Fri 13 Feb 2009
The spider is one of the least appreciated creatures on earth. The organic gardener should consider him an asset, a little-recognized but effective biological control of insect pests. Although acknowledged to consume far greater numbers of insects than birds (one researcher claims that spiders account for eight times as many insects as do birds) they are seldom accorded the recognition as a predator that they deserve.
Some of the reluctance to recognize the spider as a desirable predator on the same level as the ladybug and praying mantis is the alleged lack of prey selection since they will consume harmless as well as injurious insects. But this is also true of the mantis. Their effect is to reduce the over-all insect population. We have little cause for alarm that the spider will make any serious depletion of our beneficial insect population. Since in any garden there are many more leaf-eating insects than predators.
Most spiders are equipped with venom which is used in subduing their prey; but only the larger ones have fangs large enough to pierce man’s skin. The black widow and brown recluse are the top American spiders who can inflict a severe bite.
The spider’s web, and its intricacy suggests it was fashioned by an intelligent creature but they are more creatures of instinct. A baby orb weaver, upon emerging from its egg sac, is capable of spinning a perfect web immediately, but the pattern will never change only the size of the web will grow.
The spider has a capacity to control specific infestations in the garden. They are the main controllers of cicadas who attack plant roots.
