10 Things You Didn’t Know About Spiders

We all know someone who is absolutely petrified of spiders. And even if we aren’t scared of them, not many of us are keen! Because of this, there’s a good chance there’s a bit you don’t know about spiders. However, spiders are amazing creatures…really they are! You will find over 40,000 different species of spiders living around the world. And many of those species is poisonous. Great!

Spiders can either be really tiny, to nearly the same size of a small dog (RUN!).

Here are some more amazing facts about our eight-legged friends.

1. Scientists have discovered around 40,000 different types of spiders around in the world, but speculate there’s just as many that remain undiscovered.
2. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. Around 50% of women and 16% of men in the UK suffer from this phobia.
3. Most spiders have, on average, 6-8 eyes.
4. Spiders webs are made from THE strongest known natural fibre ever. The spiders silk is made from protein. The greatest stress it will tolerate before it breaks is much greater than bone, and half the strength of steel. That’s pretty tough!
5. Most spider venoms don’t have an antidote to them. Scientists often have to treat bites on a case by case basis, to come up with new and effective antidotes to painful symptoms.
6. The Black Widow is known to be the most venomous spider in the world.
7. A spider’s insides are far too narrow to be able to take solids. So they liquidize their food by digesting in their mouths, and biting it into tiny little pieces.
8. The fossils of spiders have been found in rocks dating back 318 million years.
9. The Giant Huntsman spider is the longest in the world. It’s legs alone can measure up to 12 inches, which is 30 centimetres. The same size as a standard ruler.
10. The largest spider in the world is the Goliath Birdeater. It can weight more than 6 ounces, which is 170 grams. That’s about as much as a young puppy, so keep Fido away from this one!

You can get in touch with us here at Empire Pest Control if you’re suffering from a spider problem in your London home. We can give you advice on some great preventative measures to keep the pests out for good because we are experts on a wide range of pests!!