DEAR JOAN: The largest spider I ever saw — and according to my critter book, the largest wolf spider in North America — is the Carolina wolf spider, and I was fortunate enough to find one inside my house last night.
It was immense. In hand, with its legs extended, it would have almost covered my palm — about a 2-inch span. The stuff of nightmares.
Judging by the size, according to my critter book, it was a female. No, I didn’t kill her. I trapped her in a jar and took her outside where I tried to drop her into a leafy bush, but she didn’t like the bush, and took off across the street. I last saw her heading for the neighbors.
I am 82 years old and never saw such a gargantuan spider before. According to my critter book, they range throughout the United States and Southern Canada, but are these things common? In our house?
Jean Myer, Mountain View
DEAR JEAN: Thank you for taking such good care with what would be, for some, a most unwelcome visitor in the house. You obviously realized that no matter how large the spider is, we are even bigger and have no reason to fear.
Carolina wolf spiders are common in the Bay Area, but they spend the majority of time outdoors so we don’t often see them. They are part of a class of spiders that are hunters. Instead of spinning webs and seeing what might get entangled in them, wolf spiders seek and ambush their prey. That can sometimes lead them into our homes, where they’d really rather not be. They preferred more open places, such as fields, grassy expanses, stacks of firewood and ground debris and leaf litter.
Because of their large size, they often are mistaken for tarantulas, despite not looking that much like one.
Mating season also can find the Carolina wolf spiders indoors, perhaps looking for a quiet, romantic corner to consummate a brief romance. Like it does for many creatures, mating takes place in the spring, but the dry winter might have encouraged this spider to get an early start on the season.
After mating, the female, which is the larger of the pair, lays her eggs and then straps them to her body, carrying them with her wherever she goes.
To put your neighbors’ minds at ease, the bite of the wolf spider can be painful, much like a bee sting, but they are not deadly and will not bite unless greatly provoked. They keep to themselves, but they are excellent friends in the yard and garden, eating a number of insects that we don’t otherwise welcome.
DEAR JOAN: My dog goes out early morn to do his business and stops to stare at the sky for maybe 5 or more minutes. No planes or birds, so what is he doing?
Jenifer Newfeld, Houston, Texas
DEAR JENIFER: He might be listening to something we don’t hear, smelling the air or seeing something that we just don’t see. With their extraordinary senses, they can smell and hear things that aren’t obvious to us.
Perhaps a neighbor cooks bacon every morning, or a bird is quietly greeting the day. If he repeatedly starts staring at the sky, the ceiling or the wall for long periods, visit a vet. He could have a medical issue.
Have a question for Joan?
Use this form to submit questions. Photos should be mailed separately to jmorris@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Source: www.mercurynews.com