Nature’s calling – Spiders
Most spider species are too tiny and cannot pierce human flesh with their fangs.
Spiders are one of the most feared creatures on earth, I would say that snakes and spiders are tied for the most feared creatures on earth. But, most of this fear is based on what you think you know about snakes and spiders and not on what you actually know. We are all taught from a young age that all spiders are dangerous and to avoid or even kill spiders at all cost, however, nothing could be further from the truth. Most spider species are too tiny and cannot pierce human flesh with their fangs. Spiders also loath biting humans and will only do so if severely provoked, ie: accidentally putting your hand on one. All spiders, but one species found in South Africa have venom. However, only around three species of spider found in South Africa have venom that could cause problems for humans. The spiders to watch out for are the violin, black widow and the sac spiders. Spiders live in three different kinds of habitat either in webs, on the ground or free-living. Web-bound spiders: More than half of all known spiders build webs of some sort. Orb-web spiders build rounded shaped webs from a few centimetres in diameter to more than a metre in diameter, depending on species. Most orb-web making spiders build their web at sunset and take it down at sunrise, then sleep under a leaf or in a little self made cocoon. Tube-web/ tunnel spiders: These spiders make their home in a hole in the ground or a crack in the wall, they line their hole with webbing and also usually make a webbing carpet in front of their hole. The webbing in front is used to be able to feel when potential prey is at their door. The most common webs found in homes are the cob-web spiders, these species make a three dimensional web covering all angles, it looks quite messy, but this allows the spider to capture more prey. Ground-living spiders: These spiders live free of any form of web examples of such are the wolf, rain and jumping spiders. Free-living arboreal spiders: These spiders live in or among bushes, also free of any kind of webs, an example of this are the crab spiders. Spiders play a vital role in our eco-system, helping to control pest numbers. I always have a few jumping spiders living in my kitchen, on the windowsill, where they eat the pesky flies that come in. There is never a need to kill any spider, most are small and easy enough to gently brush into a jar and relocate outside. If you would like to make contact with Warren Dick to have some of your interesting insects, snakes or spiders identified, send him a WhatsApp message or call him on 072-211-0353.
