spiders

How to Identify a Brown Recluse Spider

Distinctive violin shaped marking on its back.

Brown recluse spiders can also be colored gray.

Distinctive violin shape on it back

Very distinct features identify the brown recluse.  Brown to gray in color, it has a distinctive violin marking on its back.

The marking is seen on the portion of the body attached to the legs.   The well defined violin shape explains why the brown recluse is also called a fiddleback  spider, a brown fiddler and a violin spider.

The brown recluse is a bit larger than a quarter with long legs.  The legs are covered in light hair and have no adhering spines.

Unlike most spiders, the brown recluse has only six eyes, two forward looking and four side looking.  Go figure!

The University of California Riverside has performed a great deal of spider research.  Check out their site http://spiders.ucr.edu/recluseid.html if you are looking for great information about the brown recluse spider.

Predator Spiders

Spiders love to eat other bugs and insects.

Spiders use their sense of vibration to detect critters caught in their web.

Fascinating spider web designSpiders have very bad eyesight, but that doesn’t stop them from being successful predators.  A spider’s tool is a well spun web.

A spider web has a wonderfully efficient design and construction, honed to capture unsuspecting prey.

Did you ever wonder why a spider does not get trapped in it’s own web?  Watch a fascinating video on HowStuffWorks to see the intricacies of spider web design.

You can get rid of spiders if you keep your home free of other bugs and insects.  Spiders are pretty smart and they won’t build webs in areas where there isn’t much prey.

Watching a spider spin a web is equally delightful as hearing an old man spin a yarn!

Should We Get Rid of Spiders?

Spiders are among the most feared creatures.

Humans tend to love, hate, or be fascinated by spiders.

Big spiders, small spiders!Spiders are one of the most feared and reviled creatures on earth.  No one quite knows why we love to hate spiders like we do.

Arachnophobia is real, and there are people who would rather jump off a cliff than take on a spider.  But in reality, most spiders are harmless.

There are a few spiders, like the brown recluse and the black widow, which can cause serious harm if they bite. The majority of spiders only bite when threatened and their bites are usually less bothersome than a mosquito or fly bite.

As irrational as it seems, spider fear still exists.  Fortunately you can get rid of spiders fairly easily if they scare the bajeebers out of you, and we’ll examine the topic of how to get rid of spiders over the next few posts.

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