“We need to do what we can to stop the spider atrocities,” Stuart Brown said one day in early May, just as people, horrified by creeping and crawling creatures found in their basements and backyards, turned to social media. to post photos and make requests for help.
Brown, also known as Okanagan’s Bug, has been a fan of Okanagan creatures of all kinds throughout his life, following the example of both his father and grandfather, studying and recording everything he encountered in wildlife and then share with anyone who can, about their beauty and uniqueness.
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The size of the audience for these lessons varies depending on the time of year. Spring and summer are the times when people become most curious, probably because this is the time when spiders that have spent the winter in bark, leaf litter or, less ideally, basement corners and crawling spots begin to appear. .
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“Spiders are already coming out of hibernation,” he said. “Their prey (insects of various kinds) is coming out and they are beginning to settle for the summer.”
When they come out of the corners, human rings rise.
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This is something he hopes to change, perhaps with a little more information about what people see.
“They don’t want to catch you, they’re just doing their job. There is no point in using poison against us, they know they can’t eat us, “he said, adding that the idea of humans killing dozens of spiders a year is pure hokum.
“Spiders are just scary looking and unrecognized. It’s easy to love a puppy … but spiders don’t have a cute face and it’s not easy to recognize, it’s uncomfortable. ”
Weavers of the ball
Golden silk ball weaver at the Buy Gallery at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton. Kaylee Ramsey, Global News
The weavers of the orb are spiders with large bellies and are often found in gardens, Brown said.
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“They’re from Charlotte’s network,” he said. “Charlotte was a ball weaver.
This family of spiders is very large and includes more than 2,800 species in more than 160 genera worldwide.
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Goldenrod crab spiders
Brown said the Goldenrod Crab spiders mix with flowers, such as daisies or goldenrods, and then when an insect approaches, they begin to act.
“They are ambushing,” he said.
Wolf and giant domestic spiders
Wolf spiders are hard to miss, but interestingly, they don’t make a nest or a web, Brown explained. Rather, they take advantage of particularly sharp eyesight and impressive speed and actively hunt.
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Once the wolf spiders catch their prey, they either crush it into a ball or inject venom into it, liquefying the internal organs.
They can live almost anywhere, but they like to be outdoors.
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Black widows
This file shows a black widow spider. H. Armstrong Roberts / ClassicStock / Getty Images
These eight-legged beauties are common in Okanagan, although their numbers decrease the farther north one goes.
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“They’re dry and like south-facing hills and rocky environments,” Brown said.
“But they are very shy. They have no interest in interacting with humans, they make large and messy webs, and you’ll see the web more often, but not the spider.
Brown added that they are the most venomous species of spider in British Columbia, but few people will suffer from a black widow bite.
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“Their venom is 15 times more powerful than the local rattlesnake, but they use only 1/100 of the dose. “
Brown explained that the black widow’s poison did contain a neurotoxin that was painful and could be harmful to the very old or the very young. Symptoms may be flu-like and include cramps.
Anyone bitten should receive medical attention.
The best news, however, is that they are reluctant to be indoors and would prefer to avoid people altogether.
Tarantula
The Pacific spider with a folding neck is a tarantula. Kristen Lee
This is one of the spiders that instills fear in the hearts of even those who do not have a speck of arachnophobia due to the large volume of their limbs.
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“They’re primitive spiders, they precede tarantulas,” Brown said.
“They are also called spider bags and have hooked teeth that move forward like tarantula teeth … They hang forward almost like snake teeth and pull forward (the body) … Meanwhile, modern spiders have teeth. more like pliers. ”
Perhaps because of their non-modern teeth, they are also not harmful to humans.
“They are small and secluded,” he said. “Most of these purse spiders live underground and find them while people are gardening. This is another reason why people often encounter these spiders.
Brown hermit spider
Brown hermit spider. Global news
Brown’s mostly cheerful tone becomes a little harsh when this spider mentions his name.
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“We don’t have them in Okanagan,” he said.
“It’s a South American species. In rare cases, they can appear in a bunch of bananas, but they can’t survive here, and the chances of being bitten by one are extremely rare. ”
When people see them, it’s probably the giant house spider they see.
Like the wolf spider, it is brown, leg and fast. It’s just more likely to cause harm.
But fortunately he is not here for that.
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However, if you’re the type of person who thinks you get a lot of spider bites, Brown said, think again.
“The number of spider bites, which are actually spider bites, is extremely small,” he said. “If they crawl on you, then you have an infection.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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