Everything you wanted to know about harvest spiders, but were afraid to ask

An unusual creature came into the field of view of our site - a haymaker. Their common name is kosinozhki, or koselapki. All because of the unusual structure of the limbs. These are representatives of arachnids, and according to zoologists, there are about 6,650 species of them in the wild. Harvesters are very common animals, but few articles have been written about them; their appearance and behavior make them invisible in everyday human life.

Let's try to fill this gap by presenting you with some interesting facts about haymakers, and also show you many photos of them and even an amazing video.

Appearance and structure

The photograph shows a representative of a detachment of haymakers. They feed on plant nipples, soil nematodes, small arthropods, and yeast fungi. We will tell you more about this below.

Representatives of the arachnid class are very similar to spiders. But it all ends with external similarities. Harvesters have a segmented body structure. The abdomen is connected to the cephalothorax by a wide base. In a spider, such a connection is thin.

The body is small and covered with a protective shell. Adults do not grow more than 2–5 mm (torso), but the legs can reach 16 mm. There are large harvesters, the body length of which reaches 22 mm.

On the front of the head there is a pair of simple eyes, and they feel objects with their largest limb. Their internal structure is like that of all arachnids. Glands are located along the edges of the abdomen. In moments of danger, they emit an unpleasant odor, scaring away enemies.

By the way, on our website most-beauty.ru there is an interesting article about the TOP 20 most beautiful spiders in the world.

What does it eat?

Typically, the following insects get caught in the harvester's net and are unable to escape from the trap:

• small snails;
• ants;
• small caterpillars;
• slugs;
• bugs;
• mosquitoes;
• various midges.

In the absence of fresh food, moss spiders are forced to feed on carrion (the remains of flies, mosquitoes and other small insects), excrement, fungi, and rotting remains of organic matter (both meat and plant matter).

Did you know? To avoid getting caught by an insect that is too large, harvesters deliberately loosen the net to scare it away. If this does happen, then the spider helps free the failed food by biting off the necessary threads.

When these spiders have seasonal problems with food, they are not averse to cannibalism - in difficult times, related subspecies or even representatives of their own species can be eaten. To do this, insects find a “relative’s” web, pretend to be entangled in it and attack the web owner who has run up.

Special Features

If you grab a haymaker's leg, it will easily come off. For a few more minutes, the severed limb will make convulsive movements.

The ease with which the limb comes off creates the misleading impression that the legs are loosely attached to the body. In fact, this is not true. The harvester deliberately separates the limb. The paw comes off like a lizard's tail. This autotomy helps the haymakers to escape from enemies.

The predator first stumbles upon the paws, and then is distracted by the moving limb while the animal flees. Therefore, you can often find individuals who have an incomplete number of legs.

Behavior in the wild and in a private home

The web of Pholcidae is not sticky; insects are held in it due to its irregular structure. Having discovered prey in the nets, the arachnid quickly wraps it in threads and inflicts a poisonous bite. If the predator is hungry, it eats the prey immediately; if it is full, it leaves it for later. After eating, the arthropod cleans the nets by unhooking and releasing the prey.

Some representatives have an interesting feature: when threatened, they begin to react with rapid vibrations of rotational movement in the web. Perhaps in this way representatives of the araneomorphs give a signal for the intended rival to leave.

The spider on thin long legs that lives in the apartment is quite cowardly. If chased, he will retreat into a corner or fall out of his web and run away.

Settlement area

It's time to find out where these amazing creatures live. Haymakers settled almost everywhere, occupying various natural landscapes.

The main species have chosen forests and meadows. They are found in mountain ranges, settling in rock crevices and caves. Some species have easily adapted to living conditions in cities, and therefore can be found in apartments, houses, and office premises.

Natural enemies

In the wild, spiders have many natural enemies. They form part of the diet of many predators. That is why haymakers tend to settle in human dwellings, where there is almost no threat to them. Natural enemies:

• rodents;
• birds;
• snakes;
• lizards;
• toads.

Although some pets also pose a danger to spiders. Cats and dogs hunt for them not to eat them, but for the sake of interest and fun. But over time, the pets stop paying attention to them, and the haymakers remain safe.

In apartments, other spiders remain their enemies. They may belong to other families or be brothers. Some mushrooms of the genus Cordyceps also become a problem for thin-legged mushrooms. They infect the spider's body and gradually grow inside it. All internal organs are affected and slowly destroyed, causing the arthropod to die. The fungi break through and eat the spider completely, not even its chitinous covering remains.

Although most species of harvestmen have non-sticky nets, some use a special glue. It is secreted by hairs located on the pedipalps. This composition allows you to instantly capture the victim. The spider only needs to touch it once to stick it to its paws.

