The Digital Library Center has been awfully busy lately digitizing more materials and loading materials digitized earlier that we’re just now working through. It’s difficult to explain the sheer volume of materials or the wonders held within them, but sometimes real instead of web spiders can help.
Soon after waking up this morning, I found a wolf spider in my house. I carefully scooped her (or him) up and dropped the spider outside. I’m quite a fan of wolf spiders since they’re such interesting characters. They don’t weave webs and instead they stalk and chase their prey, jumping to catch meals, and they’re fast! They’re also helpful and are not dangerous (they will bite if scared or provoked, but normally they’re large enough to not accidentally bump and just terrorize and eat bugs).
I checked the digital collections to see what resources we have on wolf spiders, and we’ve got a few as expected. What I didn’t expect were the many children’s books referencing wolf spiders, like this one, this one, this one, and this one.
The University of Florida has more on wolf spiders within different research and service extensions (with the page for the image above) and the University of Kentucky has this great page for anyone interested in more on wolf spiders.
2008-06-05
I am opposed to wolf spiders.
It can’t be because of their parenting skills or their pest-control services, so how could one be opposed to wolf spiders? I saw a mommy-wolf spider with her babies on her back for the first last year and it was terribly cute. There are great pictures online, and it’s nice that wolf spiders have yet another unique character-building trait. Another site describes a wolf spider versus a preying mantis, a fight of such royal arachnid versus insect lines is reminiscent of a battle of lion and the unicorn.
I am very confused by the information I have seen on the web concerning Wolf Spiders. Some of the sites tell you to go to the emergency room if you get a bite from one and others say you can take care of it yourself. I have also only seen that they only really come into your home in the Fall. They are already entering our home and have done so this time of year every year. I know for a fact that these are Wolf Spiders because of the babies on the mothers.
The nieghbors behind us all own several acres so we basicaly have a huge field behind us. So, I see no way of actually controlling the situation. They are now coming into my sons room in full force. He sleeps in the living room on the couch now because of them. Which is fine but I saw one in the living room this morning. The body was an inch long and with its legs three inches long.
I am scared to death of spiders and could not kill it because it was to fast. When it finally came out from under the t.v. cabinet, and I finally got Boomer (my dog) to see it, he killed it. We keep the yard cut constantly. From what I understand screens are good but I have also seen from blogs that it is not the best deteriant.
If my kids get bit what should be done? Should they be told to dial 911? What on earth can be done to keep them out of the house? I have a feeling that when they wake up I am going to tell the kids to call 911 if they get bit but I dont want to freak them out and have them scared of spiders like I am. Is there a good site that has reliable information on these types of spiders?
This blog is for the University of Florida’s Digital Library Center, and I posted on Wolf Spiders because I think they’re interesting and a number of books in our online collection reference them. The books aren’t recent or scientific, though, so they wouldn’t be good resources. The Digital Library Center can’t help with medical advice, but your medical provider should be able to help with any health related questions.
The University of Florida’s IFAS Extension has information on Common Florida Spiders that may be a useful starting reference point if you are in Florida. The UF/IFAS Solutions for Your Life website has additional information on spiders which may also be helpful in continuing your research and for finding answers. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help–I’m not a medical professional or a spider expert, so I don’t have anything more helpful than links to resources that could help the research process.
I am also having the same problem with wolf spiders being found in my home. I have many children and have found them in their bedrooms while they are sleeping. I like spiders because they kill the bugs but don’t like the idea of having them share a bedroom with the kids. How can I keep them out of the house?
I too am finding wolf spiders in my house. I have only found them in my living room so far, but I am so afraid of them biting my son. I had a exterminator come today and he said that spraying my home will not do anything because spiders do not clean themselves therefore they do not ingest the poison. I was bit by a brown recluse spider 3 yrs ago so my fear of spiders are sky high. Luckily my dog and cat spot them and start chasing them, so I usually am aware when there is one present. Any advice would be great to keep them far away form my family.