Fall means a crop of spiders in Bucks County. Which one to especially avoid
Autumn is the time of year when one of the most terrifying denizens of nature appears throughout Bucks County.
It's spider season.
Only snakes top Americans’ fear of spiders, with one in five of us jolting, panicking or screaming (women fear spiders more than men, according to one survey) when one of the creepy things appears in the bathtub, bedroom, garage or car.
“There are ingrained fears within our DNA, telling us things to avoid, and spiders may be one of them,” said Bill Woodruffe, a naturalist the Churchville Nature Center.
“The innate fear of spiders is mostly due to Hollywood stories that freak you out. Because of it, there was a spider phobia in the 1990s. But you don’t have to worry too much. I’ve been bitten by many spiders, never had a reaction to it.”
Beyond the “ick” factor, spiders, or things that look like them (Daddy Long Legs, for example) are hardly anything to fear.
“Mostly, they’re harmless,” Woodruffe said.
Which spiders to avoid?
In Bucks County, the only real dangerous spider is the female black widow, easily identified by its shiny black body and bright red hourglass on its abdomen.
Bad news: Black Widow venom is 15 times more toxic than a rattlesnake venom.
Good news: The spider is so small, the amount of venom injected is unlikely to kill you.
“I’ve never come across a Black Widow in Bucks County,” Woodruffe said. “Usually, they’re more in Jersey, the Pine Barrens. But, yeah, they can be around here, like in fruit orchards. But the chances of coming in contact with one are really low unless you’re actively looking for them.
“As far as I’m aware, there’s not really anything you have to be too concerned about in the area when it comes to spiders, unless you have an allergic reaction to them.”
The infamous Brown Recluse spider, whose bite causes human flesh to rot, resides mostly in the South.
“It would only be here by accident,” Woodruffe said.
But just in case, there are two ways to spot the Brown Recluse. First, they’re brown. Second, when they run, they arc to the right.
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Are Daddy Long Legs venomous?
“Every spider is venomous, it’s how they eat their food,” Woodruffe said. But the Daddy Long Legs, aka Harvestman spider, isn’t a true spider. Spiders have eight legs and two parts to their bodies, front and rear. Plus, they can spin webs. A Daddy Long Legs, while in the arachnid family, has a mouth and single ball of a body.
“Spiders have fangs, which they grab and inject venom into prey, like a sow bug or a crustacean,” Woodruffe said. “The venom liquifies the insides of the bug, and they drink everything back out of it, like a straw.”
All that’s left is the exoskeleton.
A Daddy Long Legs, on the other hand, grabs with its mouth and tears its prey apart, no venom. A shy creature, the thing will drop a leg and run off if grabbed.
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Why are spiders so active in fall?
Because, like their prey, they were born last Spring.
“A lot of invertebrates were hatched in the spring, matured over the summer and are adults in autumn. You hear a lot of singing insects at night right now. Those are mature offspring.”
And for spiders, a bumper crop of food.
“Spiders slow down as it gets colder. They’re cold-blooded, so they need the warmth of the sun to get their energy to move around and hunt.”
Once Halloween is over, like trick or treaters on your doorstep, most spiders won’t be seen until next year.
JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Fall means spiders in Bucks County. Here's one to avoid
