My cousin believes that by having a "Huntsman" roaming around his house that he is controlling other pests. He believes that the huntsman will eat the majority of other smaller spiders including the nastier redbacks and white tips that we have in abundance here in Australia.
Is he kidding himself or is has he actually discovered an effective non carcinogenic way of controlling pests around the home?
2007-02-09 00:11:45 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Please give evidance or reference to support your position if possible.
2007-02-09 00:24:34 · update #1
Well i don't have proof, but I work with spider for a living... so hear me out.
Huntsman spiders are very effective predators, and yes they will eat other more dangerous spiders if they come across them. The problem lies in the fact that the red backs and other venomous Theridiid spiders are web builders, and the huntsman will not enter a web in an attempt to catch one. This means that these spiders would only be effective if the other varieties are caught out in the open walking around, which does not happen often I'm afraid. What the huntsman may be doing is actually picking off the smaller less toxic male spiders, who often walk around in an attempt to find mates, this is when they are most vulnerable to attack from other spiders.
So, I don't think that a huntsman in the house would be great at controlling other spiders, but they are surely fantastic at controlling other household pests like bed bugs, cockroaches and other insects, better than spiders....
So tell your cousin that his theory does hold for insects but not so well for web building spiders...
Hope this helps!
2007-02-09 01:28:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Food consists of insects and other invertebrates.
In the wild, the Huntsman will eat a variety of insects, arthropods, small lizards and frogs. Rather than catch their prey in a web, Huntsman Spiders stalk and ambush their prey. This may explain why they have evolved to be so fast! Their fangs are large and powerful and hold the food. Their bite is relatively harmless to humans causing only pain and swelling in most people. If you are allergic the reaction could be toxic, as is the case with all spiders one must take care, you do not want to find out you have an allergy the hard way. In captivity, Sydney Huntsman Spiders are known to eat a variety of foods, feeding on crickets, large insects, and lizards. Babies do well on a diet of small insects such as non-flying fruit flies and pinhead crickets.
2007-02-09 11:18:15 · answer #2 · answered by Mystic Magic 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The favourite food of spiders is other spiders so it certainly will result in less spiders being around.
2007-02-09 09:18:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't know, time will tell. By the way, what's a Huntsman?
2007-02-09 08:34:01 · answer #4 · answered by lisateric 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i dont know but i know i would not want a spider roaming around my house
2007-02-09 08:15:09 · answer #5 · answered by lovrascalflatts 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Really wouldn't no.. Sorry. I live in South Africa
2007-02-09 08:23:26 · answer #6 · answered by GeCkO_GaL 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
yes. but ppl usually put them in their gardens not in their house.
atleast he knows he has one wandering around, i guess its better than not knowing.....its like fighting fire with fire.
2007-02-09 08:17:39 · answer #7 · answered by Stick 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
it is true
2007-02-09 08:14:43 · answer #8 · answered by ahmedgidado 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