References Aldrich, E. C. (1945). Nesting of the Allen hummingbird. The Condor, 47(4), 137-148. BASCOULÈS, S., & SMITH, P. (2021). Mutualism between frogs (Chiasmocleis albopunctata, Microhylidae) and spiders (Eupalaestrus campestratus, Theraphosidae): a new example from Paraguay. Bristowe, W. S. (1931, December). 67. A Preliminary Note on the Spiders of Krakatau. In Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (Vol. 101, No. 4, pp. 1387-1400). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Collier, B. L. Intraguild impact of the invasive Noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) in Ireland. Coticchio, L. A., Vetter, R., & Cassill, D. L. (2023). Predation by the introduced brown widow spider (Araneae: Theridiidae) may explain local extinctions of native black widows in urban habitats. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 116(3), 174-183. Dugon, M. M., Dunbar, J. P., Afoullouss, S., Schulte, J., McEvoy, A., Hogan, R., ... & Sulpice, R. (2017). Occurrence, reproductive rate and identification of the non-native noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) in Ireland. In Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (Vol. 117, No. 2, pp. 77-89). Royal Irish Academy. Farquhar, B. (2023). Wolf Reintroduction Changes Yellowstone Ecosystem. Accessed 19 April 2024. www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wildlife/wolf-reintroduction-changes-ecosystem/ Foelix, R. (2011). Biology of spiders. Oxford University Press, USA. Gajdos, P., & KRISTIN, A. (1997, March). Spiders (Araneae) as bird food. In Proceedings of the 16th European Colloquium of Arachnology (pp. 91-105). Glick, P. A. (1939). The distribution of insects, spiders, and mites in the air. Lang, A., Filser, J., & Henschel, J. R. (1999). Predation by ground beetles and wolf spiders on herbivorous insects in a maize crop. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment, 72(2), 189-199. Low, P., Angus, W., Wagner, A., Wilkin, D., Shiels, M., Dockerill, R., & Hochuli, D. (2013). Use of spider silk for nest building by the Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia and the Helmeted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops cassidix. Australian zoologist, 36(3), 349-354. Luría-Manzano, R., & Ramírez-Bautista, A. (2017). Diet comparison between rainforest and cave populations of Craugastor alfredi (Anura: Craugastoridae): does diet vary in contrasting habitats?. Journal of Natural History, 51(39-40), 2345-2354. Melguizo‐Ruiz, N., Jiménez‐Navarro, G., De Mas, E., Pato, J., Scheu, S., Austin, A. T., ... & Moya‐Laraño, J. (2020). Field exclusion of large soil predators impacts lower trophic levels and decreases leaf‐litter decomposition in dry forests. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89(2), 334-346. Naef‐Daenzer, L., Naef‐Daenzer, B., & Nager, R. G. (2000). Prey selection and foraging performance of breeding Great Tits Parus major in relation to food availability. Journal of Avian Biology, 31(2), 206-214. Nelsen, D. R., Corbit, A. G., Chuang, A., Deitsch, J. F., Sitvarin, M. I., & Coyle, D. R. (2023). Veni, vidi, vici? Future spread and ecological impacts of a rapidly expanding invasive predator population. Ecology and Evolution, 13(11), e10728. Nyffeler, M., & Benz, G. (1987). Spiders in natural pest control: a review 1. Journal of Applied Entomology, 103(1‐5), 321-339. Nyffeler M, Birkhover K (2017). An estimated 400-800 million tons of prey are annually killed by the global spider community. The Science of Nature 104(3): 1-12. doi.org/10.1007/s00114-017-1440-1 Palmer B (2014). Why spiders may be the human race’s ultimate spin doctors. The Guardian. Accessed 19 April 2024. www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/01/spiders-conservation-importance-agriculture Pfäffle, M., Littwin, N., Muders, S. V., & Petney, T. N. (2013). The ecology of tick-borne diseases. International journal for parasitology, 43(12-13), 1059-1077. Rajeswaran, J., Duraimurugan, P., & Shanmugam, P. S. (2005). Role of spiders in agriculture and horticulture ecosystem. Journal of Food Agriculture and Environment, 3(3/4), 147. Rayner, S., Vitkauskaite, A., Healy, K., Lyons, K., McSharry, L., Leonard, D., ... & Dugon, M. M. (2022). Worldwide Web: High Venom Potency and Ability to Optimize Venom Usage Make the Globally Invasive Noble False Widow Spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875)(Theridiidae) Highly Competitive against Native European Spiders Sharing the Same Habitats. Toxins, 14(9), 587. Roberts-McEwen, T. A., Deutsch, E. K., Mowery, M. A., & Grinsted, L. (2022). Group-Living Spider Cyrtophora citricola as a Potential Novel Biological Control Agent of the Tomato Pest Tuta absoluta. Insects, 14(1), 34. Sarwar, M. (2015). Insect vectors involving in mechanical transmission of human pathogens for serious diseases. International Journal of Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering, 1(3), 300-306. Siliwal, M., & Ravichandran, B. (2008). Commensalism in microhylid frogs and mygalomorph spiders. Zoos’ Print, 23(8), 13. Solé, M., Beckmann, O., Pelz, B., Kwet, A., & Engels, W. (2005). Stomach-flushing for diet analysis in anurans: an improved protocol evaluated in a case study in Araucaria forests, southern Brazil. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 40(1), 23-28. Steyn, J. J. (1959). Use of social spiders against gastro-intestinal infections spread by house flies. South African Medical Journal, 33(35), 730-731. Storer, N. P. (1991). The Use of Spider Silk in the Nests of Small Birds, With Particular Reference to the Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) (Doctoral dissertation, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses,). Talapko J, Škrlec I, Alebić T, Jukić M, Včev A. Malaria: The Past and the Present. Microorganisms. 2019; 7(6):179. doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7060179 Went, F. W. (1949). The Plants of Krakatoa. Scientific American, 181(3), 52-55. www.jstor.org/stable/24967278
I was really hoping to see a reference for the Mt. St. Helen's research. My grandfather was an entomology professor at Oregon State University and did research on the return of insect species to Mt. St. Helens after the eruption. We have some great pictures of him in the crater with the kind of grin you would expect from a scientist who got to ride a helicopter into a volcano. In no small part because of him, I always look forward to your videos! Thanks for what you do!
The Asian ladybug is intentionally introduced and still actively used in agriculture as it will attack invasive insects on crops that are native ladybugs don't. If you get ladybugs for pest control, it's the Asian ladybird beetle. They aren't so much invasive in the ecological sense as they are obnoxious and that they invade homes so I can understand the confusion. If you live in an area where you're seeing a lot of them it's because somebody is using them in agriculture. When they change to a different crop, you won't have nearly the crazy numbers that you see the years that they're doing something like soybeans.
I saw an observation recently that suggested joro spiders might be following and controlling lantern flies. I'd be curious to see an episode on the drawer of spiders and some of this newer research. It was a standard news channel that ran the story so I'm a little skeptical😅
I like to think of humans and spiders having an almost symbiotic relationship at this point. As you recount the spiders that domesticate frogs, it occurs to me that maybe that's what's going on in my house. The spiders are keeping me. It all makes sense now.
This is exactly how I feel about the spiders that live around my family. We provide them with the structures that provide perfect hunting grounds, and in return they provide us with a reduction in pests. Oddly enough I’ve found that bald-faced hornets do the same for our donkeys, as I’ve observed them culling the flies that irritate the donkeys in return for a “do not enter” area for us humans. For that reason, even those wasps have earned my respect.
We need to start breeding fun morphs and make designer species of free roaming docile spiders. Maybe with fun patterned webs that would be an integral part of any chic debutante's household decor.
I have both black widows and brown recluses living in my house, and they have never once given me any trouble. They usually live in one place, and I’m content to leave them alone if I possibly can. They are welcome to live here in peace, just as long as they don’t cause trouble. They eat a LOT of pests, and I welcome them for that.
