You know the feeling. That frustration that ensues when you chomp down on the same spot on your lip for the 5th time in the same day. It can really make a person not want to eat solid foods ever again. Chewing just becomes too risky, too painful. And clearly, we don’t improve our mastication skills through years of practice. In these moments it would be nice to eat like a spider, but how is that? How do spiders eat bugs?
How Do Spiders Eat Bugs?
Spiders definitely don’t take bites of their food as we do. They don’t take individual bites and they definitely don’t masticate. In fact, it’s a much different process from what we as humans are familiar with. When a spider catches a bug, they immediately inject venom into it to neutralize it. They can then begin to “eat” it, or wrap it in silk to save for later. It does seem rather fancy that they wrap their food in silk…much fancier than my plastic wrap, but I digress.
They Actually Liquefy Their Prey
Once a spider has neutralized their prey, they inject a digestive fluid into it that will liquefy the bug from the inside. Then they’ll suck everything out with their fangs, usually leaving the exoskeleton intact. This process is known as extra oral digestion.
There are some spiders that chew their prey up with serrated teeth on the chelicerae and then vomit digestive fluid on it so they can drink it down. While the method differs, the overall principle is the same.
Spiders Can Be Beneficial
Many people like having spiders around because they eat other bugs, and for the most part, won’t harm people. Spiders on the exterior of homes can eat mosquitoes, flies, and other nuisance pests, but once they start showing up inside is when they can be more problematic.
In addition, there are some spiders that may pose a threat to people even if they are staying put on the outside. Also, just because a spider will eat a few insects doesn’t mean you have to put up with their incessant redecoration with silk strands.
Get Some Barriers Up
In order to keep spiders out of your home, it’s a good idea to have a professional pest control company place spray barriers around the exterior to keep them from coming in. The experts at Rove Pest Control can create a plan to do just that. We’ll treat common traffic areas, as well as cracks and crevices on the inside to further quell their opportunity to start nesting and making your home their home. Find out what service plan fits your situation best by reaching out to us at Rove Pest Control.