Giant House Spider, Hobo Spider, & Barn Funnel Weaver, Part 1 - The Spiders in Your House
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- I take a close look at three common, and closely related, spiders you might find in your house: the Giant House Spider, the Hobo spider, and the Barn Funnel Weaver. These species are Eratigena atrica, Eratigena duellica, and Eratigena saeva (the Giant House Spiders), Eratigena agrestis (the Hobo spider), and Tegenaria domestica (the Barn Funnel Weaver).
This video is Part 1 of 2, and in Part 2 I'll look into behaviours in your house, biteyness, and other things.
All un-credited photos and video herein are my own; all others are credited in video.
Link to Thin Air podcast on Darwin Vest: / albums
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0:00 Introduction
3:33 How They're Related
6:45 The New Genus
13:41 Identification
19:49 Senses - How They Perceive the World
20:50 How They Hunt
24:08 Life Cycle
28:02 The Bite
31:40 - The Disappearance of Darwin K. Vest
33:14 Conclusion
References in pinned comment - Věda a technologie
References
Adams RJ (2014). Field Guide to the Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States. University of California Press. Akre RD, Myhre EH (1991). Biology and medical importance of the aggressive house spider, Tegenaria agrestis, in the Pacific Northwest (Arachnida: Araneae: Agelenidae). Melanderia 47, 1-30.
Bennett RG, Vetter RS (2004). An approach to spider bites: Erroneous attribution of dermonecrotic lesions to brown recluse or hobo spider bites in Canada. Canadian Family Physician 50, 1098-1101.
Binford GJ (2001). An analysis of geographic and intersexual chemical variation in venoms of the spider Tegenaria agrestis (Agelenidae). Toxicon 39(7): 955-968.
Blest AD, Taylor PW (1995). Cambridgea quadromaculata n. sp. (Araneae, Stiphidiidae): A large New Zealand spider from wet, shaded habitats, New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 22:3, 351-356, DOI: 10.1080/03014223.1995.9518051
Bolzern, A., Burckhardt, D., & Hänggi, A. (2013). Phylogeny and taxonomy of European funnel-web spiders of the Tegenaria-Malthonica complex (Araneae: Agelenidae) based upon morphological and molecular data. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 168(4), 723-848.
Bristowe, WS (1958). The World of Spiders. Collins. Faundez E, Carvajal M, Asplanato N, Raffo F, Vargas CJ (2019). Contribution to the knowledge of Tegenaria domestica (Clerck, 1757) (Araneae: Agelenidae) in Southern Patagonia. Anales Instituto Patagonia (Chile) 47(3):43-47.
Fisher RG, et al (1994). Necrotic Arachnidism. Western Journal of Medicine 160(6):570-572. Foelix RF (2011). Biology of Spiders, 3rd Edition. Oxford University Press.
Gaver-Wainwright MM, Zack R, Foradori M, Lavine LC (2011). Misdiagnosis of SPider Bites: Bacterial Associates, Mechanical Pathogen Transfer, and Hemolytic Potential of Venom from the Hobo Spider, Tegenaria agrestis (Araneae: Agelenidae). Journal of Medical Entomology 48(2):382-388.
Land MF (1985). The Morphology and Optics of Spider Eyes. In Neurobiology of Arachnids (pp. 53-78). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
McKeown N, Vetter RS, Hendrickson RG (2014). Verified spider bites in Oregon (USA) with the intent to assess hobo spider venom toxicity. Toxicon 84, 51-55.
Nentwig W, Gnadinger M, Fuchs J, Ceschi A (2013). A two year study of verified spider bites in Switzerland and a review of the European spider bite literature. Toxicon 73, 104-110.
Oxford GS, Bolzern A (2018). Molecules v. Morphology - is Eratigena atrica (Araneae: Agelenidae) one species or three?. Arachnology 17(7):337-357.
Rose, S (2022). Spiders of North America. Princeton University Press.
Vallet AM, Marion-Poll F, Trabalon M (1998). Preliminary electrophysiological study of the contact chemoreceptors in a spider. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences-Series III-Sciences de la Vie 321(6): 463-469.
Vest DK (1987). Envenomation by Tegenaria agrestis (Walckenaer) spiders in rabbits. Toxicon 25(2):221-224.
Vest DK (1987). Necrotic arachnidism in the northwest United States and its probable relationship to Tegenaria agrestis (Walckenaer) spiders. Toxicon 25(2):175-184.
Vetter R, Antonelli A. (2002). How to identify (or misidentify) the hobo spider. Washington State University, Puyallup, WA. pep. wsu. edu/pdf/PLS116_1. Pdf.
Vetter RS, Isbister GK (2004). Do Hobo Spider Bites Cause Dermonecrotic Injuries? Annals of Emergency Medicine 44(6):605-607.
Vibert, Samantha, et al. (2017). Life-history data for the funnel weavers Eratigena agrestis and Eratigena atrica (Araneae: Agelenidae) in the Pacific Northwest of North America. The Canadian Entomologist 149(3): 345-356.
charleyproject.org/case/darwin-kenneth-vest
faunafacts.com/spiders/fastest-spiders/
It's hobo mating season, and they seem to LOVE me!!!! They JUMP, and make NOISE when they jump!
Thank you for your time researching and presenting this and other spiders! Your videos have been helping me to cure my arachnophobia, and for that I'm thankful.
For those wanting to read Bristowe's 'The World of Spiders' but can't track down a hardcopy for a reasonable price the Kindle edition is available on Amazon (and probably other places) now.
Spiders actually have 10 legs. There’s 2 more that grow out of their heads. Horrible disgusting creatures.
if they cross-breed... then even the spiders can't tell themselves apart
I can tell a m ix race white person lol.
@@zionistinspectionday6566Everyone can, he tried to be woke.
Look up the definition of species
@@zionistinspectionday6566How're you going be racist to a comment about spiders lmfao gotta think about your life my guy it'll get better.
@@wigwog9590 creepy video I watched 7 months ago.
I cannot overstate how much I missed Travis and his excellent deep dives into spider species. ❤
His patreon has frequent background stories and updates.
Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying the channel.
I think the case of Darwin Vest tells us that it's much more rational to fear people than spiders! Excellent work, Travis!
Haha, that's very true!
Agreed! 😂
It was the Hobo spiders, they didn't like his theory on them so they made him sleep with the fishes.
I live in the range of the Brown recluse. Anything large and brown, and arachnid gets smushed
@@ReleasedHollow They probably hired a human assassin to cover their eight-legged tracks. Vendetta for tarnishing their reputation!
i love spiders so much and it's really refreshing seeing someone use actual scientific sources to talk about them instead of fearmongering, thank you!
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A person could have a full time job re-educating people on "dangerous" creatures.
I'm glad Travis is doing the good work!
You're most welcome, and thanks!
Spiders actually have 10 legs. There’s 2 more that grow out of their heads. Horrible disgusting creatures.
Idk which spider documentary-style shows you're viewing, but maybe they arent -in fact - documentaries if theyre fearmongering with house spiders.
I'm from the pnw and have always been afraid of the giant house spider because they were huge and fast, but had found out recently that they're harmless. I was never really told that the hobo spider was anything to be afraid of. I've tried to assuage my arachnophobia by giving them names when I know we'll be sharing space, and even feed them. The last giant I saw I named Frank, fed them a grain moth. They disappeared for a day or so but when they came back, I actually felt happiness. Perhaps my plan is paying off...
Perhaps! For a lot of people, learning more about them lessens their fear, so you can try that, too. Thanks for the comment!
😀I was feeding 'Erica' clothes moths, when she lived in our bathroom. I needed to dust so I made her an enclosure, with her very own castle! Giving spiders names has helped me, as has seeing their eyes (best done looking at pics first). To me, knowing a creature's face makes it more relatable. The whole cute-jumping-spiders-helping-people-with-arachnophobia phenomenon seems to be mostly based on their huge eyes.
From personal experience, I can say confidently that female barn funnel weavers do live for around 7 years. I always catch them when I clean my bathroom (where they love to make funnel webs behind my mirror). I really like them and don't want to kill them while cleaning, which led me to keeping them in small enclosures as pets. They tend to live around an average of 5 years in my care, BUT keep in mind I'm catching them when they're already completely mature, at least a year old and done with molting.
This was so fascinating. I’m a huge spider enthusiast, and this video will help me better identify the many spiders we encounter her in the middle of Appalachia. Thank you.
Glad it helps, and thanks!
I've known about the Hobo Spider not actually being medically significant for a while, but the story of why they're thought of as dangerous and what happened to the man behind it was fascinating!!
Glad you thought so. The story of Darwin Vest is worth looking into, there is more to the story, but in an effort to keep the video a reasonable length, I stuck to a few highlights.
If you think about it logically they are native to Europe and nobody in Europe is even aware of them beyond the generic “house spider” bracket.