Lifestyle

Most species are nocturnal predators. During the day they freeze in secluded places. Pets are hiding in the corners. Sometimes they can be seen frozen on the walls. A timid animal that immediately tries to hide when encountered.

Like all predators, they feed on animal food. The diet includes caterpillars, ants, mosquitoes, and various beetles. There are species that easily cope with snails. Some moss moths eat mushrooms, moss and other plant foods.

The structure of the oral apparatus allows it to absorb solid particles of prey. Food is crushed by pidipalps, which act as jaws.

How to get rid of it: effective methods

How to get rid of spiders in the house forever? Eight-legged arthropods will leave their homes on their own if you deprive them of a comfortable habitat. Owners need to think about what factors attract arachnids and eliminate reasons for visiting the house.

How to proceed:

• seal all cracks in doors and windows;
• clear the attic and living quarters of rubbish. Arachnids settle in areas where there are many secluded places and there are enough zones for arranging a shelter;
• hang grates with small cells on the air vents;
• regularly clean an apartment or private house, do not be lazy to collect dust and cobwebs in the corners, from the ceiling;
• look into hard-to-reach areas, thoroughly wash corners and areas under the sink, bathtub, and the side of the cabinet;
• clean the porch, the area above the threshold, clean the balcony more often, especially if it is not glazed;
• deprive eight-legged arthropods of their favorite food: destroy cockroaches, midges, mosquitoes, flies living at home;
• old furniture, rags, unnecessary appliances, boxes, baskets piled up in utility rooms are an ideal habitat for many-legged “aliens.” Only cleanliness and space will reduce the risk of an unpleasant neighborhood with arachnids.

Effective methods of control:

• sticky tape traps for catching flies and mosquitoes. Place the devices horizontally in places where spiders frequently move;
• a vacuum cleaner plus a damp cloth is an ideal weapon against eggs and trapping nets;
• Place walnuts and horse chestnut fruits in the habitats of the arachnids. Spiders cannot tolerate the smell of natural products and leave the room;
• essential oils against arachnids. Prepare a solution of 500 ml of water and 20 drops of mint, eucalyptus or tea tree ether, spray the areas where spiders accumulate with a spray bottle. This method is less harmful to eight-legged arthropods than spraying toxic aerosols.

Reproduction

The process of reproduction brings them closer to insects. The mating season begins in August. Males fight fiercely for the female. During mating, internal fertilization occurs.

The female lays eggs in a special nest in the soil. There are up to 500 eggs in one clutch. Under favorable conditions, the female can lay eggs 2–3 times.

In some males, after mating, the maternal instinct awakens. They jealously guard their offspring, since an indiscriminate female can eat her own clutch. The harvester lives for 2 years, but there are species that have a one-year life cycle.

The importance of harvesting spiders in nature and human life

One long-legged spider kills 12 to 20 mosquitoes per day. This is especially true where the malarial plasmodium and mosquitoes from the genus Anopheles, which carry this parasite, are common. Spiders are also good against mosquitoes, carriers of Dengue fever.

Research shows that the web of centipedes has an antibacterial effect against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, etc. Moreover, Gram-positive bacteria are more vulnerable to the proteins that make up the threads of harvest spiders than Gram-negative ones.

Classification

Systematics divides these creatures into four main suborders.

Cyphophthalmi

A small suborder containing about 220 genera. These are primitive harvesters, whose fossil remains are found by paleontologists in Carboniferous deposits.

Representatives of this suborder have an oval oblong body, no more than 2 mm long. The legs are short. They live in the tropics and subtropical regions of Africa, South America and Eurasia.

The suborder includes two large families - Sironidae and Stylocellidae.

Eupnoi

This suborder includes the pigtails with the longest limbs. They have large eyes, a soft belly and special vitality.

They easily tolerate cold, being active until the first frost. Due to their special frost resistance, they settled throughout the planet. They are found on mountain slopes, deciduous and coniferous forests.

The suborder has 1,800 species, united in two families - Phalangiidae and Caddidae.

Dyspnoi

The most ancient representative of this suborder, Ameticos scolos, was discovered in coal deposits in France. Now it includes 320 modern species.

Very motionless species that sometimes seem lifeless. They live in the southern regions of Russia, in the vast expanses of Europe and Southeast Asia.

The legs are short. There are species that have an elastic abdomen, but there are also armored coverings. The suborder includes four families - Ischyropsalidae, Nemastomatidae, Trogulidae, Dicranolasmatidae.

Laniatores

The most numerous tropical suborder. Includes more than 4 thousand species. It is also the most mysterious, as it is the least studied.

