Recluse Spider Season Is a Myth

This story originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.

Summer arrives, and with it comes an arachnophobic furor—frantic reports about the intrusion of recluse spiders into our homes. Also known as fiddlebacks or violin spiders, these are arachnids of the genus Loxosceles. They’re found in warm areas across the world, including many parts of the USA, and particularly in Mexico, which has the greatest diversity of recluse spiders in the world, with 40 different species.

Headlines declare that the start of May is “recluse spider season,” and that people need to watch out. It’s true that in their fangs these spiders carry a potent venom, which

→ Continue reading at Wired - Science

More from author

Related posts

Advertisment

Latest posts

What Came Before the Big Bang?

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine.About 13.8 billion years ago, the entire cosmos consisted of a tiny, hot, dense ball...

Krispy Kreme is rolling out ‘Friends’-themed doughnuts. But you probably can’t get any | CNN Business

CNN  —  Krispy Kreme’s newest doughnuts celebrate the 30th anniversary of the sitcom “Friends.” But while the show...

Alaska Airlines reaches tentative labor deal with flight attendants | CNN Business

New York CNN  —  Alaska Airlines and its 7,000-member flight attendants union reached a tentative labor deal late Friday,...