I’m a presenter at natural history museum, and these videos have given me some really great ideas for how to talk to people about spiders. It’s difficult work trying to change people’s minds about creepy-crawlies. Thank you (and all of your collaborators!) very much for your hard work and diligent research!
Edit to add: Seconding consulting with online communities if you find a cool bug and want to ID it. We love iNaturalist at the museum!
Thanks so much, and I'm glad I could be helpful! Yes, it's difficult work. I've found that when I encounter someone who has a genuine deep fear, it's best to respect that fear and not push too hard. It's easy to accidentally make someone feel shamed for being afraid, and that usually makes things worse, so it can be a tricky business.
And iNat is great!
@@travismcenery2919 That’s very insightful; I completely agree with your whole comment! In conversations with visitors, I like to make a point to acknowledge that the fear of bugs (or snakes, lizards, etc.) is very real, and while knowledge can be empowering, I understand that I won’t be able to simply talk them out of it. Luckily for me, a great deal of the visitors I encounter are curious, polite, and open-minded - despite possibly being afraid, or having preconceived judgements of some of our specimens. I find that very admirable.
Spiders are a strange thing. Etenkin hereillä in Finland where the most venomous spider is only equivalent to a wasp sting and very rare (A. aquatica), people still have an aversion to them.
@singerofsongs468
"Knowledge [is definitely] empowering"
My own discomfort around spiders is dwindling, thanks to these videos. Last week, a first for me, I even rescued a (somewhat dazed and smallish) Eratigena sp. male with my bare hands!
I'm just a community support worker with The Salvation Army, but collaborate with a local environmental charity. I've twice now given talks on 'creepy-crawlies'. I've been able to use individuals caught in my house - one is even a 'pet' now - as part of my presentation, hoping my curiosity is passed on to the audience.
I've showed your videos to so many people to introduce them to spiders.
And I have a Less Wronger is More Better mug on my Christmas wishlist.
Thank you for being amazing!
The mug makes things like coffee, tea, and hot cocoa taste so much better!
Thanks so much for sharing the videos, it helps me out! And I hope you find the mug under the tree. ;)
"is it coffee or hot cocoa?" " well i can tell you its certainly not tea!"
Thanks to your videos I've had a much better perspective about spiders, fully ending my arachnophobia before beginning my camping endeavors, and even had a hobo in my tent keeping me awake with the frequent skittering about. I hope in part two you'll talk about how hobo spiders don't make webs and can't climb up walls very easily, as it took a solid hour or two to help my night time spider friend leave my tent to catch a dinner that my relatively sterile environment wasn't going to provide. Just the danger of winding up beneath me!
I also had a wolf spider hanging out with my socks one morning, and even recently woke up to what I now think was a barn weaver, in my armpit of all places, as in the video it looked much like that, and there are no hobos where I wound up in New Mexico 😥
I'm so glad I've been able to help you move beyond your fears, that's great to hear! And it sounds like you're getting along with spiders quite well now, so great work and congratulations!
Great to see you back, what a lovely video to watch before bed.
You is first
Starting with some scientific discussion of spider classification only to go deep into a rabbit hole about someone's mysterious and shady disappearance definitely was an interesting experience.
Yeah, it was a bit of a weird path, but I thought it was interesting.
NEW UPLOAD WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
THE INTERNET SPIDER MAN IS BACK AT IT!
I understand that technically Harvestmen, or Opiliones, are not spiders, however, I wondered if there would be any chance you could cover these types of spider-things? They are commonly in and around houses, and there is a lot of hearsay about how supposedly deadly their venom is, while being unable to bite a human, this that the other. I think you would do a great service to everyone and Harvestmen if you could gather the most accurate information on these creatures!
Good idea. Harvestmen don't even have any venom and they are commonly confused with cellar spiders (which are also completely harmless to humans).
I might get to them one day, but there are still so many spiders to cover. I've considered covering some of those fringe topics in shorter videos, though.
We call those Daddy Longlegs here in Canada. Confused yet?
@@vovin8132That's what we called them in Wisconsin, too. Though, it gets cold enough in Wisconsin that it might as well be Canada. 😂
@@anyascelticcreationsit's pretty warm right now on Dec 30 in Vancouver Canada, it's like spring. Not all of Canada is cold
yesssssss, never change that intro, it is just too catchy!!!!
before it is too cold, any cool garden spiders with giant webs?
i wonder if this is the spider that was living behind the painting on my wall..... not a wolf spider, we get a number of types in the midwest
I've got some nice orb weavers I'm going to try to film before it gets too cold. Had to get this video out first, though!
I only recently saw my first giant house spider… I was so shocked, I didn’t think spiders that big could live in my area (Portland, OR) it barely even fit in the cup I usually use to catch them.
Edit: I catch them if they’re upstairs and I put them in the basement or garage; I don’t mind them in the house - they catch all the other bugs - but I’m pretty scared of spiders so I don’t like to see them too much, sorry!
Hehe, fair enough! All three of these species occur in that area, but the Giant House spider is by far the largest.
What!! I'm way to scared to capture them. You're much braver than me.
I'd love to see a video on grass spiders :) We have them all over our property. They're a type of funnel weaver as well
They're very similar to these, but tend to inhabit different spaces. I might get to covering them at some point.
They are generally much smaller and happy to be outside their funnel. Much more "friendly" character, and some of em have some pretty patterns and stripes.
@@AaronHendu One lives right next to our backyard door and she's beautiful :) Keeps to herself and occasionally I throw her a moth or an ant to help her out :)
Your humor always gets a solid chuckle out of me. I really appreciate your work.
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Thanks so much, glad you enjoy it!
Growing up as a kid in BC I used to catch Giant House Spiders with my hands all the time and can confirm that they're super chill - I was never bitten once. It was really cool to learn more about these lovely creatures through your video!! And we definitely had the impression that Hobo Spiders were super dangerous, so I'm glad to learn otherwise. Looking forward to part 2!
while i adore jumpers and your video on them, THIS is the video i have been waiting for. these three species are the ones i encounter the most where i live in the PNW and i am constantly confusing the funnel weaver and the hobo and feel i don't know nearly enough about all 3. thank you~
edit: so years ago in the early 2000s here in Oregon, an old abandoned greenhouse next to my uncle's house was demolished, and an outrageous number of the spiders that had resided there made their way into my uncle's house. there was SO many spiders there that it was pretty difficult for him to avoid them, and he was bit many, many times, and these bites formed necrotic lesions. the bites were so numerous i believe he was even sent to the hospital bc one of his organs (i forget which) were having issues keeping up with the venom or the infections or something. this was blamed, and still is blamed, in hobo spiders and has contributed to my fear of them..... to learn there are NO hobos in the PNW is very interesting. my uncle said all of the spiders looked similar so i suppose there's a chance this was GHS, funnel weavers, and maybe recluses, but i guess i will never really know unless time travel is invented. this story has stuck with me for years and so i will be eagerly awaiting the next video from you on these guys to ponder who it was that terrorized my uncle all those years ago.
I think I explained this badly - the PNW is sort of the ONLY place hobo's DO occur, except southern Ontario. It's the rest of the continent that they don't occur in. They almost definitely wouldn't have been recluses, as those don't live anywhere near the PNW. The question is, did he see these spiders bite him, or were they just diagnosed as hobo spider bites after the fact? These spiders aren't aggressive, so it's hard to figure that he would be bitten that many times.
It's amazing to me that there are so many stories about hobo spider bites doing this, but there seem to be no actual medical records of confirmed cases (where we know with certainty that a spider bit the person, and the spider was captured and professionally identified).
I'm not that into spiders, and Im in the UK. But his voice is perfectly melodious for bedtime. I wake being a US spider genius.
Like everyone else, I was eagerly awaiting this video, and it is a hit! Love your mix of science and humor, with true affection for these creatures with so much personality! Thank you!
You're most welcome, and thanks!
Your videos are the perfect compromise between actual scientific information and anecdotes that make them delightful to listen to. You're doing such a great job man, cheers!
I'm glad to see these videos again, and especially on a spider I caught and put in an enclosure
"spider writer" - new favourite term
"Lucky you Toronto" earned a good laugh from me.
But seriously, thank you so much for your videos. They've been incredibly helpful for me to get over an old fear.
Been looking for a research video on spiders like this for years! I always enjoy your videos. Great work.
Thanks so much!
So excited for a new video and having it be these particular spiders!
The Jojo figure bit was a complete curveball that knocked the wind out of me
Hehe, I had fun making that part. Thanks!
I have a sweet male GHS that I found crawling across my kitchen floor. He was a sub adult and at the time I thought female. "She" molted out male and he lives in an enclosure on top of my Avic. avicularia. I should let him go in my basement so he can find a lady, but I find him so interesting I keep feeding him little crickets and teeny mealworms. These are wonderful spiders and our house is a spider safe zone. :)
Great Video! Thank you for posting, looking forward to part 2.
Thanks so much! I like keeping the GHS's I've got, too.
The behavior at 28:40 when you're handling the Giant House Spider matches what I've observed. I'm scared to death of those things, but do recognize it as an irrational fear. I have a couple friends that can handle handling them and I've never seen one act anything other than docile while handled. I always dread September because a few males will inevitably find their way into my house. I also always find really large females in my garage since there's lots of good homes for them there.
The way you explain some of those complicated science nomenclatures and topics really differentiates you from other creators. Thanks for what you do!
Glad it helps, and thanks!
Ive been afraid of spiders all my life but its facinating to see them explained by an expert
Haha! I'm not exactly an expert, I just hunt down and compile the information from actual experts, but I'm glad you're enjoying the channel!
I used to use these in spider demos as part of a spider silk stem outreach project. I'm in Scotland and we get loads. My 10 year old catches them in a glass and puts them outside. I've never had one try to bite... Very friendly unless scared, in which case they run away very fast.
That's cool! What did you do with them in the demo?
The unparalleled best series on CZcams and it’s not even close
Awesome! Been waiting to hear about these guys. ^_^
Happy to deliver, and thanks!
YIPPEE!!!
I don't like spiders, but this has been delightful, especially hearing W.S. Bristowe's antics of chasing spiders with pencils and measuring the results.
Thanks for your videos. I used to feel uneasy around spiders, then I got a yellowjacket nest in my house and discovered I had a wasp phobia and that took precedence. After going through that and seeing how many of those bastards the spiders killed, we're best friends now. No vacancy for wasps, spiders welcome!
Haha! Yup, they keep the stuff you REALLY don't want away. Very hard working, helpful creatures!
We had a hornet nest this year, and the spiders staight up moved in and wiped em out. Orb weavers are the best, man.
Wasps also kill spiders so it can go both ways.
Thank you for the banded legs identifier for barn weavers 🙏 I've been struggling to tell hobo vs barn weaver for FOREVER
We have a funnel weaver in the bottom corner of the basement, he's a pretty good boy and he pays rent.
Ooooo I’ve been waiting for this one!! Thank you, Travis!!! 🎉❤🎉
You're most welcome!
Found one of these guys curled up in a waterfilled pot yesterday. Took her out and put her in our basement. Don't tell my GF...
Would they survive outside this time of year? In Sweden it's about freezing point right now.
I've always since a small kid handled these, and all other spiders, with my bare hands and never got bitten.
Love this channel, thanks!
These spiders naturally overwinter, so as long as they go outside with enough time to acclimatize I would think they'd be fine. I know when the temperature drops they start producing basically a natural antifreeze in their blood, which allows them to survive sub-zero temperatures, but I'm not sure how long that takes - I'd like to read up on that.
Great episode Travis! As always! I’m happy to see how much your channel is growing! Great job! Thank you for sharing!
These are by far the most common large spiders where i live and they really do freak me out more than any other spider, but learning about them does make it better and your well researched and high effort videos are the best place to do that.
Thanks so much, glad I could help!
Thank you so much for these videos! You help feed my spider interest and are a model of excellent sharing your references, both of which I greatly appreciate.
I cant wait for part 2. Ive seen all of your videos now, and you are the absolute BEST at making all this easy to understand and FUN to learn!!! You are extremely good at these videos. I could listen to you all day.
Wow, thank you!
It's always great to see another of your fascinating spider videos come out. Thank you for all your hard work!
Thank you for saying so, I'm always glad to see my work appreciated.
Btw I LOVE that you’ve given your spiders people-names like Gary and Harriet, it’s adorable 😂
About time for a new video! As always it was excellent!
Sorry for the wait, and thanks!
Just woke up the other day here in Maine with a big ol hobo spider on me in my bed. While I appreciate spiders, I couldn't let this particular instance go unpunished however, as the place I discovered said spider sent an absolute chill up my spine for the potential discomfort that could've been. It was promptly fed to my green frog who was very pleased. I have barn spiders I keep in my bathroom ceiling corners and I regularly feed them like pets quite affectionately. But that hobo spider crossed a line. Mainly A belt line. And that sealed it's fate.
Well, you didn't just squish it, you fed it to a frog, so... circle of life, I guess?
Great episode!!! Can't wait for part two.
Yay!!! Been waiting impatiently for a new video!!! Really going to enjoy this!!!
Hope it lived up to the anticipation, and thanks for the comment!
Oh yes!! It absolutely did!! I love the touches of humour, it makes what can sometimes be seen as "boring" information much more interesting and keeps attention from wandering. You are doing an excellent job! Looking forward to part 2 now!! 😁
My favourite spider! If you find one in a chilled out mood they're quite nice to pick up as they'll wander about or sometimes just settle on your hand.
