The amazing life of a haymaker

A haymaker is a long-legged representative of the type of arthropods, well known to almost all of us since childhood. Very often we saw them in our homes, they met us in nature and we all considered them spiders. But in reality these are not spiders. These creatures belong to the animal kingdom and, according to scientists, are closest to scorpions.

Description

In total there are more than 6.3 thousand species of hayfields and 60 of them live in the European part of Russia. Among these, the common haymaker from the family Phalangiidae.
He, like other representatives of this detachment, has a segmented abdomen, passing into the cephalothorax. The segments are closely adjacent to each other, forming a carapace, and each has a wide rigid base. In this case, the body structure of females and males is very different.

• Male - body size is about 4-6 mm. The legs are dark brown; the shade of the shell is also usually brown.
• Female - body length can be 5-7 mm, chelicera without conical outgrowths. A dark spot with a white fringing is clearly visible on the back of the female haymaker.

Representatives of both sexes have very long legs, and the lower side of the body does not have any pattern, its color can vary from light beige to white. On the raised areas of the cephalothorax, a pair of simple eyes is located, while vision in the hayers is very weak. The organs of smell and touch are located on the second pair of limbs and legs. The longest pair of legs, these arthropods feel objects and substrate.

It is interesting! In general, the reaction to any stimuli in these creatures is poorly developed, and therefore, in case of danger, the hayers do not run away, but freeze in place!

From two sides of the cephalothorax there are channels through which, if necessary, a strongly smelling secret is released. Moreover, its smell is so intense that it can scare away almost any enemy.

Movement mechanism

The incredibly long legs, the size of which can reach 16 cm, help the haymaker move. And what is surprising, this arthropod copes with them perfectly. Their flexion occurs in the muscular-mechanical way, when the muscle tightens the tendon. And they are unbent according to the principle of hydraulic action - hemolymph, which replaces blood, accumulates in the leg cavity and its pressure causes them to straighten.
At first glance, such a mechanism may seem rather complicated, but at the same time it is very economical - thanks to it, it is not necessary to have many small muscles. On their long legs, the hayers easily overcome any difficult obstacles and carry their body above the surface of the earth in heat and cold.

In serious danger, when the life of the haymaker is at risk, he can quite easily part with his legs. This phenomenon is called autonomy and allows some animals to escape from death.

On a note! “Voluntary” rejection of parts of one’s body is also characteristic of lizards - they can give their tail to enemies!

The torn off legs, unfortunately, are not restored, but the place where they were previously present heals very quickly.Thus, hemolymph loss does not occur. Due to voluntary muscle contraction, the amputated leg can continue to move for half an hour. Such twitching is reminiscent of the movement of haymaking, which is why the people called the mowing cutter a rhino.

Food

The haymaker is a predator, but at the same time does not refuse plant food. These arthropods go hunting mainly in the twilight time of the day and at night. Waiting for the victim, they widely spread their long legs and freeze.

So what do hayers eat? In their diet:

• mosquitoes;
• ants
• caterpillars
• slugs;
• snails.

Features

The hayman is a rather remarkable creature and many interesting facts are connected with his person.

1. During mating, there are no haylings for mating dances, but fierce battles are often fought for the female.
2. A fertilized female is very scrupulous in terms of choosing a place for masonry, but it is difficult to call her a good parent. This is due to the fact that females are illegible in food and are able to eat laid eggs. But nature took care of their safety and endowed the maternal instinct of males. They are engaged in the protection of offspring.
3. Since these arthropods can often be found in residential premises, many are interested in the question whether the haymaker is poisonous or not. The answer in this case is negative. Haymakers have no poisonous glands. The only thing they defend themselves with is the strong-smelling secret described above, which, by the way, haymakers do not eat vertebrates or predatory insects.
4. The haymaker is considered a useful creature, since it takes an active part in the destruction of many pests. In addition, kosinozhki recycle organic waste, and therefore are considered in a sense as orderlies.
5. Representatives of this detachment are able to tolerate very low temperatures, which for some other arthropods can be fatal - hayers survive at a temperature of -10 ° C, and they withstand such indicators for two weeks.
6. And do the haymakers bite? Despite the fact that when they eat, they absorb not only the liquid contents of their victim, but also solid fragments, these creatures are not able to bite a person. The thing is that they crush the hard particles with the help of the tentacles located on the legs, since their jaws are too weak for this.

Methods of struggle

Despite the fact that the hayfields are not dangerous to humans, the neighborhood with them is not necessary to rejoice. Often these creatures find themselves in apartments, but most often they appear in private houses located in suburban areas. And in order to get rid of uninvited guests, you can apply the following methods.

• Freezing. This method is feasible only in winter, when the air temperature drops below -10 ° C. We open all the windows and leave the cottage for a day or two. Upon returning you will only have to sweep away all the dead individuals. Of course, this method is not applicable for urban apartments, since especially low temperatures can damage the heating system.
• Lavender. It is believed that haymakers are sensitive to the smell of lavender. In the apartment, you can spread the dried parts of this plant or spray lavender oil in the room.
• Sulfur Checker. This method, like the first one, is suitable only for the destruction of hayers in the country. In the evening, with the windows closed, set fire to the sulfuric saber and leave the house. The next morning we ventilate the room and sweep out all the fallen hayfields.
• Insecticides. Chemicals always work flawlessly and help get rid of hayfields fairly quickly, both in apartments and in country houses. We purchase any aerosol insecticide (Raid, Raptor, Dichlorvos) and spray it in all rooms. After a while, we air the rooms and carry out wet cleaning.