Cross Spider Photography - Fascinating Arachnids but Why We Fear Them So Much?

onetin84 (62)in #photography • 7 years ago (edited)

Hi steemit friends,

now autumn is near and spiders reach their full size before they disappear in the cold season. In our region there are many cross spiders or also called orb-weaving spiders with the characteristic cross on the back. They get many dislikes in our family ;) but they do it right.. they stay outside most of the time.

Araneus diadematus - photo shot with my Fujifilm Finepix S100fs

We live under the roof and have many smaller windows embedded in the roof.. a paradise for spiders to hide under the roof tiles. If they're a undisturbed they weave their nets in front of our windows. For our kids it's fascinating to watch them at work also if something was caught in the net and the spider begins to cocoon his victim.

Why we fear them so much?

Spiders causing by far the biggest fears and disgust amongst all small animals. If you think of that, the garden spider (see photo above) is not bigger as a wasp or bee and is non-poisonous but the thought alone that this small animal could crawling over your shoulders produce goosebumps and deep disgust.

Why is that so?

Feeding a Huge Spider! The Yellow and Black Garden Spider. Spidey Fridey Pt 1 - video by anima ex nihilo

There is no agreement under researchers. In fact 33% of woman and 20% of men are posessed by the fear of spiders. Woman have nearly as twice as much fear. The bigger a spider the bigger the fear! If you look at the video above i think there are some things understandable. The spider has the best color contrast on his body (black-yellow) and is ultrafast in cocooning (think you are the tiny insect and you begin spinning around your axis with 5 turns per second, and these huge legs are tapping on you like drum sticks.. NOT COMFORTABLE!

My (funny) guess from practical experience

spiders are always silent even if they are running, bees and wasps are hum and warn you, spiders are like NINJAS!
they are 8-legged monsters, we are only 2-legged and ask us "Why the hell they need all these legs?!".. suspicious
they can hang above our heads like the sword of damocles ;) just to fall on our heads for evil purpose..YES EVIL PURPOSES!
they weave that sometimes huge orb-net to catch us :).. THEY waiting, THEY are so patient until the day comes when we are distracted!
they can do fast moves without a warning, for example if you tipping their net, Huu!
they cocoon you if you're not fast enough, NOooo!
had you ever experienced how attaching a spider silk is if you want throw the spider somewhere and it is now hanging on your HAND!!! Eeek!
their 8 legs are longer then their body, that's definitely NOT GOOD!
they coordinate their 8 legs so good we are jealous and disgusted at the same time
we think they bite us and are poisonous, even if we know exactly that THEY are not poisonous
THEY are everywhere, on the floor, on the ceiling and right next to me on the wall WITHOUT A WARNING!
at the end of the summer THEY even beginning to fly with their silk right into my face.. what an EVIL BEHAVIOUR!

It's not easy for spiders

They do so many things people don't like! My wife is always squeaking if one is approaching from somewhere UNKNOWN PLACE! And i'm the bad guy who removes them!

To sum it up, THEY have no good standing in our family but i admire their patience and persistence to always come back to frightening someone!

animation from giphy.com