Yeah, I quite enjoyed handling Gary. He was very relaxed!
I've held several atrica's as pet, in an enclosure, and they are amazing spiders. Very interesting to see how they live. In an enclosed environment they make layers of web on top of each other, like different floors, they can and will fill the enclosure. One was "pregnant" when I caught her, and I witnessed the whole process of making several egg sacs (which were camouflaged with substrate) and the "birth" of the little ones. Another beautiful spider of the Eratigena/Tegenatia is the ferruginea.
I love your videos. It's great to be able to get updated information from what I learned growing up
Thanks so much, glad you enjoy them!
I love these videos. I'm binge watching them all in one sitting. I've come across a lot of Mouse spiders in my house, and would love to know more about those? Thank you for the interesting videos! Can't wait for part 2 of this!
These were my gateway to spiders, i caught a tiny Tegenaria domestica (or thats what i was told she was at the time) she was called Tetchy and after watching her and how brilliant she was i fell in love and am now the proud spider mommy to 72 tarantulas and several sp of true spiders 😊 my heart will always belong to these spiders the most ❤️ its great to see such a detailed upload on them , for all they are common i found it difficult to find solid info on them . I really really enjoyed this upload thank you for making it.
Always a nice morning when this channel posts.
Glad I could make your morning, thanks!
It is so good to have fresh spider content! Especially around Halloween time :)
Guess it's a good time for it! Glad you're enjoying the channel.
This is great, giant house spiders were always my favorite spider growing up!
I had one as a "pet" that I kept at the same time that I had a Northern black widow. They shared a terrarium that was split into two parts.
I called her "Safe Gal" since my widow was named Dangerous Lady 🌶️.
I’ve been very fascinated by your own research and your compiling of other’s research. I just found and identified a yellow sac spider and I was able to do that after watching your video on them. I appreciate what your doing and I love your content! Thank you can’t wait for part 2.
Thanks so much, and I'm glad it's helpful!
I’m always delighted when you drop a video! I’ve always defended the spiders in my house from would-be attackers (human) and love learning more about them. ❤❤ Love your work!
Thanks so much, glad you're enjoying the channel!
As an arachnophobic person i have a perverse fascination/ wish to learn my way out of fear (not very successfully mind!) But i usually imbibe only the largest most venom laden content. Yours is the exception, very interesting and thorough, i look forward to part 2. Thank you
Learning about them seems to be how a lot of people overcome, or at least lessen, their fear, so you're on the right track. Happy I could help!
I’m in the same boat- I have arachnophobia and desperate to overcome my fear. Large house spiders terrify me and I want to be able to get close enough to use a spider catcher on them, so that I can put the outside. I’m using this video as a form of exposure therapy. I love the idea of them, but currently wish they would stop controlling my life.
So glad I found this channel!!
I am really enjoying this series and learning so much about the spiders that I see all the time. I never knew how many different species there are just hanging around my house. And I love that I've learned that most of the spiders around me aren't really dangerous at all. The only thing I've noticed is that for some strange reason, I've taken to keeping my feet off the ground while watching. I didn't even notice I was doing it until this video. Then I got thinking about it, and realized I was doing it through all of them. Humans are weird.
Spiders creep me out. However, I have a great deal of respect for the work they do. I live with all three of these guys and can confirm they would rather run than fight.
Yup, they don't often choose violence.
I know it's gonna be a good day when you drop a video. Thanks for the hard work!
You're very welcome, and thanks!
Someday I'm going to sit down and binge watch every spider video that you've posted. I look forward to that day.
Hope you enjoy it! Make snacks for the False Widow video, it's a marathon...
So i have a story from my childhood.
It had to be about 1999 but my dad and his friend came home from helping someone move all excited like and they had with them a full sized pickle jar containing a house spider or hobo spider.
This thing was large enough to stand end to end in this jar while it was sitting down and made a hell of a racket on the glass to. If any spider were to be 9 years old it would of been that one.
I live in washington state, puget sound area.
If i remember correctly my dad set it loose behind some shop in everett after he invited people to check it out for the weekend.
That sounds too big to be a hobo, could have been a GHS, though. They can get huge.
Incredible work as always. I love when you focus on the actual scientific process around these little guys. It's nice to see the scientific method in action.
Glad you enjoy it, and thanks!
another excellent video, i love just listening to these while i do things i don't need to think abt. best way to learn abt spiders fr
Glad you're enjoying the channel, and thanks!
Many laughs, and much delightful information! You've done it again! (Also, it's partly thanks to you that I now have a little Phidippus regia living in a custom suite in my home, with regular fruit fly meals.)
YES!! I've been waiting for this one. Thanks Travis. Bookmarked.
Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks!
The more I understand how important spiders are the more beautiful they become. ❤
I can definitely understand that.
Thanks for this interesting video!
I am German and live in Germany. When I was a child and teenager, I lived in my parents' single-family home. There I had my own room in the basement of the house between the ages of 15 and 20. Back then (built in 1972), when I was just 5 years old, this cellar couldn't be completely built into the ground, but almost half of it stuck out of the ground. The groundwater table was still too high in this area at that time. Every hole that was deeper than 2 meters immediately filled with water :) Well - that meant that my basement window was above the ground. This was practical in the summer. I was able to keep the window open at all times because mosquitoes don't fly that low to the ground. Well - but for spiders....... . Okay - but that wasn't a problem for me because I've never been afraid of spiders, but rather interested.
Now about the house spiders: I got the impression that these types of spiders are somehow very clever and absolutely capable of learning.
I discovered the first "house spider" shortly after my 16th birthday. That was in February 1983. She had set up shop in a corner of my basement window. It was the variant that builds a tunnel. In front of the tunnel, which was about 7-8 cm long, there was a larger trapezoid-shaped extension. Since the net doesn't stick, opening and closing the window wasn't a problem. When the window was closed, the trapeze was stretched and when the window was opened, it was simply folded up. That didn't bother the spider. At some point I started catching ants and dropping them into the web as food for the spider.
And now comes the development where the terms “smart” and “able to learn” come into their own for me.
Initially, whenever I came into the room, this spider would immediately retreat into its tunnel. After about a week she didn't anymore and she stayed outside her tunnel when I was in the room. What was interesting - when someone else was in the room, she never came out of her tunnel - not even with prey in the net.
That's what I noticed and piqued my interest. I then started poking Morse code onto the net - always identical and then an ant, a fly or a mosquito. It didn't take longer than 5 days for the spider to learn that food ends up in the web shortly after the Morse code. After I did this every day for about three weeks, the spider no longer disappeared into its tunnel with its prey, but instead ate its daily supper in front of the tunnel entrance while I was able to be very close to it with my hands or face. After about 4 months I was able to touch the spider without it escaping and it even left the tunnel when I came into the room and was several meters away. But beware someone else came into the room - then she was gone. I explained this back then by saying that the spider senses pressure waves. And every person has a different (characteristic) way of moving and therefore creates characteristic, individual pressure waves. This is my explanation for the spider's behavior, otherwise how would it differentiate between different people? After about a year, she even went on longer "hikes" in my room and a few times even visited me 4 meters away in my armchair while I was watching TV. 4 meters - she managed that faster than a human :D And even far away from her net she let me touch her without trying to escape. This spider was my guest for 5 whole years. I think that's a good age for a spider that is much smaller than all tarantulas, for example. A dwarf hamster usually doesn't even last three years - just for comparison. And I don't know how old this spider was when it moved into my room. Over the course of almost 40 years, I have done similar things with several other house spiders and that is why I am so convinced that these spiders have a limited ability to learn and can also differentiate between different individuals. This has never worked with cross spiders or trembling spiders - they are downright "stupid" compared to the three house spider species.
That is really fascinating! We do know that spiders can learn, to some degree - wolf spiders have been shown to be able to learn their way around mazes. I think it's understudied, though!
I also think that the - I'll just call it that - "intelligence" of spiders, or certain species of spiders, has not been researched enough.
Of course - a spider, like every living creature on earth, has a network of nerves to control the body and its functions. But I don't know whether spiders also have a concentration of nerve cells that can be called a "brain". But whatever - spiders do amazing things with what they have. But as I already said - the youth experiments that I did with various spiders clearly showed me that cross spiders, for example, never showed the behavior of "my" house spiders. And even individual individuals of this species sometimes have completely different “characters”. I had a friend who kept spiders as pets - mostly tarantula species. He once had two of the same age from one clutch, both female, siblings. One spider was aggressive towards everything and everyone, while the other spider let everything that didn't look like an attack happen to it and was completely relaxed. When it comes to humans, it is said that “they have different characters.” So - even spiders must have different characters, which apparently works with very little nerve mass.@@travismcenery2919
Glad this channel is growing
Thanks to the viewers, yes! Thanks!