As someone who keeps tarantulas and some true spiders, I adore our 8-legged friends and it makes me so sad that they are so misunderstood and hated. Thank you for giving them the attention they deserve.
Spiders are some of our best friends at the barn. For as many annoying fly bites I've gotten, I see dozens in their webs and appreciate the spider's service
One time I didn't even notice a full takeover of red ants in my bathroom behind my toilet because the 6 or so spiders that live there (that became like 10 thanks to the feast) caught every single one of them. Hundreds of ants in the web. I'd have woken up covered in red ants if not for them. Ever since then, I've kept all my spiders.
I've been trying to turn my garden into a little slice of habitat for a few years now. It's slow going because I dont want to displace any critters, but this year a pair of Trashline Orb Weavers have decided to make their home by my front steps. They set up on the aloe flowers and the female even caught a honey bee, I got a few good photos of her wraping it up. We even have native California salamanders living in the rocks on opposite corners the plot so it's probably safe to say there are more throughout.
Black widow silk played an instrumental role in sniper scopes in WWII - the silk is stronger than steel /and/ more thermally stable, making for more accurate crosshairs 🎉
Spiders are easily one of the most misunderstood creatures on this planet, and I hope one day their importance is recognized on the scale that bees are.
I hope so too. It's really only been in the past couple decades that we've recognized the importance of bees. That was one of the reasons I felt this episode was important.
When those stupid spider killing waspy things killed my door wolfies last year, (I have a little covered corner right by the back door, perfect for spiders, all the way up) I definitely noticed a difference in all the critters making their way into my home. Its incredible how their presence changes things just with letting the dog out. On the bright side, a wolf spider showed up at the steps by the door, so they may repopulate soon. :) 🕷️ 🚪
Sorry to hear about that - I cringe a little bit when I see spiders being preyed on, but I remind myself that's the natural world. Hope your doorway wolfies repopulate quickly, though!
Yesss time to enjoy relaxing spider education material. (By the way, our house is a spider-friendly abode, my kid who is eight really likes them--huge difference to myself as a kid--and she also has repeatedly asked for the "Not Loxoceles" video because as you can imagine "doesn't even have a butt" is the best lyric of all time)
seeing all the up close pictures has made spiders actually look different to me. i guess i focus a bit more on their "faces" now and look at their patterning and stuff, which makes them look cool instead of scary
I love this. Especially the discussion on pesticide replacement-- something I've been fascinated by for a while now! That wolf spider ballooning footage is wild, man. Never knew they could do that. Great transitions between segments too. All around a grand slam in my opinion
dude i yelled at 20:40 when the yellowstone wolf project was mentioned. i just wrote a paper on that for school! it's super interesting, really incredible how for so long we misunderstood the environment so terribly that we thought getting rid of wolves was actually good. i'd highly recommend reading about it to anyone who hasn't! also, great video! this channel is a goldmine, it's really helped me get over my fear of spiders and start to appreciate how cool and adorable they are. i gotta go read more about spider ecology more now. i knew about the frogs, but had no idea about any of the stuff about bird nests and forest health. ecology really is fascinating edit: turns out spiders are actually super helpful in cranberry bogs. they help farmers use less pesticides. big win for spiders! i'm from new england, and we have tons of bogs around here, i might have to go see if i can go to any and find some spiders ps. one thing i kinda wanted to include in the paper but decided against was that our attitudes towards wolves and spiders (and wolf spiders) are pretty similar. they're both vitally important to the ecosystem, but tons of people would rather just get rid of them instead of trying to figure out how to coexist. plus both are potentially dangerous, but not as much as they're made out to be. both get so much more hate than they deserve. i'm really glad spiders haven't been as politicized as wolves or had actual efforts at elimination, though.
Haha! So, you reminded me that I'd completely forgotten to make the pinned comment with all the references I cited in this video, so thank you, they're there now. And the Yellowstone case was FASCINATING. It's extremely illustrative of how interconnected things are, and the importance of predators. I think spiders are sort of the wolves of the leaf litter environment. Glad you enjoyed the video!
One must not be arachniphobic to harvest cranberries! Plus, they're wolf spiders, so they're extra scary. The Yellowstone wolf thing is fascinating. They affected the geology of the region by halting riverbank erosion!
I mean, it was never an ecological concern that drove wolves to near extinction, merely short-sighted economic ones. Ones that will probably rear their head again soon; go to any right-wing coverage of the Yellowstone wolf project and you'll see a bunch of farmers and ranchers winging about their livestock. Even as our world burns, that's all they care about here.
Disappointing, this is completely false on multiple counts. The notion of wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone causing some idyllic transformation is largely a myth, as attested by many scientists who actually research Yellowstone ecology and things like riparian willow population health/viability. Elks are primarily grazers and eat mostly grass, not willow. It is not known with good certainty exactly what impact wolves have had. I am generally in favor of rewilding, including here, but we should separate the myth from the reality; it is disappointing to see this very colloquial, popular, clickbait-y story peddled as real science. Edit: The NYT just published a pretty good overview of some of the debate and contains multiple perspectives on Yellowstone ecosystem management. Worth a read, use Archive to access it
12:08 Can you imagine getting abducted by aliens, they force you to vomit, and then they say "Sorry; it'll never happen again" and send you home with a weird tattoo and that's all you ever see or hear from them ever again?
@@travismcenery2919 Oh, I just meant it would be a wild story that nobody would believe if you told them! I actually really respect that they're doing that instead of having to sacrifice species that are important for the ecosystem, but the situation must be so bizarre from their point of view. I mean, at least nobody's harassing them with a piece of cheese on a stick, but strange things must be done in the name of science!
They're cool to watch in the same way my cat is, they're just really impressive. Like a tiny spider overwhelming a large flying insect (termite I think). First the termite crashed into the spiders web damaging the web quite a bit, instantly the small spider rush over to prevent the bug from escaping, wrapping it more and more in the web both by spinning it and spinning new web (I think, spiders move fast). As it did this, it bit the much larger insect many times, backing up to avoid-danger/think until the insect was too weak to be a threat. Imagine taking down something that has a head as big as you are.
I expect to find nothing in this video that I don’t already know, and yet I will still watch this entire thing, like it, and recommend it to everyone. I will never NOT click on a video from my favourite spider-loving UA-camr. 🕷️❤️♾️
Excellent presentation. I have been trying for over 50 years to convince people to not kill spiders without much success. Hopefully this video will help change peoples stomp on it reaction whenever they see a spider. A large female Wolf Spider makes my garage her home and I was happy to see she survived the winter and is looking healthy. 😎☮
Love the animations. Truly you are a man of many talents. I will never understand why so many people are terrified of spiders, but hardly worry about ticks and mosquitos. Ticks can make you allergic to meat. I would be so mad if I had to give up bacon because of a stupid tick.
There’s been a lot of great entomology videos by independent creators recently. Spiders specifically have been getting some good press and that’s also joy inducing. Great video!
My house is spider friendly. My spiders enjoy being steered away from harm as they inadvertently end up in the middle of home activities. Another benefit is during Halloween- built in creepiness.
From one spider lover to another. I can't quite commit to a patreon right now, but you deserve all the support for the work you're doing spreading the good word of our arachnid fellows. Now that spring has started to get in full swing I'm always astounded seeing the sheer number of spiders in all the swampy areas on our property so clearly they have a huge role in our local environment (especially those who spin webs to catch the damned blackflies!)
Wow, thank you so much for the support! I really appreciate it, and it helps me keep making these videos. Spring is happening here and I'm starting to see more spiders out, but it's a little slow to start. Hoping to see more soon, and happy to hear that you're seeing plenty!
