Giant house spider.

Although it doesn't compare to some of the whoppers found in tropical climates, the giant house spider can still install a serious case of the willies to anyone sensitive to members of the arachnid family. Not only are they big, for a domestic spider in Canada, but they are fast. At almost three inches across and traveling at speeds near 2 km/hr, these hairy-bodied predators hide indoors during the day and come out at night to hunt.

It is not uncommon to discover one when lifting or moving some sedentary object. They build funnel-shaped webs to hide in. You have probably seen them; I have them in the dark corners of my garage. Their presence is verified by the large number of discarded corpses lying around its home. I found such a scene yesterday as I was cleaning around my freezer in the garage; the remains of dozens of sowbugs laid strewn about the lair evidence of its activity.

The female tends to stay within her webbed domicile while the male often leaves his home to explore; food and feminine companionship his motivations. Mating season is in the early fall. A male will discover his counterpart through wandering and, when it is time, enter her domain to mate. She can last several months after copulation is successful. He may mate with her several times and will eventually die of natural causes. She consumes the remains, his final contribution. Forty to sixty eggs are laid that hatch in the spring. About 2 percent of the young mature to adulthood where the cycle is repeated.

Although large and fast, these spiders are harmless to humans. It is very unlikely that one will bite you, even when holding one. Their fangs, albeit large, are relatively weak and are unlikely to penetrate skin. The venom causes grief only to those that are allergic to it. The reality is that these are beneficial due to their pest eating habits. Health-wise, they are not a threat to people or pets (unless your pet has got six legs). It is our fear of their large, hairy-bodied, fleet-footed forms that cause the greatest grief. Think of them as a benevolent, flightless grasshopper with an extra pair of legs. And jaws, huge jaws. (Sorry, that probably didn't help).

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen