Not quite as freaky 8-legged freaks
I had my mom get in touch with someone in the Entemology Department of the College of Agriculture about my guests. I had seen confliction information on whether they were "poisionous" or not, so I thought "Who better to go to for information than an expert?"
This email came in a little while ago:
Part of the confusion, and what comes across as conflicting information, is due to different connotations of the word "poisonous."
To some this means dangerously toxic or causing serious problems. To others it simply means that the spider has poison glands (= venom glands), i.e., that it produces a poison (venom). The fact is that the vast majority of spiders have poison glands and hence, collectively, are thus appropriately considered "poisonous." The toxicity--and certainly the effect of the venom on humans, for example--varies significantly from one group, or species, to another.
Specifically regarding the Banana spider (Nephila clavipes), this species is poisonous in that it possesses a pair of poison glands.
However, the poison is not very toxic and produces only a mild reaction if it is forced to bite. It is not at all aggressive and seldom attempts to bite, even when handled. This is true of many other large orb-weaving spiders (e.g., the Black and yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia), which tend to rely on their size to overpower insects and other prey items captured in their web. They do not require a particularly potent venom to subdue their prey.
Bottom line: (1) Despite its size, the Banana spider is considered "harmless" and has never been reported to cause any serious problem, even on the rare occasions when people have been bitten when roughly handling them; (2) Allergies are a completely different topic, unrelated to the venom; this is a reaction once someone becomes sensitized to a particular compound; unless previous bitten by the Banana spider, and sensitized to some specific component in the venom (allergen), your daughter will not experience an allergic reaction.
So just enjoy seeing this beautiful, and beneficial, spider!
That takes a load off of my mind and means they can stay.
This email came in a little while ago:
Part of the confusion, and what comes across as conflicting information, is due to different connotations of the word "poisonous."
To some this means dangerously toxic or causing serious problems. To others it simply means that the spider has poison glands (= venom glands), i.e., that it produces a poison (venom). The fact is that the vast majority of spiders have poison glands and hence, collectively, are thus appropriately considered "poisonous." The toxicity--and certainly the effect of the venom on humans, for example--varies significantly from one group, or species, to another.
Specifically regarding the Banana spider (Nephila clavipes), this species is poisonous in that it possesses a pair of poison glands.
However, the poison is not very toxic and produces only a mild reaction if it is forced to bite. It is not at all aggressive and seldom attempts to bite, even when handled. This is true of many other large orb-weaving spiders (e.g., the Black and yellow garden spider, Argiope aurantia), which tend to rely on their size to overpower insects and other prey items captured in their web. They do not require a particularly potent venom to subdue their prey.
Bottom line: (1) Despite its size, the Banana spider is considered "harmless" and has never been reported to cause any serious problem, even on the rare occasions when people have been bitten when roughly handling them; (2) Allergies are a completely different topic, unrelated to the venom; this is a reaction once someone becomes sensitized to a particular compound; unless previous bitten by the Banana spider, and sensitized to some specific component in the venom (allergen), your daughter will not experience an allergic reaction.
So just enjoy seeing this beautiful, and beneficial, spider!
That takes a load off of my mind and means they can stay.