Today I learned: Lots of interesting spidery stuff, and, if I listen to you like it's a podcast, I'll miss all the fun, clever things you show onscreen and don't say. Conclusions: Spiders are even more cool than I knew, and always watch Travis's videos, don't just listen.
ayy the joro spider got a mention! the main effect on humans in an area of them being everywhere is: they are pretty much everywhere. i'm pretty sure that the number of joro spiders around my house were in the hundreds. they do a nice job of staying outside, though, and anything that helps eat mosquitoes in georgia is a friend in my eyes. (some even make it all the way to halloween, and do a fantastic job of helping really sell the spooky decorations...) to be honest i think the only spooky thing about joro spiders is being able to see, in real time, how the native ecosystem can drastically change with the introduction of an invasive species. while there's good evidence that basically things will be fine, having one summer where a joro spider was a rarity, then next summer there's a good amount of them, then the next summer JORO SPIDERS EVERYWHERE really underscores how quickly invasive species can hit a point where you just can't unring that bell in a meaningful way. we lucked out that the joro spiders here are pretty okay all things considered. most invasive species do not slot in so nicely to the ecosystem. it's a kind of tragedy where by the time the common public can see it happen, it's often too late to stop. :( that is a sad but important aesop to learn. (...if the fields of kudzu haven't already taught you that notion in georgia, anyway)
Thank you for your wonderful and detailed videos on spiders 🥺❤️ It makes me happy to see online resources that show that spiders have a positive impact on us and the world around us.
Fantastic video, I knew spiders are important,but some of the facts about how much they collectively do so much for nature is really impressive.Thank you again Travis for all your hard work and diligence making these videos. Spiders are fascinating 😍
I am a botanist, and I am happy to have gone that route when I studied biology. However, watching your videos brings back happy memories looking for critters on excursions and being impressed by Tetragnatha extensa (which even though not extremely impressive is one of the larger spiders where I live). Thank you for that ❤
Much appreciation for the cool info, and the break from the world being on fire... and the cellar spiders by my kitchen sink have you, and their effect on fruit flys, to thank for the lack of eviction notice:)
7:48 "Hey, kid. Hold these for a minute..." Perfect animation to go with that, too. 😂As always, very informative and entertaining. That last segment about spiders providing habitat for other species was full of info I'd never heard before. Really looking forward to the next video from your channel!
Truly a fundamental lecture! Please, review the copulatory organs of spiders, their fantastic diversity of structure, mechanisms and significance for science.
Hey Travis! Amazing video as always. I just wanted to chime in and add that your point about pesticides is 1000% accurate in my experience. All houses have some sort of established ecosystem and when you misuse pesticides/wipe out the spider population you're throwing a wrench in that delicately-balanced ecosystem. All houses have bugs. Unless you live in a solid metal box, you're going to experience some level of "bug" activity and it's really up to you to decide which of these bugs you consider "pests." I have Pholcus phalangioides and a THRIVING colony of P. tepidariorum pretty much all over my house and they don't bother me at all. I had a bit of a problem with red flour beetles that came in on my parrot food but I moved one of the house spiders into my bird food container and she took care of the main source and the other spiders took care of the ones throughout the house. Still find one every now and then but I can tolerate that. I obviously can't use pesticides at my house because of the tarantulas, but I have remarkably few pest issues. If you're okay with the spiders, they will take care of everything else. I also attempt to advocate for house centipedes, as they fill a similar niche, but if you think people are scared of spiders, I wouldn't even have a word to describe how terrified people are of centipedes. I'm typically much less successful on the centipedes, but people tend to be more open to the spiders after thinking about centipedes 🤣 I will note that my clients who want every room sprayed actually have more issues overall with pests because they lose that natural protection against pests that are actually an issue. It's worth mentioning that there are occasional cases where spiders can become unmanageable in a house, and here in central NJ the main issue is wolf spider infestations. I have a few clients who have this issue and it's usually a humidity issue but I've been to basements where *I'm* creeped out by how many wolf spiders there are all over the place. Usually running a dehumidifier will help fix the problem. I honestly don't even want to go into those basements because for me, finding large dead spiders is like a normal person finding hundreds of dead puppies in the basement because they resemble my pets. It's totally great to allow spiders to do natural pest control, but when you're seeing an abnormally large number of wolf spiders, like if you have more than 20 dead wolf spiders in a room at any given time, it could point to some sort of moisture problem. In a way, mass numbers of dead wolf spiders in a basement is basically the dead canary in a coal mine for a leak or broken sump pump, lol. Awesome video! Keep up the great work! - Charlotte
this channel has helped my arachnophobia so much like I used to freeze if the smallest spider was near but now I am ok with most spiders and just seeing one scurrying across my line of sight. So THANK YOU so much the inof is cool and the spiders shouldn't be squished!
This video really opened up my eyes and was informative and inspiring. I'm already a nature lover, so talking about the ecological importance to someone like me is preaching to the choir. All beings matter, and that's sufficient to sway me over to the cause. However that all being said, I did not realise just how important and crucial spiders are to a healthy eco system. This fuels my fire to want to spread the word, to educate and inspire others to give a damn. I'm a bit sad thinking that many people in my personal life won't even give this video a chance if I shared it to them. You can't force others to care, after all. I appreciate your videos alot and this series is really well done. Keep doing what you're doing and striving for less wronger 💛
Love this series! 🕷️🕸️💚 Might have mentioned in past comment, but when we first moved into our house, there were no invertebrates anywhere… Except for a monster swarm of Asian Lady Beetles on the back porch. No other bugs and no spiders. I assume the previous owners doused the yard and house with pesticides. It’s taken almost three years but the biodiversity is finally returning. Allowing the spiders to do their spider things has kept everything else in check and hordes of invasive insects have been reduced more effectively than they were in year-one with the (suspected) pesticides. This summer has been so much nicer. I enjoy sitting on my back porch and in the previous two years, the bugs were almost intolerable. Since the population of Orbweavers has improved, as well as other local species, the instances of being chased off the porch by pest insects have gone down dramatically. (Even though I suspect the workers who fixed our roof this year smooshed several of the big, female Orbies. 😣 There are a few juveniles in the usual spots where there have been large adults in the past.) Oh, one other interesting observation: While we’ve had large, adult Orbweavers occupying the porch, we have not had paper wasps there. I regularly found wash nests on the ground below the sheltered corner where they like to build. The nests were almost always in some stage prior to the wasp larvae hatching out as adults and seemed to have just fallen down on their own. 🤔 My theory is that the spiders may have deliberately removed them, possibly in self defense. Before we had adult spiders out there, we had to remove the nests ourselves using a ladder and tools. (Right above the porch stairs and our bins; not a great location to have defensive wasps. 😂) Can’t say for certain that’s what’s going on, but the evidence suggests it could be. Either way, our local spiders make great neighbors. 😊
I have a S. Grossa living in my basement, not only does she have the most beautiful web across a windowsill but the invasive stink bugs have been everywhere these last couple years. As killing them outright makes more approach I’ve been feeding them to the Grossa instead. I love the opportunity to watch her work!
It made me mad when a restaurant inspector told our staff to get rid of spiders up on the ceiling in the corners by the front door. The door's hydraulic issues tended to leave the door open by about an inch often after use. These out of the way spiders had a massive kill count in their webs. Blasted inspector was having us remove something that was keeping out food and workplace safer.
Travis, I don't have money to give but i do have time. If there is anyway I can help with editing, sourcing, or scripting please let me know. I friggin adore your content
Well done. The idea of a symbiotic relationship between a mygalomorph and an amphibian is wild. When I lived in South Florida, I hardly ever found any L. mactans, but plenty of L. geometricus. That is interesting that they are able to push them out like that.
