Stop! Before rolling up this article to bludgeon that spider making its way across the floor, read on.
An awareness program at Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve titled “Creepy Wonderful Critters” took place Saturday.
Jennifer Lolley, administrator for the preserve, said the program, which was aimed primarily at children, is trying to make people appreciate, not annihilate, spiders.
“If you teach children at an early age, you can replace some of the fear with curiosity,” Lolley said. “If you understand something, it’s not as scary.”
Lolley said spiders were the focus of the program, but the overall goal of the preserve is fostering a less-targeted form of environmentalism.
Gary Mullen, professor of entomology at Auburn, spoke at the event.
He began the program by debunking a few common arachnid myths, such as the belief that daddy-longlegs are the most poisonous spiders.
“This has been a time-honored belief, but it can’t be farther from the truth,” Mullen said. “They are not even spiders.”
Mullen said most daddy-longlegs are vegetarians, and all of them are completely harmless.
Mullen said it is difficult to establish a single rule to determine whether a spider is dangerous. He did, however, give the audience some guidance on how to determine how threatening a spider is.
“The general rule of thumb is spiders that construct webs tend to have less toxic venom than free-roaming spiders,” Mullen said. “Free-roaming spiders, which tend to reside on the ground or under rocks and boards, rely less on silk to capture their prey and more upon their venom.”
Mullen said spiders are the victims of stereotyping.
“People have used black widows and brown recluses to stereotype spiders,” Mullen said. “In reality though, these spiders are exceptions and not the rule.”
Auburn students also came out to volunteer.
Madagascar hissing cockroaches, scorpions and snakes each received some representation as well.
Hannah Gunter, sophomore in wildlife science, said the interest in the children’s faces is why she volunteers.
“Seeing kids that are scared at first, but then eventually come around and start smiling is the most rewarding experience,” Gunter said.
Chris Pellecchia, a sophomore in zoology, brought some specimens of his own to add to the program. He said he likes to display scorpions from his collection of more than 60.
“Right now, it is more important for them to learn the difference between a black widow and a brown recluse,” Pellecchia said. “The scorpions around here are harmless.”
Pellecchia said learning about these creatures is the first step to appreciating them.
“The name of the program is ‘Creepy Crawlers,’ but when you get to know the creatures, they still crawl,” Pellecchia said. “They just are not as creepy.”
