Living in the Niagara area of Ontario means coming into contact with many different species of spiders. The area is home to over 40 different species, ranging from small houses and jumping spiders to larger types, such as wolf and fishing spiders. You may notice that some of the spiders you see have eight eyes, but are all species alike when it comes to how they see and use their eyes? Our teams at Truly Nolen that specialize in spider removal in Niagara can help you answer a few questions about how spiders view the world around them.
1. Do All Spiders Have Eight Eyes?
While all arachnids have eight legs, which defines the species, not all have eight eyes to match. While a majority of spiders do, there are a few families of spiders that have six eyes, while a small percentage have even fewer. The number and arrangement of the eyes help offer clues to what kind of spider you are looking at and how well it might be able to see you as well.
2. Do Spiders Have Good Eyesight?
While most spiders have eight eyes, many have poor eyesight and depend more on vibrations they pick up with their hairs on their legs as they travel on the ground or sit in their webs waiting for prey. These hairs are quite sensitive, which explains why spiders seem to sense when you are after them with a fly swatter and run to hide. Generally, spiders that ambush or actively hunt their prey, such as wolf and net-casting spiders, have superior vision over their relatives, whose eyes are usually fixed and cannot move as human eyes do.
3. Can Spiders See At Night?
Our technicians who specialize in spider removal in Niagara can tell you that while all spiders are adept nocturnal hunters, few can see well in the dark. Most spiders can see different shades of dark and light but most likely rely on internal clocks to differentiate between day and night.
Spiders that forage and hunt during the day tend to have better vision overall, but few have specialized night vision like some mammals. Spiders that hunt during the day also have better depth perception, which allows them to lay in wait for prey and strike when it comes close.
4. Can Spiders See Colour?
Most spiders can see colour, but not in the way humans do. Just as many see in different shades of dark and light, they also mostly see on the ultraviolet spectrum in shades of green. Even larger spiders, which tend to see better overall, see in the spectrum, allowing them to see better at dusk when they are at their most active.
5. Do Spiders Choose a Home Based on Sight?
While spiders do use their eyes for certain tasks, it is usually not a factor when they choose a spot to make a web, such as inside your home’s attic or cellar. Spiders choose their home’s location on instinct and where they know prey is likely to be plentiful. This makes them highly adaptable, even when it comes to living inside human dwellings. While most species of spiders that live in the Ontario area are harmless, some larger types can deliver a painful bite if surprised or handled, so calling us in for spider removal in Niagara can be a safe and effective solution when these pests invite themselves into your home.
Our removal services include a thorough inspection of your home to find and remove all webs and specimens, then using a high-pressure misting system that reaches deep into cracks and crevices where spiders like to hide. This also destroys any egg sacs female spiders might hide.
Spiders are unusual and adaptable creatures that use their unique eyesight in a variety of ways, but you might not feel comfortable about them setting eyes on your home as their habitat. Contact us today for spider removal solutions you can trust.