Fantastic content Travis and so brilliantly delivered. Thanks so much. I'm from the UK so the references to the potential ecological impacts of the Noble false widow (Steatoda nobilis) were particularly relevant. I’ve had a large female noble false widow living in the top corner of my bathroom window for nearly a year now. Not sure how she survived the winter with the window closed and virtually no access to prey items. I respect and tolerate spiders without being a super huge fan. But it’s interesting to see how people become so passionate and protective within their areas of ecological interest, such as the observations on spiders vs spider hawk wasps. Since my childhood my favourite insect order has been the Hymenoptera (the ants, bees and wasps) with a particular fondness for bumblebees and solitary bees. So it always saddens me a little to see a bee caught by a crab spider when visiting a flower to gather pollen. But, as you noted, this is all part of the complex web of life. If we humans are to survive and thrive we must all passionately defend and protect the complexity, balance and fragility of global ecosystems for future generations. Sadly, our track record in this regard is not great! But channel content like this and many others gives hope.
Wow! This is some great content! Very well presented. I really like that you present all these studies, and you summarize and explain them very well, providing cool insights into how science works. These facts about spiders and their interactions in the ecosystem are utterly fascinating. This ballooning method blew my mind. Thank you for this awesome video, and the series in general! Looking forward to learning more.
13:14 I googled it. There are several “people eating spiders” videos available, including one of Gordon Ramsay in Cambodia. Didn’t watch it……but it’s on UA-cam.
Somewhere out there in the universe someone is making videos just like yours doing the good work of explaining why we should love and cherish our badly misunderstood friends the xenomorphs.
Thank you for another awesome and very informative video on these amazing creatures. Spiders only seem to become more fascinating the more we learn about them. Definitely some very interesting information in this one, excellent work. ❤️🕷️
I appreciate that you share images of Eratigena atrica in a non threatening way, where I live it is the main spider that scares a lot of people even when we know she is harmless. I think a lot of arachnophobes are doing their best and know they shouldn’t be so scared, it’s an anxiety disorder so it is strong and difficult, especially considering all the false believes surrounding the animal. But I am convinced that videos and works like yours are incredibly helpful both for arachnophobes and for spiders.
Thanks so much! It seems counter-intuitive, but I actually have learned that seeing these smaller spiders close up, and being able to see their eyes and mouth, starting to understand how they're put together, often makes them more "relatable" to people, and helps reduce fear.
Best way to start my day , I love watching your uploads , i love to learn about our little friends but the fact you make me laugh whilst learning about my favourite creatures makes your uploads my favourite, thanks to you (and those who help you) for making these uploads the best ones on utube. Myself and i am sure our spider friends thank you for doing them.
I have a lot of them at home. I am really careful when cleaning up, giving them a chance to flee. They protect me and my plants from not-so-funky flying animals and more. I love 'em. Usually in the afternoon one tries to run me over when I sit in the way. The only time I have to flee :)
Thanks for (yet another) fascinating video! When I was a kid, my family watched Hoimar von Ditfurth's "Bemerkungen über Spinnen" together. This has shaped my respect for spiders. The facts you've put together here make it even greater. Thanks for that!
That is so great to hear! I'll be working on another species deep dive next, but I'll be sort of putting the Spider Basics videos between the species videos. They're SUPPOSED to be shorter and easier to produce, but this one was a bit of a doozy... I felt this was an important one, though.
I always welcome spiders on the porch and around the windows to keep the bugs out of the house. The only reason they're not welcome inside (I relocate them outside) is that my cat will eat them. I've got jumpers, orb weavers, false widows, and grass spiders around, and I'm very fond of all of them. I've also seen one likely wolf spider though I'm not 100% sure. It was massive though, the legspan was slightly bigger than a quarter. Very neat to find.
I spend a lot of time around riperian habitats in North America, fishing. There's a ton of those big black skittery boys I've always called wolf spiders, they have similar behavior though I don't know exactly what species, but they are always in the rocks by the river in huge numbers. I have seen SO MANY birds with those spiders in their beak, so many different species, robins, magpies, crows, chickadees, etc.
Hey Travis! I just rescued a spider! :) I tweeted her to you but I think she was a Callobius Severus, and she was VERY pregnant. 🤣 And definitely the biggest spider I’ve rescued! I also have some videos of the rescue if you’d like them in the future! But thank you for helping me continue to fight my fear of spiders! Update: after further research I believe it was actually a Woodlouse Spider, as it had a red body and a white stripe down the back!
This is a little off topic, but i discovered a little 8 legged buddy near my beardies enclosure today. I noticed it had dark red/brown striped down its abdomen, and i went crazy trying to identify it. Finally, i got google lens to work. I proud to say that i was looking a maevia inclemens! Specifically a female! I would love a video on them and their interesting male counterparts!
10:36 I would love to see an episode dedicated Argiope aurantia. When I find them in my garden it always seems to me that all they have caught in their web is pollinators and not one pest insect. I plan on paying closer attention this year. Possibly even to the point of removing and opening old wrapped food. The ones I see in my garden are the ones who make the zig zag stripe in their web
I'd like to thank you for changing my attitude toward spiders. I used to swat them or brush them out of the way, but now I leave them alone and I've thrown away the spider spray.
I am wondering with the highly publicized "March North" of the Joro spider, here in the US, will you be doing a segment on it? I would be very interested in watching it. I love your program and watch every new episode. Your mug is my size of tea cup I use it every day, along with my larger coffee mug.
I have seen video and read of spiders that rely on eye sight while hunting (I'm sure one was about a jumping spider) who, having sighted a prey insect, are able to back away from it to point where it loses sight of its prey, and approaches it from a more advantageous direction. To me, this implies - and even requires - a degree of self-awareness, awareness of "other" (its prey and the dangers it might present), and the ability to create a 3-D image of its surroundings in its brain, and use that to strategize the best approach to its prey by, for example, circling around behind it or dropping on it from above. They have to be capable of some level of abstract thinking. One can point to other indications, too: it has to be able to distinguish its prey and recognize the dangerous end, when applicable. It has to be able to adapt both its abilities and its strategy to every new situation, so presumably it requires some ability to learn from experience. I don't want to imply more than is there, but I don't think that an animal as advanced as a spider can function effectively if it were just robotically responding to stimuli. It has to have some level of self-awareness to be able to evaluate its surroundings and make effective decisions.
I've been trying to capture it. I've got a thriving population of Habronattus decorus in my front yard, so I often go out with my camera to see if any of the males are wooing any females. No luck so far, though.
References
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BASCOULÈS, S., & SMITH, P. (2021). Mutualism between frogs (Chiasmocleis albopunctata, Microhylidae) and spiders (Eupalaestrus campestratus, Theraphosidae): a new example from Paraguay.
Bristowe, W. S. (1931, December). 67. A Preliminary Note on the Spiders of Krakatau. In Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (Vol. 101, No. 4, pp. 1387-1400). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Collier, B. L. Intraguild impact of the invasive Noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) in Ireland.
Coticchio, L. A., Vetter, R., & Cassill, D. L. (2023). Predation by the introduced brown widow spider (Araneae: Theridiidae) may explain local extinctions of native black widows in urban habitats. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 116(3), 174-183.
Dugon, M. M., Dunbar, J. P., Afoullouss, S., Schulte, J., McEvoy, A., Hogan, R., ... & Sulpice, R. (2017). Occurrence, reproductive rate and identification of the non-native noble false widow spider Steatoda nobilis (Thorell, 1875) in Ireland. In Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (Vol. 117, No. 2, pp. 77-89). Royal Irish Academy.
Farquhar, B. (2023). Wolf Reintroduction Changes Yellowstone Ecosystem. Accessed 19 April 2024. www.yellowstonepark.com/things-to-do/wildlife/wolf-reintroduction-changes-ecosystem/
Foelix, R. (2011). Biology of spiders. Oxford University Press, USA.
Gajdos, P., & KRISTIN, A. (1997, March). Spiders (Araneae) as bird food. In Proceedings of the 16th European Colloquium of Arachnology (pp. 91-105).
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Lang, A., Filser, J., & Henschel, J. R. (1999). Predation by ground beetles and wolf spiders on herbivorous insects in a maize crop. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment, 72(2), 189-199.
