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BY DON MEEHAN
ARACHNIPHOBIA
We are on our way to some event. I can't recollect what it was now, probably because of the story being shared with me as we traveled. She was young and impressionable, a typical twelve-year-old. Her story was shared with great delight on her part, using considerable gestures to get across the more exciting parts of the story. The part which sticks in my mind was the spider leaping onto the poor victim's face, all eight legs (or was it six) clutching various parts of his face.
She had spent the previous evening at the local theater seeing half of the movie called "Arachniphobia". I say half because her partner in this visual adventure, my wife, claims she had her face covered at least half of the time, not daring to view the events unfolding on the screen.
Arachnids (spiders, mites, ticks and scorpions) have four pair of jointed legs, whereas insects have only three pairs. All spiders are predators and we regard them as beneficial insects. Movies, such as the one described earlier and much of what has been done with spiders by Hollywood, have done a lot to create arachniphobia, the fear of spiders.
Of the 3,000 species of spiders occurring in North America only a few are considered dangerous to humans. By the way, all spiders are poisonous. The important point to know is that the poison of most is too weak to harm people, or the spider is too small to inject enough to harm people. Those very few which we do pay attention to can cause serious harm under certain circumstances.
Obviously, the one we think about most often is the Black Widow. Here in western Washington we do not see many of them; however they do show up from time to time and they are the most dangerous. Young children and the elderly should fear these the most. Others are less susceptible to their bites.
The Brown Recluse or Fiddlebacked Spider does not occur in the Pacific Northwest, but is sometimes brought in as a transient from southern states.
The spider which has gained most recent attention by those of us at the University concerned about such things is the Aggressive House Spider (Tegenaria agrestis). It has been reported in the Seattle area as far back as 1930, but did not become common until the 60's. It has a number of relatives whose bites are less serious that are commonly found here. The Aggressive House Spider is called that due to its reaction when cornered or threatened. It is fairly large and is a fast runner. Its bite can cause ugly blisters, even though the initial bite most often goes unnoticed. Healing from the blister can take months and often leaves permanent scaring.
This spider family (Agelenidae) is common in Western Washington and accounts for most of those spiders found in sinks and bathtubs during the fall and winter months. The aggressive species is not one of them, however. Because of this confusion, it is worth noting the markings on the abdomen. The Aggressive House Spider has a chevron pattern, the others don't.
There are several other spiders which one should learn about to be on top of the arachniphobia issue here in the Pacific Northwest. Yes, there is even a group of jumping spiders. No, they will not jump onto your face.
The presence of spider webs can be a clue as to the type of spiders you have in and around your house. This information along with excellent color photographs and control measures is available in one of our newest publication on spiders in Washington.
For a copy of this publication, contact our education center in Coupeville and ask us to send you a copy. It is simply called "Spiders". The publication costs $2.00 if we mail it to you or $1.75 if you pick it up. Our phone number is 679-7327 or 321-5111 ext 327.
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