THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511030076
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT STIFFLER, GARDEN COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
THERE'S NO CREEPIER feeling this time of year than walking through a spider web. And it seems they're everywhere.
``Just the word `spider' brings shivers to most people,'' said Virginia Tech Research Center Director Peter Schultz. ``People tend to be afraid of all of them.''
But spiders are needed. They eat many insects.
The only poisonous spider in Virginia is the black widow, Schultz said. It's usually found in dark secluded places, such as woodpiles or garages.
Don't try to kill spiders with chemical sprays. It does little if any good and you may kill other beneficial insects. Spraying does not kill spider eggs, so more spiders will soon hatch. Your best weapon, if you insist on eliminating a spider, is a fly swatter.
Although they may look frightening, garden spiders are fascinating to observe. They are usually yellow, green or black and most often are found on shrubs or between shrubs and trees. The web of a garden spider has a sticky substance used to catch prey such as flies and other insects. The spider venomizes its prey, to paralyze it before eating, Schultz said.
If you carefully examine a spider web, you'll see a zigzag line down the middle of the web. The spider aligns itself with this line called a ``stabilimentum.'' Some entomologists believe this serves as a warning to keep birds from destroying the web by flying into it.
Spiders are hard-working friends in your garden. If you can't learn to love them, at least learn to live with them. by CNB