End of summer is a good time of year to see many types of spiders - yet to the arachnophobics among us, this can be a very unsettling thought. As with many things in life, people fear what they do not understand - and spiders are no exception. We are going to explore some of the more interesting aspects about spiders, and maybe you will become less phobic. It not, at least you will learn some amazing facts about these incredible creatures that you have come to fear.

Spiders come in many shapes, sizes, colors, and have many different habitats. Some spiders make tunnels in the ground with escape routes in case of intruders. Some spiders steal food from other spiders. Some use other spiders' webs. There is even a spider that knocks at the door of another spider's home and waits for acknowledgement before entering.

Spiders belong to the class Arachnida. Horseshoe crabs are their nearest relatives, along with ticks, scorpions, and mites. Many people think spiders are insects, but spiders have eight legs instead of six, and they never have sings. There have been about 35,000 named spiders in the world to date with about two to three times that many waiting to be discovered.

Spiders have a unique craft known as spinning - more precisely, spinning silk. This silk has many uses, but the best known is for their webs. A spider's web is probably its most remarkable achievement, and they usually like to spin webs at night. The webs can be very strong, and some, like the giant wood spider's web, have been known to snare birds and bats, and can even resist a person walking through them.

In New Guinea, there is a small spider that weaves a web about six feet in diameter. The natives set up long bamboo poles at the thickest part of the web, and by the next day the spider have woven its web around the bamboo. This creates a very useful 'spider web fishing net' which the natives use to catch fish.

Spiders keep a web secure by constantly checking it. If the tension is not right, they adjust it. If a thread is destroyed, they replace it. The construction of the web is very important because the web is primarily designed to capture insects. When the insect lands on the web, the spider feels the vibrations, comes to the prey, bites it and wraps it in silk, although not all spiders bits first. Some wrap, then bite.

Not all spiders use only their web for catching prey. Some spiders stalk their prey and leap onto it; others spit sticky glue from their fangs. One type actually fishes for its food by diving for water bugs or small fish.

Spiders are also agile performers - especially when they display aerial-like feats called "ballooning". On a silken dragline they sail through the air by catching air currents and are transported away. However, they do not always end up in suitable places. Ships have reported spider landing as far as 200 miles out at sea. Aerial surveys have found them at altitudes of 14,000 feet. Moreover, amazingly, 22,000 feet up on Mount Everest, jumping spiders have been found hopping about. Ballooning is thought to be a means for young spiders to disperse and colonize new areas, although spiders of all ages "balloon".

In historical times, when there was no explanation for ballooning, many theories were invented. Some suggested that the spiders were actually flying and were propelled by their rapidly vibrating eight legs! Others theorized that spiders might be assisted by electricity.

Spiders use their venom as a defense mechanism and to immobilize their prey. There are two classes of spider venom, neurotoxic and cytotoxic. The first affects the nervous system, with the other causing damage to the tissues. When they bite, they jab their fangs into the skin, injecting venom through their fangs. All spiders at venomous, except the family Uloboridae, yet most of the venomous spiders pose no threat to humans. In our geographic area, there are two spiders we are concerns with - the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse.

Now that we have explored some facts about these eight-legged wonders, you may be prompted to ask why we actually need spiders. There are many reasons, but perhaps the most important is that they help us control pests. The Chinese were the first to use spiders for controlling pest problems on their crops. Many other countries are now beginning to cultivate spiders as an alternative to harmful chemical insecticides. Spiders are also very effective in controlling household insects. Therefore, the next time the vacuum cleaner aims at the little web in the corner try doing more observing than killing.

The existence of spiders dates back about 300 million years, with much folklore surrounds them. In Southeast Asia, you will see people selling barbecued 'spiders on a stick'. In some cultures, spiders are thought to be associated with long life. They say if you eat spiders, you can add ten years to your life. In classical times, spiders also apparently had the ability to ward off fevers, but you had to hang a spider in a nutshell or bag around your neck to benefit from it. Other myths included swallowing a cobweb to cure a headache. An English folklore that many still believe today goes like this - if you have an abundance of spider webs on the grass in the morning, then you will have good weather. If an orb-weaver spider builds a web after the rain has stopped, there will be no more rain.

I hope this information has helped you to see spiders for the neat and wonderful critters they are. They have earned and deserved our care and respect.