Haymaker Spider - a cunning and clever resident of urban apartments

The haying spider has a very long legs, because of what he was nicknamed the centipede. He is a representative of the family, which has more than 1 thousand species. However, many of them live in the tropics. Some species quite often settle in residential buildings and apartments and immediately leave their cobwebs everywhere.

Description

The structure of the body of a haying spider can be different, depending on its species: in some it is shaped like a ball, in others it is very elongated, in others it has a clear division into the cephalothorax and abdomen. Body sizes can be from 2 to 10 mm. The length of the legs may also vary. For example, in species living in the wild under forest litter, the legs are short and their sizes are comparable to those of the body.
If we consider haying spiders that are adjacent to humans, then they have very long legs.

As for similar characteristics, all hayfire spiders have four pairs of legs, false segmentation on the legs. They also have four pairs of eyes, one of which has two large medial eyes, the other three pairs are lateral.

On a note! Representatives of species living in caves have only three pairs of eyes, while the medial ones are absent!

These spiders got their name due to their outward resemblance to hayfields, which is why they are often confused. However, it should be remembered that the hayers are not spiders, they are representatives of a separate detachment and are unable to weave a web.

Lifestyle

Unlike most other spiders, centipedes remain active year-round. This is due to the fact that they come from the tropics, and therefore they are not familiar with seasonality.

On a note! Networks of hayfields with laid eggs can be found in apartments and basements even in the middle of winter!

Way of hunting

The haying spider hunts in a special way. This is due to the fact that their hunting net does not have an adhesive property. However, at the same time, these spiders weave it very randomly and as a result, the network turns out to be uneven, it is confusing and messy. Their untidy cobwebs cobwebs leave everywhere: in the moist corners of caves, among branches of trees and shrubs, in grass, in empty burrows of animals, in abandoned buildings and residential buildings.

And what does the haymaking spider eat? It eats mainly insects, among which:

• flies;
• beetles;
• ticks;
• ants.

Thus, settling in apartments, long-legged ones regulate their number.

On a note! However, with the advent of winter, when the amount of habitual food is noticeably reduced, “relatives” appear on the menu of the haying spider, and often the closest ones are representatives of its kind!

Hay mowing spiders hunt mainly at dusk. The long-legged creature is located in its web upside down and freezes. At the same time, he usually attaches a signal thread to his foot. The victim enters the network and gets entangled in it very quickly in a matter of seconds. This is facilitated by chaotic weaving. The spider, sensing a vibration, runs up to the prey and throws a few more threads on it.

The hunter makes a hole in the resulting cocoon, gets to the victim's body and bites it. After that, he injects gastric juices into the wound, which turn the internal contents into pulp.After a while, the centipede eats partially digested food or transfers the prey to a secluded place and leaves it in reserve.

On a note! Sometimes there is too large an insect in the web, which the haymowing spider is unable to cope with. In such situations, he bites off a few restraining threads and helps the victim get out. But more often the centipede prevents the entanglement of the “unexpected guest” - with the approach of a large individual, it simply begins to swing its networks. As a result, the insect notices the web and goes around or flies around it!

In the cold season, when the number of insects is sharply reduced, it becomes quite difficult to catch someone with the help of nets. During this period, the haymaking spider is forced to seek food while moving around the house. And precisely at such moments, his long legs help him. He finds a web of his "relative" and pretends to be entangled in it. But when the disturbed spider approaches and is about to attack, the centipede immediately takes control of the situation and turns from a victim into a hunter.

It is worth noting that for a man, a haymaker spider is not dangerous. Its jaws are too weak to bite through the skin, and the venom is very small - it is only enough to kill a tiny insect.

Breeding

Upon reaching the year, males become sexually mature. They independently stimulate the development of a secret for fertilization and only after that they go in search of a female. Having approached the web of his beloved, the male tries to draw attention to himself. He steps with his feet on the hunting net and begins to vibrate with his whole body. The female catches these movements and goes to their source. As soon as she comes close enough, the “boyfriend” raises the first pair of legs and begins to feel the female with them, showing in such a way that he is not prey.

On a note! This moment is very responsible for the male, because if he does not have time to show his intentions, then he risks being eaten!

In the future, the life of a male depends on his quickness. When the mating is delayed for several hours and in order to impregnate the chosen one, the male makes several attempts, as a result he weakens, does not have time to retire and is eaten. But if fertilization occurs calmly and quickly, the male, as a rule, remains to live. He lives in the immediate vicinity until he is overtaken by natural death. During their life, some males have time to fertilize several females.

Development

The female lays eggs in a net woven from a web and wears it in her jaws for some time. Usually in such a grid is no more than 20-30 eggs. After a while, little spiders come out of them. Moreover, if among the hatched offspring there are too weak individuals that can not even get out of the egg, then their mother immediately eats them.

Soon, young haymaking spiders experience molting. They drop a tight chitinous cover, after which their legs become short, and the body is almost transparent. In the process of growth, this is repeated several times. Moreover, young spiders experience all molting, being next to their mother - she continues to carry growing offspring in a silk net.

Methods of struggle

Cranefly is one of the most common spiders living in apartments. Most often, it can be found near a window or in a dry, dark corner, where it hangs upside down in its randomly woven web. And if the neighborhood with a haying spider is unpleasant for you, then it is advisable to find out how to get rid of it.

Work on removing millipedes from the apartment is divided into two stages.

The first stage is cleaning

At this stage, you must do the following:

1. We close all the cracks and close even the smallest holes through which this spider is able to get into the apartment. We install nets with small cells on the ventilation grilles and windows.
2. We reduce the brightness of natural lighting - for this it is enough to hang blinds on the windows. This is unattractive for insects and, therefore, spiders in the house will not appear, since the latter eat the first.
3. Every day we carry out cleaning in all corners of the apartment: we pass a broom in the corners, under the ceiling, behind cabinets, cabinets, around windows and under beds.
4. If you find a web together with the owner, then it is advisable to remove them at the same time - an ordinary mop with a wet rag can do this perfectly.
5. We periodically prevent the appearance of insects in the house, and if they wound up, we must destroy them immediately. Otherwise, the haymaking spider will gladly settle where there is a lot of food.
6. We humidify the air in all rooms in the house and at the same time make sure that dampness does not form.

Second stage - scaring

The simplest folk recipes that have been repeatedly tested by our grandmothers will help us with this. They are able to quite easily deal with hayfire spiders and prevent their reappearance.

So, centipedes, however, like many other spiders, do not tolerate the pungent odors that some plants exude. Among those:

• Mint - it is known for its intense aroma, which, as it turned out, works great not only against insects, but also against spiders. In this case, you can use both dry leaves of this plant and its essential oil: the dried parts are laid out in the corners, and the ether is added to the water and sprayed in all rooms.
• Oranges, chestnuts and hazelnuts - a set of these products can also help in the fight against centipedes. We crush or cut them into parts and leave them in places where the web or the spiders themselves were discovered.
• Tea tree and eucalyptus - they are used in the form of essential oils like mint. Add a few drops to the sprinkler and process all inaccessible places in the rooms.

If you carry out the above procedures regularly, then they will surely bring a positive result.