Low, P., Angus, W., Wagner, A., Wilkin, D., Shiels, M., Dockerill, R., & Hochuli, D. (2013). Use of spider silk for nest building by the Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia and the Helmeted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops cassidix. Australian zoologist, 36(3), 349-354.
Luría-Manzano, R., & Ramírez-Bautista, A. (2017). Diet comparison between rainforest and cave populations of Craugastor alfredi (Anura: Craugastoridae): does diet vary in contrasting habitats?. Journal of Natural History, 51(39-40), 2345-2354.
Melguizo‐Ruiz, N., Jiménez‐Navarro, G., De Mas, E., Pato, J., Scheu, S., Austin, A. T., ... & Moya‐Laraño, J. (2020). Field exclusion of large soil predators impacts lower trophic levels and decreases leaf‐litter decomposition in dry forests. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89(2), 334-346.
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Nelsen, D. R., Corbit, A. G., Chuang, A., Deitsch, J. F., Sitvarin, M. I., & Coyle, D. R. (2023). Veni, vidi, vici? Future spread and ecological impacts of a rapidly expanding invasive predator population. Ecology and Evolution, 13(11), e10728.
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I was really hoping to see a reference for the Mt. St. Helen's research. My grandfather was an entomology professor at Oregon State University and did research on the return of insect species to Mt. St. Helens after the eruption. We have some great pictures of him in the crater with the kind of grin you would expect from a scientist who got to ride a helicopter into a volcano.
In no small part because of him, I always look forward to your videos! Thanks for what you do!
Thank you, very excited to continue to enjoy this incredibly written and researched series!
Housewife is not very dated. Housewives are still common outside cities and still commonly fear spiders.
The Asian ladybug is intentionally introduced and still actively used in agriculture as it will attack invasive insects on crops that are native ladybugs don't. If you get ladybugs for pest control, it's the Asian ladybird beetle. They aren't so much invasive in the ecological sense as they are obnoxious and that they invade homes so I can understand the confusion. If you live in an area where you're seeing a lot of them it's because somebody is using them in agriculture. When they change to a different crop, you won't have nearly the crazy numbers that you see the years that they're doing something like soybeans.
I saw an observation recently that suggested joro spiders might be following and controlling lantern flies. I'd be curious to see an episode on the drawer of spiders and some of this newer research. It was a standard news channel that ran the story so I'm a little skeptical😅
1:55 seeing a spider playing a video game made my day.
That's great to hear! Those animations are kinda fun but they're time-consuming, so I'm glad you enjoyed it!
@@travismcenery2919
I also enjoy it, very much. Thank you .
+
This is the type of content that keeps the youtube 'ecosystem' healthy. You love to see it.
I like to think of humans and spiders having an almost symbiotic relationship at this point. As you recount the spiders that domesticate frogs, it occurs to me that maybe that's what's going on in my house. The spiders are keeping me. It all makes sense now.
You and me both. Im merely providing a place to live for spiders away from birds and lizards.
This is exactly how I feel about the spiders that live around my family. We provide them with the structures that provide perfect hunting grounds, and in return they provide us with a reduction in pests. Oddly enough I’ve found that bald-faced hornets do the same for our donkeys, as I’ve observed them culling the flies that irritate the donkeys in return for a “do not enter” area for us humans. For that reason, even those wasps have earned my respect.
Yup! I definitely protect the spiders in my house, and they keep the unwanted bugs down.
We need to start breeding fun morphs and make designer species of free roaming docile spiders. Maybe with fun patterned webs that would be an integral part of any chic debutante's household decor.
I have both black widows and brown recluses living in my house, and they have never once given me any trouble.
They usually live in one place, and I’m content to leave them alone if I possibly can. They are welcome to live here in peace, just as long as they don’t cause trouble. They eat a LOT of pests, and I welcome them for that.
As someone who keeps tarantulas and some true spiders, I adore our 8-legged friends and it makes me so sad that they are so misunderstood and hated. Thank you for giving them the attention they deserve.
Spiders are some of our best friends at the barn. For as many annoying fly bites I've gotten, I see dozens in their webs and appreciate the spider's service
One time I didn't even notice a full takeover of red ants in my bathroom behind my toilet because the 6 or so spiders that live there (that became like 10 thanks to the feast) caught every single one of them. Hundreds of ants in the web. I'd have woken up covered in red ants if not for them. Ever since then, I've kept all my spiders.
This just singlehandedly cured my arachnophobia, I think.
Your own personal exterminator team! 😂
Ok
I've been trying to turn my garden into a little slice of habitat for a few years now. It's slow going because I dont want to displace any critters, but this year a pair of Trashline Orb Weavers have decided to make their home by my front steps. They set up on the aloe flowers and the female even caught a honey bee, I got a few good photos of her wraping it up. We even have native California salamanders living in the rocks on opposite corners the plot so it's probably safe to say there are more throughout.
I saw a green anole lizard on a stump the other day and felt so happy that my lil slice of heaven was peaceful for critters too
Black widow silk played an instrumental role in sniper scopes in WWII - the silk is stronger than steel /and/ more thermally stable, making for more accurate crosshairs 🎉
It's amazing the materials nature has managed to develop that we still have yet to master!
That little detail hit the nail right on the head.
😂
Yup, theridiid silk in particular is VERY strong.
Wait they didn't just draw the crosshairs with a sharpie and ruler
appropriate party popper emojing™️
Spiders are easily one of the most misunderstood creatures on this planet, and I hope one day their importance is recognized on the scale that bees are.
I hope so too. It's really only been in the past couple decades that we've recognized the importance of bees. That was one of the reasons I felt this episode was important.
Yes! Spider content spider content spider content spider content! I'm so excited!
When those stupid spider killing waspy things killed my door wolfies last year, (I have a little covered corner right by the back door, perfect for spiders, all the way up) I definitely noticed a difference in all the critters making their way into my home.
Its incredible how their presence changes things just with letting the dog out.
On the bright side, a wolf spider showed up at the steps by the door, so they may repopulate soon. :) 🕷️ 🚪
so sorry about the old wolfies, i hope the new ones are doing well!
Sorry to hear about that - I cringe a little bit when I see spiders being preyed on, but I remind myself that's the natural world. Hope your doorway wolfies repopulate quickly, though!
Yesss time to enjoy relaxing spider education material. (By the way, our house is a spider-friendly abode, my kid who is eight really likes them--huge difference to myself as a kid--and she also has repeatedly asked for the "Not Loxoceles" video because as you can imagine "doesn't even have a butt" is the best lyric of all time)
Haha! I'm so happy to hear that, and thanks so much!
These "unlikely animal relationship" pairings are always fascinating. Spiders and frogs!
I know, I was thrilled when I learned about it!
Now I know, saving a spider is more than a kindness, it’s a responsibility.
All the spider close ups are helping me appreciate how beautiful and cute spiders are. My normal reaction is to think they look creepy.
I know, they're so gorgeous up close.
seeing all the up close pictures has made spiders actually look different to me. i guess i focus a bit more on their "faces" now and look at their patterning and stuff, which makes them look cool instead of scary
I love this. Especially the discussion on pesticide replacement-- something I've been fascinated by for a while now! That wolf spider ballooning footage is wild, man. Never knew they could do that. Great transitions between segments too. All around a grand slam in my opinion
Somehow I knew Spencer would show up somewhere in here. 😂 Fellow NC resident. 👋🏻
@@saturnalia91 hi there!
dude i yelled at 20:40 when the yellowstone wolf project was mentioned. i just wrote a paper on that for school! it's super interesting, really incredible how for so long we misunderstood the environment so terribly that we thought getting rid of wolves was actually good. i'd highly recommend reading about it to anyone who hasn't! also, great video! this channel is a goldmine, it's really helped me get over my fear of spiders and start to appreciate how cool and adorable they are. i gotta go read more about spider ecology more now. i knew about the frogs, but had no idea about any of the stuff about bird nests and forest health. ecology really is fascinating
edit: turns out spiders are actually super helpful in cranberry bogs. they help farmers use less pesticides. big win for spiders! i'm from new england, and we have tons of bogs around here, i might have to go see if i can go to any and find some spiders
ps. one thing i kinda wanted to include in the paper but decided against was that our attitudes towards wolves and spiders (and wolf spiders) are pretty similar. they're both vitally important to the ecosystem, but tons of people would rather just get rid of them instead of trying to figure out how to coexist. plus both are potentially dangerous, but not as much as they're made out to be. both get so much more hate than they deserve. i'm really glad spiders haven't been as politicized as wolves or had actual efforts at elimination, though.
