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We fear their bite, get tangled in their webs and are inclined to squish them when they crawl inside our house.
Still, spiders are beneficial and perhaps a bit more complex, not to mention interesting. Each week, we’ll join Misericordia University assistant biology professor Dr. Larry Corpus, who has studied entomology at universities in California, Washington and Kansas.
We’ll join Corpus in the field in Luzerne County to delve into the world of spider species that likely inhabit your backyard, basement and any forgotten corner where they can weave a web. Visit us each week to see what species we found next and check out a video on each spider.
Spider of the week
Common name: Cobweb spider
Family: Theridiidae
Size: 1/2-inch
A small spider with strong jaws, cobweb spiders devour their prey by making small holes and vomiting digestive fluid inside the body. Later, the cobweb spider returns to suck the digested insides from the carcass. It preys on small insects and even other spiders, including the brown recluse. Cobweb spiders can be found in basements, windowsills and dirt areas with rocks. It catches insects with a web and has poor eyesight, relying on vibrations produced by captured prey to find its next meal.