Representatives of the suborder have a brightly colored body with a very hard protective covering. The abdomen is characterized by small bumpy growths. The settlement area is extensive. Found in the tropics of Africa, South America, and Australia.

A large population lives in India. The largest suborder includes five families - Cosmetidae, Gonyleptidae, Triaenonychidae, Oncopodidae, Phalangodidae.

What do hay spiders eat?

What do hay spiders eat? The main diet consists of flies, ants, mites and beetles. In conditions of prolonged absence of food, individuals can attack members of their own species. This is especially common in winter.

The haymaker spider is predominantly nocturnal. During the hunt, he attaches a signal thread to one of his limbs, after which he slides down head down and waits for the prey. An insect, once caught in a net, instantly becomes entangled due to the chaotic weaving. At this time, vibration reaches the spider along the signal thread, which indicates a successful hunt. It rises to the prey, entangles it with additional threads, which will definitely not allow the victim to free himself from the web. It turns out to be a kind of dense cocoon. The harvestman bites through the shell, releases gastric juices, which gradually transform the internal contents of the cocoon, including the chitinous shell, into a single liquefied mixture. If the predator is not hungry, it leaves the prey as a reserve. Otherwise, it eats the prey immediately.

Kinds

Now let’s look at certain types of extraordinary inhabitants of our planet.

Common harvestman / Phalangium opilio

Females and males of this species differ in size, body structure, and color. Males grow from 4 to 5 mm, females are larger - 6–7 mm. On the upper part of the female's body there is a saddle-shaped dark spot.

Both sexes have long legs. The second pair of limbs is the longest. Males have bumpy growths on their bodies that females do not have.

They live in Eurasia and North America. They feed mainly on small insects, but are not averse to eating plant foods.

Opilio parietinus

In the photo, an inhabitant of forests and meadows of the Eurasian continent and North America. Belongs to the Phalangodidae family.

The oblong body reaches a length of 5–7 mm in adults. The female is slightly larger than the male. They have long legs with dark spots on them.

It feeds on caterpillars and beetles. Houses eat mosquitoes and flies. Adapted to life in residential and commercial premises. But now it is actively being replaced by other invasive apartment dwellers.

Opilio canestrinii

The historical homeland of this species is southern Italy. From these territories, it began to spread throughout Europe, adapting to live in a cooler climate.

Females grow up to 8 mm, males - no more than 6 mm. The tarsi in both sexes reach 16–17 mm. Spreading throughout Central Europe, it began to displace the representatives of Opilio parietinus familiar to these places.

They can often be seen on tree trunks and house walls. The species was discovered in 1876 by Swedish zoologist Tamerlan Thorell.

Pettalidae

A separate family of the suborder Cyphophthalmi includes about 75 species. They spread throughout the tropical forests of South America and are found in Australia, Africa, and the islands of Madagascar and Sri Lanka.

Very small. They grow no more than 2 mm. The legs are short. This, according to most-beauty.ru, makes them look like ticks. The color is dark brown, sometimes yellow. They feed on insects and plant foods.

Almost all species prefer to live in fallen leaves. Only in South Africa are they found in caves. Cave dwellers have no eyes. The new family was introduced into the world classification by the French scientist Eugene Simon in 1879.

Ischyropsalis helwigi

The range of this species is limited to European countries. Lives in deciduous forests, but can move to megacities. In cities they settle in orchards and parks.

Quite large harvesters. The body length reaches 7 mm, but the legs can grow up to 1 cm. In times of danger, it moves quickly or freezes, pretending to be dead.

It is a specialist in eating slugs and snails. Thus, it brings benefits by preserving the fruits of trees from dangerous pests.

Two legendary insects of our childhood: the harvestman and the centipede mosquito

These two insects still disgust even many adults. In childhood, they were known everywhere as the pigtail (if you tear off a spider’s leg, it would seem to mow down) and the malaria mosquito (they received the nickname for their scary large appearance, although in fact they are a harmless creature). Let's start with the pigtail.

The only permanent resident of your house in the village

Mother Nature has created many creatures that can eat your face in your sleep. Luckily, our hero today is not one of them, because you can meet this guy every single day. Meet the guest of your country toilet, the sight of whom each of us laid bricks in childhood - the haymaker.

The hero of your childhood nightmares lives all over the world. In total, as many as 4,000 species of haymakers have bred, of which 60 are found in the vast expanses of our vast land. These guys look like spiders. But don't be fooled! Of course, the haymakers have learned very well how to mow for them. Only this is a separate order of arachnids. Harvesters are not spiders, but are related to spiders.

Don't confuse harvest spiders with harvest spiders! There are not many differences between them, but they are two different units!

