Spider Myths

Are spiders insects? No, they're arachnids, as different from insects as birds are from fish!

"Arachnid" doesn't just mean spider. The 11 arachnid orders include scorpions, ticks, etc.; spiders are just 1 order of class Arachnida.

All arachnids, not just spiders, have four pairs of legs.

All spiders make silk but only about half make a web (silk structure to catch prey); others hunt or wait for prey.

Orb (spiral) spider webs are neither the most common type nor the "normal" or standard type of web.

"Daddy-longlegs" means harvestman (not a spider), crane fly (an insect) or pholcid spider, depending on who's talking! So it's really meaningless.

Spiders very rarely bite humans, but that isn't because their fangs are too small; most could bite if they tried.

Every spider species has limits to its range; every place has a limited list of spiders that live there.

It's easy to tell males from females, so please don't call all spiders "he" or "him."

In late summer when people notice garden orbweavers and giant house spiders, most native spiders are juvenile.

"Arachnid" doesn't just mean spider. The 11 arachnid orders include scorpions, ticks, etc.; spiders are just 1 order of class Arachnida.

Books say spiders don't eat solids but "suck the juices" of their prey. False! All spiders digest solids externally with vomited enzymes.

The oft-repeated "spiders don't stick to their own webs thanks to oil on the feet" is wrong — the story is much more complicated.

To identify spiders, you can't just look at 10-12 pictures! There are 50,000 species to choose from, separated by picky microscopic details.

No, you don't identify spiders by "markings." Color patterns are variable within same species, similar between different species.

Please use inches or centimeters, not "silver dollars" or other coins, to describe the size of spiders!

A picture that "looks just like" your spider does not identify it!

Don't trust physicians and pest control operators to correctly identify a spider; only an arachnologist has the required training and skill.

Spiders sent for ID in an envelope (even if padded) are likely to arrive powdered! Send it in a rigid container, preferably in alcohol.

The spider you're trying to identify does not have to be one of the few species you've already heard of!

Why, oh why, do people think any unfamiliar spider must be "new to the area" and presumed dangerous?

Your house (and any other house) contains 10-30 spider species, not just one!

Outdoor spiders are not drawn to indoor habitats where they can't survive. Indoor spiders are different species, called house spiders.

If you put a house spider out in the yard, you aren't doing it any favor; it probably won't survive there.

Spiders in sinks and bathtubs come down the walls, attracted by water. They cannot come up through the drains!

No, those big, hairy, fast-moving spiders you see indoors are not wolf spiders (well, hardly ever). Most likely male house spiders.

House spiders pose no significant danger to you, your children or your pets. Especially compared to your fellow humans!

"Daddy-longlegs" (meaningless term for any long-legged arthropod) do not have super-powerful venom, but no (or very weak) venom.

The well-known structure and behavior of solpugids (sometimes called "camel spiders") makes their alleged human-flesh consumption absurd.

Tall tales alleging that "camel spiders" (which aren't spiders) have super-powers and do horrible things to men and camels are all phoney.

Urban legend alleging that hatching tarantula eggs made a potted cactus plant explode, has no basis in fact or tarantula biology.

A 1999 internet hoax claimed a deadly exotic spider lurks under toilet seats in planes and around airports; everything in the story is fake.

A 2001 media blitz about hordes of giant, rare, venomous spiders under Windsor Castle (England) derived from a common, harmless cave spider.

A worldwide 2012 news report claimed "swarms" of deadly spiders suddenly invaded an Indian village. The scare started with 2 snake bites.

The recent idea that spiders "hold their breaths" to escape pesticide is not supported by research. The lung slits can't close completely.

Do you swallow live spiders in your sleep? There's no evidence of it — no specimens, no eyewitness accounts, nothing!

If spiders drink from mouths or eyes of sleeping humans, there is no physical or eyewitness evidence of it.

Do female black widows always kill and eat their mates? In most species that has never been seen in the wild, just in cages.

In a 20th century legend, spider eggs hatched inside a bouffant hair-do. Not consistent with known spider behavior.

Contrary to urban legend, spiders are not able to lay their eggs inside the skins of ripe banana fruit.

Very widespread and persistent legends of spider eggs hatching under human skin, contradict all we know of spider behavior and abilities.

Various natural plant products are alleged to repel spiders. There is no evidence that spiders can even smell them.

About 20 lesser-known spider myths, featuring jumping tarantulas, poisonous spider urine, ten-legged spiders, and more.

Everyone seems to believe spider bites cause all mystery skin sores, bumps & punctures. Nearly all have other causes.

House spiders could not survive without insect prey. Therefore, your house contains insects even if you see only spiders.

Real spider fang punctures in human skin are hardly ever visible to the naked eye. If you have two visible marks, that doesn't mean a spider bite!

Practically all spiders have venom; none that I know of are poisonous (to eat). "Is it poisonous?" or "Is it venomous" has no meaning.

Theraphosid "tarantula" spiders are big and spectacular but not particularly dangerous. Very few pose even a mild bite hazard.

There is no spider on earth whose bite is likely to cause death in humans, especially with medical treatment.

The most notorious "deadly" spiders of Australia and Brazil are not as toxic as their reputation; very few deaths have ever been recorded.

British media hype about "killer" false widow spiders is irresponsible and wildly exaggerated; the rare bites are mostly just painful.

Brown recluse spider bites occur only in 15 states. Hundreds reported from other states and Canada are all false reports.

Contrary to what you've heard, you cannot recognize a "brown recluse" spider by a violin shape. Numerous other spiders have one too!

A chevron pattern, boxing-glove palps or a funnel web do not mean it's a hobo spider; you need a microscope to determine that.

Hobo spiders are neither aggressive nor are they true house spiders; the inflammatory name "agressive house spider" is a reject.

Inadequate studies claimed that wolf spiders, "yellow" sac spiders, woodlouse spiders and white-tailed spiders were dangerous. They aren't!

Few if any physicians can correctly ID spiders from bite symptoms alone. Spiders caught biting should be ID'd by arachnologists.

Several studies show that only in rare cases do spider fangs carry lesion-causing microorganisms. Antibiotics help only if it's not a bite.

Spider bite cases resulting in amputation are sometimes reported, but no such case has confirmation of actual spider involvement.

Spiders seldom need controlling and pesticides are not the best way to do so. Sticky traps or better yet, physical exclusion work best.