Haha! So, you reminded me that I'd completely forgotten to make the pinned comment with all the references I cited in this video, so thank you, they're there now.
And the Yellowstone case was FASCINATING. It's extremely illustrative of how interconnected things are, and the importance of predators. I think spiders are sort of the wolves of the leaf litter environment.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
One must not be arachniphobic to harvest cranberries! Plus, they're wolf spiders, so they're extra scary. The Yellowstone wolf thing is fascinating. They affected the geology of the region by halting riverbank erosion!
I mean, it was never an ecological concern that drove wolves to near extinction, merely short-sighted economic ones. Ones that will probably rear their head again soon; go to any right-wing coverage of the Yellowstone wolf project and you'll see a bunch of farmers and ranchers winging about their livestock. Even as our world burns, that's all they care about here.
Disappointing, this is completely false on multiple counts. The notion of wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone causing some idyllic transformation is largely a myth, as attested by many scientists who actually research Yellowstone ecology and things like riparian willow population health/viability. Elks are primarily grazers and eat mostly grass, not willow. It is not known with good certainty exactly what impact wolves have had. I am generally in favor of rewilding, including here, but we should separate the myth from the reality; it is disappointing to see this very colloquial, popular, clickbait-y story peddled as real science.
Edit: The NYT just published a pretty good overview of some of the debate and contains multiple perspectives on Yellowstone ecosystem management. Worth a read, use Archive to access it
Travis. you’re the best spidertuber in spidertube history. ty for your service.
12:08 Can you imagine getting abducted by aliens, they force you to vomit, and then they say "Sorry; it'll never happen again" and send you home with a weird tattoo and that's all you ever see or hear from them ever again?
Yeah, I feel for the frogs, but I suppose it's important data for conservation purposes.
@@travismcenery2919 Oh, I just meant it would be a wild story that nobody would believe if you told them! I actually really respect that they're doing that instead of having to sacrifice species that are important for the ecosystem, but the situation must be so bizarre from their point of view. I mean, at least nobody's harassing them with a piece of cheese on a stick, but strange things must be done in the name of science!
@@travismcenery2919 WHAT FROGS
They're cool to watch in the same way my cat is, they're just really impressive. Like a tiny spider overwhelming a large flying insect (termite I think). First the termite crashed into the spiders web damaging the web quite a bit, instantly the small spider rush over to prevent the bug from escaping, wrapping it more and more in the web both by spinning it and spinning new web (I think, spiders move fast). As it did this, it bit the much larger insect many times, backing up to avoid-danger/think until the insect was too weak to be a threat. Imagine taking down something that has a head as big as you are.
Yup, they're incredibly impressive creatures. And the variety of different hunting methods is amazing.
Spiders are always welcome to hang in my house because of stuff like this.
That's a great way of saying it
I expect to find nothing in this video that I don’t already know, and yet I will still watch this entire thing, like it, and recommend it to everyone.
I will never NOT click on a video from my favourite spider-loving UA-camr.
🕷️❤️♾️
Excellent presentation. I have been trying for over 50 years to convince people to not kill spiders without much success. Hopefully this video will help change peoples stomp on it reaction whenever they see a spider.
A large female Wolf Spider makes my garage her home and I was happy to see she survived the winter and is looking healthy. 😎☮
Love the animations. Truly you are a man of many talents.
I will never understand why so many people are terrified of spiders, but hardly worry about ticks and mosquitos. Ticks can make you allergic to meat. I would be so mad if I had to give up bacon because of a stupid tick.
that tarantula and frog relationship reminded me of the wolf and crow relationship :D
and crows even teach fetch for wolf pups :D
There’s been a lot of great entomology videos by independent creators recently. Spiders specifically have been getting some good press and that’s also joy inducing. Great video!
Yes, and some of those creators helped out with this video! Spencer, Mikie, Jack, Nancy, Evan and Harrison, and many others are doing awesome work.
My house is spider friendly. My spiders enjoy being steered away from harm as they inadvertently end up in the middle of home activities. Another benefit is during Halloween- built in creepiness.
Yet again I learned, was fascinated and amused. Great work.
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it!
From one spider lover to another. I can't quite commit to a patreon right now, but you deserve all the support for the work you're doing spreading the good word of our arachnid fellows.
Now that spring has started to get in full swing I'm always astounded seeing the sheer number of spiders in all the swampy areas on our property so clearly they have a huge role in our local environment (especially those who spin webs to catch the damned blackflies!)
Wow, thank you so much for the support! I really appreciate it, and it helps me keep making these videos.
Spring is happening here and I'm starting to see more spiders out, but it's a little slow to start. Hoping to see more soon, and happy to hear that you're seeing plenty!
They’re literally one of the most helpful creatures to us ❤
Today I learned: Lots of interesting spidery stuff, and, if I listen to you like it's a podcast, I'll miss all the fun, clever things you show onscreen and don't say.
Conclusions: Spiders are even more cool than I knew, and always watch Travis's videos, don't just listen.
ayy the joro spider got a mention! the main effect on humans in an area of them being everywhere is: they are pretty much everywhere. i'm pretty sure that the number of joro spiders around my house were in the hundreds. they do a nice job of staying outside, though, and anything that helps eat mosquitoes in georgia is a friend in my eyes. (some even make it all the way to halloween, and do a fantastic job of helping really sell the spooky decorations...) to be honest i think the only spooky thing about joro spiders is being able to see, in real time, how the native ecosystem can drastically change with the introduction of an invasive species. while there's good evidence that basically things will be fine, having one summer where a joro spider was a rarity, then next summer there's a good amount of them, then the next summer JORO SPIDERS EVERYWHERE really underscores how quickly invasive species can hit a point where you just can't unring that bell in a meaningful way. we lucked out that the joro spiders here are pretty okay all things considered. most invasive species do not slot in so nicely to the ecosystem. it's a kind of tragedy where by the time the common public can see it happen, it's often too late to stop. :( that is a sad but important aesop to learn. (...if the fields of kudzu haven't already taught you that notion in georgia, anyway)
Thank you for your wonderful and detailed videos on spiders 🥺❤️ It makes me happy to see online resources that show that spiders have a positive impact on us and the world around us.
You're most welcome, and thank you so much for the comment!
Amazing job, you clearly communicated the information and kept it exciting!
Glad I was able to pull that off, thanks!
I absolutely love spiders, your videos too, the cheese test is genius, love the mug too! Always look forward to more spider stuff ! thank you a lot
You're most welcome, and thanks so much for the support!
Fantastic video, I knew spiders are important,but some of the facts about how much they collectively do so much for nature is really impressive.Thank you again Travis for all your hard work and diligence making these videos. Spiders are fascinating 😍
Watching this with my spiders rn. Gotta make sure they know how important they are 🧡
Aw. ;) Thanks for the comment!
I am a botanist, and I am happy to have gone that route when I studied biology. However, watching your videos brings back happy memories looking for critters on excursions and being impressed by Tetragnatha extensa (which even though not extremely impressive is one of the larger spiders where I live). Thank you for that ❤
Tetragnathids are fascinating, actually! I'd love to study them more in the future. Glad you're enjoying the channel, and thanks for the comment!