Our friend’s size didn’t work out - his maximum is 7 millimeters. But his paws are from his ears, and for good reason. These renegades live in grass, forests, and mountains - so all-terrain legs come in handy.

Haymakers go out for walks at night. During the day you won’t notice them, even if a whole colony is sitting right in front of your nose. Our heroes have mastered the art of camouflage to such an extent that they perfectly pretend to be not only spiders, but also moss! Sitting motionless, thousands of individuals hide from the eyes of predators, birds and arachnophobes so that they do not shoot them with a flamethrower.

Just imagine what kind of horror will begin if this “moss” is disturbed. Several thousand haymakers camouflaged themselves here.

The haymaker became a vagabond not of his own free will. The reason is that Mother Nature took away his ability to shoot a white sticky liquid... web. Instead of building houses for itself, as spiders should, it hangs out in the grass. By the way, haymakers also don’t have poisonous glands, so even if you want to, you can’t become Spider-Man from his bite.

We may not have poison, but we hurt differently.

Instead of deadly poisons, the under-spider scares its enemies with... a stench! Sensing that things smell fried, the haymakers emit a pungent odor that will take away the appetite of even the hungriest predator. If the fart does not work, and the harvester is caught, the harvester throws back its paws. But not figuratively, but literally, he sheds his limbs without difficulty.

While the meat-eater watches how the severed leg breaks dances, our hero leaves to hell. The harvester performs the trick of tearing off the paws until they run out. By modifying its gait, our arthropod friend is able to move vigorously on 7, 5 and even 2 legs! Life-affirming quotes do not motivate as much as the will to live of a haymaker!

I parked here, dear

Yes, the haymaker has no poison, and it does not look as menacing as spiders. But unlike them, he at least knows how to chew! Spiders only eat liquids. This is why they use poison; it turns the victim’s insides into a nutritious cocktail. But our hero eats everything his paws can reach. And his paws, as you can guess, reach a lot: mushrooms, plants, insects, other people's poop, rot - he eats almost everything. It is precisely because of the last two points that haymakers almost always live in country toilets.

Stasyan, it doesn’t look like a porcini mushroom...

Harvesters mate in the summer. They do not engage in cannibalism or other cruel things. Instead, the males arrange a traditional makhach for the females. After a fun night, the expectant mother becomes the proud owner of 500 eggs. She does not lay them in one gulp, but in portions, 100-200 eggs at a time with a break of 3 weeks. The funny thing is that mother haymakers are so indiscriminate in their food and can easily eat their own clutch, which they laid a couple of weeks ago.

From the first days of life, emerging larvae look the same as their parents - not very good. They will produce their offspring only after 5-6 molts, when they evolve to a full-fledged Pokemon.

So before you swing your slipper at the unfortunate haymaker, think twice. This guy has a gang of thousands that will make anyone squeal like a girl. They are also completely harmless and not dangerous to humans. Respect the haymakers and let them continue to live in your village toilet.

Source

There were no signs of trouble on that beautiful summer day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and a light breeze was blowing. Everything was fine until I went out onto the balcony. My life was never the same again... A giant mosquito, the size of my dad’s palm, was flying at me! I shuddered - how much blood will this monster drink?! The answer will surprise you to the core - not at all. Meet the long-legged mosquito, aka caramora, aka the “malaria mosquito” - the nightmare of your childhood.

Some even think it is a male mosquito. Absolutely absurd!

Karamor lives on all continents, scaring people in forests, meadows and fields. Occasionally he flies in for tea, spreading horror and panic throughout the apartment.

Each of us who lived in the village saw this picture.

The only ones who don’t get heart attacks from its sight are the inhabitants of savannahs and deserts. The dry climate does not bother our hero, so he avoids these biomes. The long-legged mosquito family includes 4,200 species. They all have one thing in common: people’s hatred of them.

A man tries to pay off a mosquito.

As you know, people are greeted by their clothes. So, our friend looks like a mosquito. But not an ordinary mosquito, but a giant mosquito. No, you don’t understand, he’s really REALLY HUGE. Even in our cold regions, where insects do not grow much, centipedes grow up to 6 centimeters! And these are just flowers; the berries live in the south. Karamors grow twice as big there!

By the way, our guest today has the proud status of the largest mosquito. The wingspan of the giant insect is 11 cm!

It is not surprising that for such an appearance our hero received a bad reputation among the people. The village grannies were so impressed by his appearance that they pinned on the unfortunate mosquito all the sins that could be pinned on an insect. Like, he bites painfully, and drinks a lot of blood, and spreads an infection worse than the coronavirus - malaria. Therefore, the poor Karamor is inevitably punished with a slipper. True, this punishment is by no means deserved!

