UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail: indianco@ufl.edu 

22 October 2003

Feature Article - for release the week of October 26, 2003

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent

According to my kids, Halloween is one of the biggest "holidays" of the year. Artificial ghosts and goblins now decorate many homes in preparation for tick-or-treaters, including fake cobwebs and plastic spiders ready to add to the fright of this season.

While we often think of spiders as living in cobwebs, some of the real creepy crawlies found around our Florida Yards do not spin webs to capture their prey. Instead, they simply jump onto their next unsuspecting meal, and in the process help to control many nuisance pests found around our homes. According to FDACS Entomologist G.B. Edwards, there are three species of jumping spiders that can be commonly found in our area. Paying attention to their presence may pay off by reducing the need for using chemical pesticides to rid your home of other creepy crawlies.

This  male Regal Jumping spider (Phidippus regius) was found "guarding" a post in the UF/IFAS tree research farm in Gainesville. Photo: Dan Culbert, UF/IFAS

Jumping spiders have a highly coordinated jumping ability that they use to capture prey and move from plant to plant. Their sense of sight is extraordinary; they can see in color, and they have large front eyes that can focus on objects. Many are marked with contrasting colors or bands, especially the males who display this ornamentation while dancing to win acceptance for mating.

Adult jumping spiders may be as small as 1/16 inches in length or as large as an inch, but most are 3/16 to 3/8 inches long. All jumping spiders are harmless to humans, although the larger species can give a locally painful bite if roughly handled.

The native jumping spider most frequently encountered in Florida is the Regal jumping spider (Phidippus regius). This jumper is aptly named in terms of its size, as it is the largest jumping spider commonly found in peninsular Florida. Some folks call it the Florida tarantula - it is not a relative of the real tarantula.

The native Regal jumping spider is found in field and open woodland habitats, but not in a hardwood forest. Immature Regals are usually found among smaller plants, but adult Regal spiders favor palms and palmettos in dryer areas. Adults seem to prefer flat surfaces and are also frequently found on walls of buildings.

While these spiders can be found in natural areas, they are also found around buildings at night, catching the insects attracted to the lights. Most regal reproduction begins in the fall and continues until spring. Their frequency around buildings makes beneficial because they help control flies, mosquitoes, and other pests.  And, since they do not build webs to capture prey, they do not create the cobwebs which so often annoy many housewives.

Adult males of the Regal jumper average 7/8 inches in length, while the females are a little larger at 1 inch. Males are generally black and gray in color with a white band running down the top of this spider’s two segments. Females have the black areas of the body covered with colored scales. These scales may be gray, tan, brown, orange, or combinations of any or all of the above colors.

When covered with orange scales, the females are particularly attractive, and may look like they are carrying a Jack-o-lantern on the back side of their body. I’ve got a great photo of a Regal spider that has a smiley face, just in time to spook you for Halloween. (Stop by our office or go to the Featured Creatures web page on Jumping Spiders to see more.)

Jumping spiders have six eyes arranged in three rows. They use their excellent vision to locate prey and potential mates. Prey is caught by jumping on it, hence the common name of the family.

Although jumping spiders do not make webs to capture prey, they do use silk. Spiders trail a drag line behind them to break their fall in case they miss a jump. Silken nests are used for resting at night, when molting, and for egg-laying.

Excessive use of pesticides around the outside of buildings will reduce the numbers of these beneficial spiders. If the homeowner has an excessive number of bothersome insects that attract large numbers of jumping spiders, consider reducing the outside lighting that attracts their prey. If chemical pesticides must be used, contact our office for current recommendations.

If you need additional information on Jumping spiders, call or stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North. Our phone number is (863)763-6469, our web page is http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu, and you can email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu.

References

Castner. J.L.  Common Florida Spiders [SP-118]. Gainesville: UF/IFAS Cooperative Extension Service,   January 2012. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in017

G.B. Edwards, Jr.   Featured Creatures:  Jumping spiders: gray wall jumper and pantropical jumper [EENY-158].  Gainesville: UF/IFAS Cooperative Extension Service,   September 2002.     (Original source: FDACS DPI Entomology Circular 199.) http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/jumping_spiders.htm 

ibid. Featured Creatures:  Regal jumping spider, [ EENY-152].   Gainesville: UF/IFAS Cooperative Extension Service, September 2000.  (Original source: FDACS DPI Entomology Circular 223.)  http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/regal_jumping_spider.htm .

The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS /University of Florida. Last update: 02/23/2012 .  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert