How many spiders do you actually eat in your sleep? Do spiders die in the vacuum cleaner? We thought we knew the answers. Here are the 7 biggest spider myths - and how it really is!
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- Every human being eats 10 spiders while sleeping
- Do spiders die in the vacuum cleaner?
- Are there poisonous spiders in Germany?
- Is it true that female spiders feed the male during sex?
- Why do some spiders lay their eggs in human skin ...?
- Spiders are just superfluous!
- There's a reason people disgust themselves with spiders! That can not be a coincidence!
Every human being eats 10 spiders while sleeping
A very popular "Urban Legend". Allegedly one should in the course of his life 3 to 10 spiders accidentally swallow in sleep. But is that true? How many spiders do you eat?
The answer: None. Spiders can not look very good, but they feel very good. And why should they crawl into the mouth of another creature?!? As soon as a spider feels even the slightest breath of a (human) breath, it sheds off! Spiders are not tired of life.
Do spiders die in the vacuum cleaner?
Personally, I'm not a big fan of killing animals just because they "bother" but not hurt. And that's why I like to spread the misconception that there's no point in vacuuming spiders with the vacuum cleaner - because sooner or later they'll crawl out again .
Unfortunately, spiders normally die in the vacuum cleaner. Provided the vacuum cleaner is strong enough (at least 1000 W). Because of this, the spiders reach a speed of 100 to 140 km / h during absorption and are thrown at exactly this speed in the vacuum cleaner, or already in the curved vacuum cleaner hose, against a wall. Nobody survives, no spider.
And if the vacuum cleaner was too weak, or if the spider, miraculously, ends up in the soft dust completely without bumping into it and survives, then at the latest it will be struck down by thousands of crumbs and other things or it will suffocate in the dust. Normally she will not make it out again.
Are there poisonous spiders in Germany?
Spiders can bite in very rare exceptional cases (!) - even in Germany. But these spiders are not poisonous.
Most spider species in Germany and Europe that could transmit poison are (if they bite) too small or too weak to even pierce our skin. Even if, for example, the garden spider should make it to a thin skin, her bite is more like a mosquito bite comparable. As long as there is no allergic reaction, these bites are completely harmless.
In Central Europe, there are two - quite rare and hidden species - that can cause unpleasant bites (more like a bee or wasp sting), but there are no really dangerous species here.
Is it true that female spiders feed the male during sex?
Yes, but only rarely. Many people believe that all female spiders eat their males, but that's not true. In this country, there is only one spider species, where the male often does not survive the mating, and that is the wasp spider.
In most spider species, the male comes out of the game and in some spider species males and females live together for a while in a net or construction.
Why do some spiders lay their eggs in human skin ...?
They do not do that. There is not a single spider species on Earth that does such a thing, not even in the deepest jungle. No spider species has a laying spike, with which some insects (such as the david fly - click at their own risk) lay their eggs in plants, in the ground or in other animals.
Spiders are just superfluous!
Everyone knows that spiders catch disturbing insects and protect us from annoying mosquitoes and flies. Actually.
But how important that is, not everyone knows: There are scientific calculations that assume that all the sky in the world would suffocate under a several centimeters thick layer of insects, there would be no more spiders!
There's a reason people disgust themselves with spiders! That can not be a coincidence!
So let's say this: at least it has no evolutionary reason.
The fear, or the disgust of spiders is not innate, but learned, say psychologists. When children keep watching mum or dad (or anyone else) anxiously react to spiders, they accept it. There must be something to it.
However, if it is not a common disgust for spiders, but a true arachnophobia that severely limits one's life, one should consult a psychologist.
What helps against the fear of spiders? Here are some tips ...
