageous to man in that they help to control the insect population. Spiders are non-aggressive and would rather flee from man. There are only a few that are dangerous to man: most are typically non-aggressive and will not bite unless annoyed or cornered. They are shy and would rather hide from human beings.
Control of Spiders:
The normal “house spiders” are gray, pale yellow or tan and are small, no more than ¼ inch in circumference. If you notice a spider that is larger, ½ inch or more with distinct patterns or brightly colored, and can move quickly and jump, then these are the outdoor species. Debris around and in your home and yard needs to be cleared. It is a good idea any time, to maintain conscientious cleaning practice. Prime areas for spiders are woodpiles, compost, and dead leaves that have accumulated, and trash. Moist areas such as basements, cellars, garage, and crawl spaces need be free of debris and kept as dry as possible. Caulking small cracks and crevices will discourage “outside” spiders from entering your home. Well-fitted doors and windows will stop the invading army of spiders from entering your abode. Inside the residence vacuum and dust under furniture, and in and around corners and closets as often as possible. Items left undisturbed for too long will send an invitation to our friend the spider to move in, remember they like to be isolated.
Finally, a trained pest control technician should be called in to eliminate the immediate population, with pesticides. Also conducting a visual inspection to detect any areas that mechanical control can be applied.
We Abolish the Spiders