I very much enjoy your videos and appreciate all the work you put inti them,🕷🕸
I was thinking about your channel yesterday because the joro spider is moving up the east coast. If you look for WYFF joro spider you can see vid where Univ of Ga did a piece on it. They want ppl to notify where it is so they can track it. I think last time I heard they said it came by ship. Amazing they knew which, when and where it came in.
Incredible what they can figure out. I'm actually fascinated by the Joro - haven't seen them this far north yet, but they'll probably get here eventually.
@@travismcenery2919 yes I agree. I’m close by but have not seen one yet either. I remember the stink bugs and noticed they put traps up in the woods near me before we ever heard about them. Someone had contacted the news to ask what they were is how we found out what they were tracking.
Very informative. I never knew I liked learning about spiders until I subscribed a while back. Good job👍🏻
Thank you for the awesome and informative video. Spiders never fail to be fascinating and interesting, and it's always cool to learn something new about them. Thank you for all of the excellent work you do on these amazing but often misunderstood creatures. I'll definitely be looking forward to part 2.❤️🕷️
Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks!
Magnificent production (as always).
Thank you.
Thank you!
This is seriously my favorite show! I can't wait to get home and watch, I've been waiting on the GHS!
Happy to be able to deliver, and thanks!
I never went so far as creating a toothbrush tool, but I love to spin pine needles between my fingers to tap the web and play with the grassbros around the house.
I sometimes feel bad for doing it. It's like playing ding-dong-ditch with a spider.
I've done this too, and it sometimes works, but I find the toothbrush is actually a LOT more effective. In a pinch, a blade of grass can sometimes work.
Loved this episode and can't wait for the next one!
Great delivery and fascinating. Thank you!
I feel like I could watch anything from you, very interesting channel btw!
Incredible to say the least. Thank you!
That was an awesome dive to those little fells, thank you.
Grass spiders live with me. Your comparisons helped me take note of the differences. Thank you again for broadening my knowledge.
You're most welcome, and thanks!
I can personally confirm having seen brown recluses in Vancouver Island, where I've lived all my life, but only in one specific place. I have never seen them in any other area. If I still lived there, I'd be trying to collect samples and evidence. I wouldn't be surprised if there were contained communities elsewhere here, but I've yet to encounter any. The area was Esquimalt. How they got there, I don't know, but I was obsessed with their identification when I lived there, and very easily ruled out any other species based on the features you've already described here. I found them in two houses I lived in in Vic West, in basements and storage rooms.
Without having a specimen or photos, it's hard to say what's going on here. With the exception of a single spider that got carried in with a traveler in the 50's, there has never been a sighting of a brown recluse in BC that was actually confirmed by an arachnologist. The Royal BC Museum has had hundreds of spiders sent to it which the senders were absolutely convinced were brown recluses, that turned out not to be.
If there are, in fact, populations of brown recluses living anywhere in Canada, it would be very helpful if the people finding them could collect a specimen, or at least get good photos, and get it to an arachnologist (or even entomologist) at the nearest university. It would be big news in the arachnology field if a confirmed population was found to exist in Canada.
If I had any influence on this video being made I'm extremely honored. If I didn't I'm still very very happy you're covering the giant house spider. Thank Mr. Travis McEnery.
Just wanted to say I love your videos. I'm a Big Spider Respecter (I think they're very cool animals, but also get very freaked out if anything bigger than a little sling touches me... I'm working on it) and have always had a hard time finding the information that you present in your videos. Including your sources gives me tools to identify the little fangy guys I find in my yard and my house and that helps me feel much more comfortable with their presence. Thank you!
Cheers to you sir! Keep the videos coming, they are great!
Thanks so much!
Love, Love, LOVE your content, Travis! I've always loved spiders (despite being bitten by a recluse ALMOST on top of a brand-new tattoo) so your videos add knowledge to my love. THANX!
Thanks so much! Glad the spider missed your new tattoo!
Very educational, as always, thank you. Look forward to part 2.
Thanks so much!
I used to be a barn hand and exercise rider at a few different horse barns. I would always find the funnel weavers beautiful webs in between hay bales or tucked in the tool barn. The only time they *weren’t* as cool was when they would sit in the corner of the already kind of sketch barn bathroom… I have a vivid memory of one very big one sitting directly across from the toilet in the tiny bathroom, exactly at eye height. While I usually am not afraid of spiders, this one sketched me out a bit due to the… vulnerable …setting in which I encountered it lol.
7:45 I found that sarcasm way too funny
Glad you enjoyed that!