AUGUST 31, 2012 IDENTIFY YOUR SPIDERS

"You cannot control the results, onlu your actions " - Allan Lokos
Thge outcome is not yours, the action only belongs to you. It would be great if every action yielded the right outcome for yourself. But it doesn't work that way. I feel if to the best of your ability to take the action, the best result will be yielded. It is a virtue of patience and acceptance. Acceptance is the key



Spiders evoke a combination of curiosity and horror in people of all ages. Spiders’ seeming ability to appear suddenly out of nowhere on their fine silk lines can startle anyone. But their frightening reputation is largely undeserved. Spiders are amazing creatures! Like the honeybee I find spiders to be fascinating. It is true their home is not as unique as the honeybee's, but you have to love them for being 'loners'. I now understand why my mentor/colleague, 7 song loves insects. How could you not --- if you love plants (botany) you will have to eventually learn to love insects. These are the Natural Pollinators and always serve a symbiotic relationship within your garden.

 While walking through the forest a patient of mine walked through a large spider web he did not initially see.  He was stung by something on his right cheek, just below his eye.  He at first thought, it was a hornet sting, but then as he pulled the torn web off his face, an orb spider escaped.   He headed home and put baking soda on the wound. Since he is allergic to Yellow Jacket stings he had  Epinephrine for injection, but since there was no difficulty breathing, he had Diphenhydramine 25 mg. (Benadryl in the US and Canada). Until it became clear that it was swelling, he took the Benadryl. He had to take a second dose.

When you think of spiders you always think of the Black Widow or the Brown Recluse spider. As a previous volunteer physician on Fire Island, I witnessed first hand the effects of spider bites. For many it was a painful bite that required hydration and intravenous antibiotics. I was very careful to treat these infections as a spider bite can result in severe cellulitis. I know that two spider bite victims died from the toxins one to two weeks later.  I do not think the North Eastern United States worries about spider bites, nor do the residents of Fire Island. For years, the Island, as well as other areas in the North East, such as Connecticut, Upstate New York and Pennsylvania have been preoccupied with the Lyme Tick. And yes, it is true that we have epidemic numbers of Chronic Persistent Lyme Disorder.

There are one to two spiders that have been present on Fire Island, which can have harmful bites. These are the Wolf Spider and  the Recluse Spider. (not photographed). The Wolf Spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (the word lyco means wolf). These are robust spiders and have excellent eyesight. You can often see a Wolf Spider carrying eggs by attaching them to their body. These spiders are capable of defensive bites and can cause necrotic areas which I have seen in  Fire Island.. Some others of this family of spiders in other countries can be deadly. They are definitely present in the wet coastal area of Fire Island. It is said that the only other spider that has any chance at causing medical complications in North America is the Black Widow (female, male is harmless), certain Funnel-Webs, and the Recluse. I disagree with this as I have seen Wolf Spiders in NY. I have never seen a Mouse Spider however, although some state these spiders are present in NYS. All of them have a less than 1% fatality rate and less than 10% of bites need any medical attention.


Perhaps we have more Brown Recluse Spiders than what we are lead to believe. For those living in rural wooded area, or vacationing in Fire Island:

The "typical" Orb-Weaver Spiders (family Araneidae) are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. Their common name is taken from the round shape of this typical web, and the taxon was formerly also referred to as the Orbiculariae. These are very common, make beautiful webs but cause no harm if you are bitten.
I would check out , the Spiders of New York to try to identify spiders in your area. The web site is
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/commonspiders.pdf

Until tomorrow...

Photo credit: 7 song
Top to Bottom: 1. Wolf spider; 2. Golden rod crab spider; 3. Banded spider; 4. Orb spider