Spiders are
* NEWARK, Del. - A lot of
people see the spider as little
more than a sinister
presence that lurks in dark,
cobwebby comers waiting to
pimp out and grab you. This
prejudice no doubt was
fostered by the childhood
fears of many of us, but it
certainly doesn’t do justice
to the poor spider.
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P. L. ROHRER & BRO., INC.
SMOKETOWN, PA
This much-maligned
animal is actually one of
Nature's best pest control
agents, since his whole life is
devoted to capturing and
gobbling up insects. Because
of hi§ fondness for
houseflies, small beetles,
mosquitoes, thousand
loggers, cockroaches and
other troublesome insects.
One good solution
to the annual
Spring crunch:
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Each UNIPEL pellet has two forms of Nitro
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natural pest control agents
he’s definitely on the
beneficial list. For the most
part, he’s also quite safe to
have around.
There are about 1000
species of spider in the
U.S.With a couple of well
known exceptions - like the
black widow, the tarantula,
and the brown recluse -
most are quite harmless to
humans. In fact, says
University of Delaware
extension entomologist
Frank Boys, the spider is a
very timid creature who
would be quite happy to
avoid all contact with
people.
Spiders are so familiar to
most of us that we tend to
take them for granted -
unless they get in our way
somehow, or unless we have
a special phobia for them.
But most of us know very
little about them, points out
Boys. They belong to a class
of animals known as
arachnids and are closely
related to ticks, mites, and
daddy longlegs - all of which
have eight legs and two body
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sections. Insects, on the
other hand, have six legs and
three body sections.
Spiders are equipped with
all sorts of specialized
mechanisms for catching
insects. Some swing from a
long strand of silk onto their
prey as it flies by. Jumping
spiders can pounce on a bug
from several inches away.
Fishing spiders can walk on
water and even dive below
its surface m pursuit of the
aquatic insects and small
fish on which they feed. Crab
spiders are so well
camouflaged by their
coloring that they can just sit
inside a flower blossom and
wait for unsuspecting insects
to enter. Some members of
this last family actually
have the ability to change
color so that they blend in
better with their plant
surroundings.
All spiders have
spmerettes, but not all
species make webs. The silk
for the webs is secreted as a
liquid which hardens when
exposed to the air. For its
size, spider silk is stronger
than steel - in fact, during
World War n the silk from
some spiders was used for
making gunsights. Spiders
use them silk not only to
make webs for trapping
insects, but also to line their
nests, construct egg sacs and
to make “parachutes” on
which some tropical species
manage to travel great
distances.
When it comes to webs, the
orb weavers are the great
builders among spiders.
These boldly marked black
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 4,1978
and yellow arachnids grow
to more than an inch in
diameter and usually can be
found hanging upside down
in the middle of their large
outdoor webs. If you’ve ever
seen one of these webs et
ched with beads of water
early on a dewy morning,
you’ll understand the orb
weaver’s reputation as a
spinner.
It’s unlikely that you’ll
ever get bitten by a spider,
says Boys, unless you’re
working m a heavily infested
area like a deserted
building, an old well, or an
abandoned pile of lumber.
And m that case the spider’s
probably biting to protect
itself. A little extra care on
your part will usually avoid
the problem.
Though spiders, are
basically beneficial, there
are times when they can
become a nuisance. If you’re
tired of dusty webs
festooning the chandelier or
decorating the comers of
ceilings in otherwide tidy
rooms, sanitation is the most
practical method of control.
Duck season reopened
HARRISBURG - The
Pennsylvania Game
Commission reminds the
state’s waterfowl hunters
that the second, or mam,
part of the 1978 duck season
reopened on Wednesday,
November 1.
The early part
Clean away all webbing
with a vacuum cleaner.
Housecleaning with a cloth,
dust mop or broom will do
little to get rid of the source
of webs. When removing
them, take care to also get
the small egg-sacs that may
be with them. Be sure to
remove the vacuum cleaner
bag immediately after use
and destroy its contents -
If vacuuming is im
practical or difficult, a
chemical spray can be used
to control spiders instead.
Aerosol sprays of DDVT
(vapona) or pyrethnns are
effective in snider knock
down treatmems, says the
entomologist. Dichlorvos
strips (vapona) give good
control for several months in
rooms with minimal ven
tilation.
Extensive chemical
treatment outdoors is not
recommended. Spiders are
an important part of the
natural population, and their
elimination may allow un
desirable insects to multiply.
season had opened at noon
on October 11 and then
closed at sunset on October
12.
The second (or main) part
of the season for ducks, sea
ducks, coots and mergansers
will close in the state at
sunset on Saturday,
Decembers.
the
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