1. Malaria mosquito, 2. Long-legged mosquito. As you can see, a real malaria mosquito looks little different from a regular one.

In fact, our hero is a true romantic with a fine mental and physical organization. A mosquito only lives 1-2 weeks. He will not be able to infect you with malaria and other diseases even if he wants to - neither the females, nor, especially, the males drink blood. Unlike their annoying relatives, who suck anything from anyone, long-legged mosquitoes have switched to a vegan diet in the form of nectar.

Like butterflies, long-legged mosquitoes help in pollinating plants.

Mosquitoes think about their offspring at the end of their week-long existence. In fact, children are the only goal of their life. The male finds the lady by smell, and this is where the shocking content begins. After all, when he sees a charming young lady, a guy gets a spirally twisted aedeagus, or, more simply, a reproductive organ. Yes, yes, mosquitoes have it too!

Now I ask impressionable men to step away from the screens, you may feel phantom pain. The worst part is that once the unit is inserted into the female, the male will no longer be able to pull it back out. He leaves his corkscrew as a gift to the lady, thereby blocking all entrances and exits for other males.

When you decided to try something new, but at one point something went wrong.

Having scoped the male, the female lays her eggs in the soil. The hatched larvae eat carrion, but not animal, but plant. Such animals are called detritivores; they contribute to the decomposition of organic matter, and for this we thank them.

But you are unlikely to thank those children whom the female planted in your garden. Instead of rotten leaves, the little buggers happily hamster live plants, eating their roots and stems. Mosquito larvae survive autumn, winter and spring. Karamoras will acquire wings only by summer.

But now you can get dichlorvos.

So if you are not a potato, cucumber or some other vegetable, there is nothing to be afraid of the long-legged mosquito. The insect, despite its creepy appearance, is absolutely harmless to humans.

Source

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Interesting Facts

• After DNA research, biologists found that these creatures are closer not to spiders, but to scorpions.
• Losing a limb is not fatal and does not affect lifestyle. This protective function helps the animal hide from natural enemies. Lost paws cannot be restored.
• Cave species completely lack visual organs, and they perceive their habitat with the help of pedipalps.
• This is an example of parallel evolution. During evolutionary development, they easily adapted to life on land, and in their lifestyle and structure they are more reminiscent of insects.
• They lack flexion-extension muscles in their limbs. They move hydraulically. The legs have hooks that allow you to stay on a smooth surface.
• In the Middle Ages they were called “shepherd spiders.” In England they are called “reapers”, “harvesters”, but in Latin America the popular names are associated with the unpleasant odors emitted by haymakers.
• They are not poisonous and do not bite, but are afraid of them because of their resemblance to spiders. This similarity only harms them. People are trying to get rid of their neighbors in the house. But the benefits from them are great.

Don’t miss the fascinating article most-beauty.ru on our website about the TOP 10 most poisonous scorpions on the planet.

Fighting methods

The centipede 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 chaotically woven web. And if being around a haymaker spider is unpleasant for you, then it is advisable to find out how to get rid of it.

At this stage you need to do the following:

1. We seal all the cracks and close even the smallest openings through which this spider is able to get into the apartment. We install nets with small cells on ventilation grilles and windows.
2. We reduce the brightness of natural light - to do this, just hang blinds on the windows. This is unattractive to insects and, therefore, spiders will not appear in the house, since the latter feed first.
3. Every day we clean all corners of the apartment: we use a broom in the corners, under the ceiling, behind cabinets, cabinets, around windows and under beds.
4. If you find cobwebs together with the owner, then it is advisable to remove them at the same time - a regular mop with a wet rag does an excellent job of this.
5. We periodically prevent the appearance of insects in the house, and if they appear, we make sure to destroy them immediately. Otherwise, the haymaker spider will happily 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.

The simplest folk recipes, which have been repeatedly tested by our grandmothers, will help us with this. They can quite easily cope with hay spiders and prevent their reappearance.

So, centipedes, like many other spiders, cannot tolerate the pungent odors that some plants emit. Among them:

• Mint – It is known for its intense aroma, which, as it turns out, works great not only against insects, but also against spiders. In this case, you can use both the dry leaves of this plant and its essential oil: we place the dried parts in the corners, and add the essential oil to the water and sprinkle it 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 pieces and leave them in places where the web or the spiders themselves were found.
• Tea Tree and Eucalyptus – These are used as essential oils in a similar way to mint. Add a few drops to the sprayer and treat all hard-to-reach places in the rooms.

If you carry out the above procedures regularly, they will certainly bring positive results.