Much appreciation for the cool info, and the break from the world being on fire... and the cellar spiders by my kitchen sink have you, and their effect on fruit flys, to thank for the lack of eviction notice:)
Thanks so much, that's great to hear!
I love spiders! I don’t understand the fear or hate they get, I try to empathize but I just love them to bits.
7:48 "Hey, kid. Hold these for a minute..." Perfect animation to go with that, too. 😂As always, very informative and entertaining. That last segment about spiders providing habitat for other species was full of info I'd never heard before. Really looking forward to the next video from your channel!
Truly a fundamental lecture! Please, review the copulatory organs of spiders, their fantastic diversity of structure, mechanisms and significance for science.
Hey Travis! Amazing video as always. I just wanted to chime in and add that your point about pesticides is 1000% accurate in my experience. All houses have some sort of established ecosystem and when you misuse pesticides/wipe out the spider population you're throwing a wrench in that delicately-balanced ecosystem. All houses have bugs. Unless you live in a solid metal box, you're going to experience some level of "bug" activity and it's really up to you to decide which of these bugs you consider "pests." I have Pholcus phalangioides and a THRIVING colony of P. tepidariorum pretty much all over my house and they don't bother me at all. I had a bit of a problem with red flour beetles that came in on my parrot food but I moved one of the house spiders into my bird food container and she took care of the main source and the other spiders took care of the ones throughout the house. Still find one every now and then but I can tolerate that. I obviously can't use pesticides at my house because of the tarantulas, but I have remarkably few pest issues. If you're okay with the spiders, they will take care of everything else. I also attempt to advocate for house centipedes, as they fill a similar niche, but if you think people are scared of spiders, I wouldn't even have a word to describe how terrified people are of centipedes. I'm typically much less successful on the centipedes, but people tend to be more open to the spiders after thinking about centipedes 🤣 I will note that my clients who want every room sprayed actually have more issues overall with pests because they lose that natural protection against pests that are actually an issue.
It's worth mentioning that there are occasional cases where spiders can become unmanageable in a house, and here in central NJ the main issue is wolf spider infestations. I have a few clients who have this issue and it's usually a humidity issue but I've been to basements where *I'm* creeped out by how many wolf spiders there are all over the place. Usually running a dehumidifier will help fix the problem. I honestly don't even want to go into those basements because for me, finding large dead spiders is like a normal person finding hundreds of dead puppies in the basement because they resemble my pets. It's totally great to allow spiders to do natural pest control, but when you're seeing an abnormally large number of wolf spiders, like if you have more than 20 dead wolf spiders in a room at any given time, it could point to some sort of moisture problem. In a way, mass numbers of dead wolf spiders in a basement is basically the dead canary in a coal mine for a leak or broken sump pump, lol.
Awesome video! Keep up the great work!
- Charlotte
this channel has helped my arachnophobia so much like I used to freeze if the smallest spider was near but now I am ok with most spiders and just seeing one scurrying across my line of sight. So THANK YOU so much the inof is cool and the spiders shouldn't be squished!
This video really opened up my eyes and was informative and inspiring.
I'm already a nature lover, so talking about the ecological importance to someone like me is preaching to the choir. All beings matter, and that's sufficient to sway me over to the cause. However that all being said, I did not realise just how important and crucial spiders are to a healthy eco system.
This fuels my fire to want to spread the word, to educate and inspire others to give a damn. I'm a bit sad thinking that many people in my personal life won't even give this video a chance if I shared it to them. You can't force others to care, after all.
I appreciate your videos alot and this series is really well done. Keep doing what you're doing and striving for less wronger 💛
Love this series! 🕷️🕸️💚
Might have mentioned in past comment, but when we first moved into our house, there were no invertebrates anywhere… Except for a monster swarm of Asian Lady Beetles on the back porch. No other bugs and no spiders.
I assume the previous owners doused the yard and house with pesticides.
It’s taken almost three years but the biodiversity is finally returning. Allowing the spiders to do their spider things has kept everything else in check and hordes of invasive insects have been reduced more effectively than they were in year-one with the (suspected) pesticides.
This summer has been so much nicer. I enjoy sitting on my back porch and in the previous two years, the bugs were almost intolerable. Since the population of Orbweavers has improved, as well as other local species, the instances of being chased off the porch by pest insects have gone down dramatically. (Even though I suspect the workers who fixed our roof this year smooshed several of the big, female Orbies. 😣 There are a few juveniles in the usual spots where there have been large adults in the past.)
Oh, one other interesting observation: While we’ve had large, adult Orbweavers occupying the porch, we have not had paper wasps there. I regularly found wash nests on the ground below the sheltered corner where they like to build. The nests were almost always in some stage prior to the wasp larvae hatching out as adults and seemed to have just fallen down on their own. 🤔
My theory is that the spiders may have deliberately removed them, possibly in self defense.
Before we had adult spiders out there, we had to remove the nests ourselves using a ladder and tools. (Right above the porch stairs and our bins; not a great location to have defensive wasps. 😂)
Can’t say for certain that’s what’s going on, but the evidence suggests it could be.
Either way, our local spiders make great neighbors. 😊
I have a S. Grossa living in my basement, not only does she have the most beautiful web across a windowsill but the invasive stink bugs have been everywhere these last couple years. As killing them outright makes more approach I’ve been feeding them to the Grossa instead. I love the opportunity to watch her work!
It made me mad when a restaurant inspector told our staff to get rid of spiders up on the ceiling in the corners by the front door. The door's hydraulic issues tended to leave the door open by about an inch often after use. These out of the way spiders had a massive kill count in their webs. Blasted inspector was having us remove something that was keeping out food and workplace safer.
yeah, it really sucks that having spiders and webs is seen as gross and dirty when really having them there makes the whole place cleaner
Yeah, that's extremely counterproductive. If the webs are out of the way, it's best to leave them there!
Thank you for your work in producing quality education to us spood-nerds. I'm always happy to see your episodes!!
Very cool. Never thought about spiders having THAT big of an impact!!! Really love your videos!!!
Yay just what I need some spiders in my life
Turns out, yeah, you actually do. We all do. ;)
Very great stuff! So interesting without being dry. Such a great delivery style.😊
Travis, I don't have money to give but i do have time. If there is anyway I can help with editing, sourcing, or scripting please let me know. I friggin adore your content
Pest: *exists*
Spider: Alright step back kiddo, this one is mine *delicious exosceleton crack noises*
new spider vid LETS GOOO
you really deserve more views, subs and likes for this content. you compile so much info into these vids and keep them around 20 minutes
My love for spiders grows without limit
Well done. The idea of a symbiotic relationship between a mygalomorph and an amphibian is wild. When I lived in South Florida, I hardly ever found any L. mactans, but plenty of L. geometricus. That is interesting that they are able to push them out like that.
One of the best presenters I have seen, amazing content, and it flows very nicely! I learned so much thank you
Perfect timing! Instant click. Thank you for all your hard work and informative content -- it is very much appreciated!
You're very welcome!
Fantastic content Travis and so brilliantly delivered. Thanks so much. I'm from the UK so the references to the potential ecological impacts of the Noble false widow (Steatoda nobilis) were particularly relevant. I’ve had a large female noble false widow living in the top corner of my bathroom window for nearly a year now. Not sure how she survived the winter with the window closed and virtually no access to prey items. I respect and tolerate spiders without being a super huge fan. But it’s interesting to see how people become so passionate and protective within their areas of ecological interest, such as the observations on spiders vs spider hawk wasps. Since my childhood my favourite insect order has been the Hymenoptera (the ants, bees and wasps) with a particular fondness for bumblebees and solitary bees. So it always saddens me a little to see a bee caught by a crab spider when visiting a flower to gather pollen. But, as you noted, this is all part of the complex web of life. If we humans are to survive and thrive we must all passionately defend and protect the complexity, balance and fragility of global ecosystems for future generations. Sadly, our track record in this regard is not great! But channel content like this and many others gives hope.
