Spider Facts

Known as an intense fear of spiders, arachnophobia affects millions of people around the world. Some people are so terrified by spiders that they’ll look for them in the corners of any room they enter. Most experts agree that it affects more women than men. According to most estimates, 50% of women and 10% of men experience varying levels of terror when confronted with spiders.

Spiders love to take advantage of any area in a house where they can live. Under stairs, in nooks and crannies all over the house, in garden sheds and garages, there are many places that a human could come in contact with spiders. All spiders are venomous but most have venom that is not strong enough to be dangerous to humans.

All spiders have silk glands, although not all use silk in spinning webs. When drawn and stretched from the spinnerets, located at the rear of the abdomen, the liquid silk solidifies into tiny strands that are both strong and elastic. It may require more than 80 grams of stress to break a thread of silk only .1mm in diameter. Spiders use silk for web-building, for capturing prey, molting or living chambers and constructing egg cases. Spiderlings use silk for windborne travel.