Tarantula

The Tarantula

Tarantula

Tarantulas belong to the Theraphosidae family of spiders. Till date, about 900 species of this family have been identified. The Tarantula is the biggest spider in the world. Africans call them baboon spiders and South Americans call them hairy spiders.

HOW TO IDENTIFY TARANTULAS

Tarantulas are usually black or brown in color and have thick dense hair all over their body. While the average body size of a tarantula is 7 to 10 cm, they can reach up to 30 cm! They usually seem bigger because of their hair.

Appearance, Behavior, and Signs

The body of tarantulas is divided into two parts: the prosoma and the abdomen. These are connected by a pedicle, which is said to be the waist of tarantulas. This waist assists them in mobility and agility. They have eight legs and bodies covered with thick dense hair.

While these spiders look very scary to humans due to their appearance, they are not as aggressive and mind their own business. Although they have long needle-like fangs, if you don’t provoke them, they won’t cause any harm to you. Some tarantulas dig burrows underground and some can also start living in burrows made by other spiders. They use their silk to make doors for their burrows.

The most obvious sign of a tarantula infestation can be if you observe them in more numbers in your house, or locate a web or a burrow. However, the tarantula is generally shy, they prefer to hide if they can.

HOW DO YOU GET TARANTULAS

Tarantulas enter homes in search of food and shelter. This usually happens in summer or fall. They can crawl through gaps near windows or doors. Tarantulas can also use gutters to get into your house. They are most likely to come if you have ants or beetles in your house because they serve as food to tarantulas.

HOW TO GET RID OF ACROBAT ANTS

• Sprinkling insecticide powders behind furniture, doors, walls, lawns, or any place where tarantulas or other spiders are seen. This is an effective way to get rid of these big spiders. You can buy a powder from any store nearby, but make sure it is intended for spiders.
• Liquid Sprays can also be used as a remedy to get of tarantulas but these are not as effective in their case. If liquid sprays are to be used, they should be sprayed directly on tarantulas or on their webs. These sprays will not work on egg sacs so a different method of removal would have to be used for them.
• Glue traps or sticky spider traps can be used to capture tarantulas. Place the trap near their burrow or web, or any place where they are frequently seen, and they will get trapped into it and die of starvation.
• Last but not least, you can call a professional exterminator near me. They know how to handle different pests and can take effective measures to make sure the problem is gone.

Tarantula Facts

• Tarantula venom can be used to treat blood clots medicinally.
• Spiders cannot eat solid foods so they inject digestive fluids into their prey and then suck the liquids.
• There are about 900 species of tarantulas in their family.
• Tarantula’s most deadly enemy is the spider-hunting wasp.
• Some of the colorful species of tarantulas are now threatened due to the exotic pet trade.