Wow! This is some great content! Very well presented. I really like that you present all these studies, and you summarize and explain them very well, providing cool insights into how science works. These facts about spiders and their interactions in the ecosystem are utterly fascinating. This ballooning method blew my mind. Thank you for this awesome video, and the series in general! Looking forward to learning more.
Much appreciation for the level of effort you've put into this video. I'll be keeping a few of these facts in my back pocket for use.
13:14 I googled it. There are several “people eating spiders” videos available, including one of Gordon Ramsay in Cambodia. Didn’t watch it……but it’s on UA-cam.
I believe you. I know it's a thing.
Well, thank you Scott. Only time will tell if I needed to know that.
"People eating spiders" can be read two ways.
@@travismcenery2919 I had no clue till now. When you “warned” us, I couldn’t resist. Then of course, I had to share.
Very well organized, hit all the latest topics. I hope your channel grows, I'll be sharing content with my friends.
I'd like to say that your animations add a lot to this :)
That's great to hear! They take some time, but I'm glad they're worth it.
Somewhere out there in the universe someone is making videos just like yours doing the good work of explaining why we should love and cherish our badly misunderstood friends the xenomorphs.
Spiders are pretty dope. Thanks for spending time to teach us.
You're most welcome, and thanks for the comment!
Thank you for another awesome and very informative video on these amazing creatures. Spiders only seem to become more fascinating the more we learn about them. Definitely some very interesting information in this one, excellent work. ❤️🕷️
I hadn't heard of joro spiders until this video but I'm looking them up now and *wow* they are beautiful!
I appreciate that you share images of Eratigena atrica in a non threatening way, where I live it is the main spider that scares a lot of people even when we know she is harmless. I think a lot of arachnophobes are doing their best and know they shouldn’t be so scared, it’s an anxiety disorder so it is strong and difficult, especially considering all the false believes surrounding the animal. But I am convinced that videos and works like yours are incredibly helpful both for arachnophobes and for spiders.
Thanks so much! It seems counter-intuitive, but I actually have learned that seeing these smaller spiders close up, and being able to see their eyes and mouth, starting to understand how they're put together, often makes them more "relatable" to people, and helps reduce fear.
I really enjoy your videos! Jacks world of wildlife is one of my favorites too. Thanks for all you do 😊
Best way to start my day , I love watching your uploads , i love to learn about our little friends but the fact you make me laugh whilst learning about my favourite creatures makes your uploads my favourite, thanks to you (and those who help you) for making these uploads the best ones on utube. Myself and i am sure our spider friends thank you for doing them.
You're most welcome, and thanks so much for the kind comment. I'm glad you're enjoying the channel!
I have a lot of them at home. I am really careful when cleaning up, giving them a chance to flee. They protect me and my plants from not-so-funky flying animals and more. I love 'em. Usually in the afternoon one tries to run me over when I sit in the way. The only time I have to flee :)
Excellent presentation. Thank you!
Thanks for (yet another) fascinating video! When I was a kid, my family watched Hoimar von Ditfurth's "Bemerkungen über Spinnen" together. This has shaped my respect for spiders. The facts you've put together here make it even greater. Thanks for that!
Im really excited about this whole series
That is so great to hear! I'll be working on another species deep dive next, but I'll be sort of putting the Spider Basics videos between the species videos. They're SUPPOSED to be shorter and easier to produce, but this one was a bit of a doozy... I felt this was an important one, though.
As a spider fan, I really gotta thank you for creating these videos for us. :)
You're most welcome, and thanks for the comment!
Every time I can't stop thinking "damn this shits cool" keep it up man
Thanks so much!
I always welcome spiders on the porch and around the windows to keep the bugs out of the house. The only reason they're not welcome inside (I relocate them outside) is that my cat will eat them. I've got jumpers, orb weavers, false widows, and grass spiders around, and I'm very fond of all of them. I've also seen one likely wolf spider though I'm not 100% sure. It was massive though, the legspan was slightly bigger than a quarter. Very neat to find.
Thank you. I am learning.
Another brilliant episode, cheers!
Thanks so much!
I spend a lot of time around riperian habitats in North America, fishing. There's a ton of those big black skittery boys I've always called wolf spiders, they have similar behavior though I don't know exactly what species, but they are always in the rocks by the river in huge numbers. I have seen SO MANY birds with those spiders in their beak, so many different species, robins, magpies, crows, chickadees, etc.
Likely fishing spiders (Dolomedes). They get big, are commonly mistaken for wolf spiders (Lycosidae), and some species are often found near water.
Hey Travis! I just rescued a spider! :) I tweeted her to you but I think she was a Callobius Severus, and she was VERY pregnant. 🤣 And definitely the biggest spider I’ve rescued! I also have some videos of the rescue if you’d like them in the future! But thank you for helping me continue to fight my fear of spiders!
Update: after further research I believe it was actually a Woodlouse Spider, as it had a red body and a white stripe down the back!
love this series - thanks Travis!
goodness gracious i love spiders so much, and even more so because of your videos
This is a little off topic, but i discovered a little 8 legged buddy near my beardies enclosure today. I noticed it had dark red/brown striped down its abdomen, and i went crazy trying to identify it. Finally, i got google lens to work. I proud to say that i was looking a maevia inclemens! Specifically a female! I would love a video on them and their interesting male counterparts!
Of course I only notice this upload when I’m about to go to bed. Guess someone’s going to be up late tonight!
Hope I made it worth the lost sleep! ;)
This might very well be THE best video to shed a light on how important spiders are to US as hooomans.
Thanks so much!
10:36 I would love to see an episode dedicated Argiope aurantia. When I find them in my garden it always seems to me that all they have caught in their web is pollinators and not one pest insect. I plan on paying closer attention this year. Possibly even to the point of removing and opening old wrapped food. The ones I see in my garden are the ones who make the zig zag stripe in their web
God that little happiness number from Inside Out gets me going
Another banger. Keep it up bud.
Thanks so much, I'll keep at it.
I'd like to thank you for changing my attitude toward spiders. I used to swat them or brush them out of the way, but now I leave them alone and I've thrown away the spider spray.
Absolutely fantastic. As always!
I am wondering with the highly publicized "March North" of the Joro spider, here in the US, will you be doing a segment on it? I would be very interested in watching it. I love your program and watch every new episode. Your mug is my size of tea cup I use it every day, along with my larger coffee mug.
I'd like to cover the Joro, but it's difficult without having them in hand or having direct experience with them.
I have seen video and read of spiders that rely on eye sight while hunting (I'm sure one was about a jumping spider) who, having sighted a prey insect, are able to back away from it to point where it loses sight of its prey, and approaches it from a more advantageous direction. To me, this implies - and even requires - a degree of self-awareness, awareness of "other" (its prey and the dangers it might present), and the ability to create a 3-D image of its surroundings in its brain, and use that to strategize the best approach to its prey by, for example, circling around behind it or dropping on it from above. They have to be capable of some level of abstract thinking. One can point to other indications, too: it has to be able to distinguish its prey and recognize the dangerous end, when applicable. It has to be able to adapt both its abilities and its strategy to every new situation, so presumably it requires some ability to learn from experience.
I don't want to imply more than is there, but I don't think that an animal as advanced as a spider can function effectively if it were just robotically responding to stimuli. It has to have some level of self-awareness to be able to evaluate its surroundings and make effective decisions.
You make learning stuff fun.
Spiders!!! It's spring so I'm keeping an eye out for spider mating dances at the moment. Possible video idea for you?
I've been trying to capture it. I've got a thriving population of Habronattus decorus in my front yard, so I often go out with my camera to see if any of the males are wooing any females. No luck so far, though.
i love your videos , they really help me love and understand them more
I'm glad they're helpful, and thanks so much for the comment!