Know Your Enemy
Accurate identification of pests is as important as choosing the best preventive pest management available on the market today. Preventive Pest Control has compiled a list of most common pests to help you identify the problem.
Flower Spider
(Thomisus spectabilis)
Characteristics
The flower spider is also known as a crab spider. It has smooth, glossy body with short unequal legs and a shortened abdomen. They are small spiders – their length ranges from 3/25 to 47/100 inch . They have eight eyes that are arranged in two rows of four. Their identifying feature is their two front legs that are strikingly longer and bulkier than the rest. All of their legs are curved forward similar to a crab.
Habitat
This arachnid is a flower and foliage dweller. They will occupy a flower or a leaf until it wilts, then transfer to the next flower or leaf. They are solitary and territorial. The only time a flower spider can be found with another flower spider is when a male finds a female to mate. At night, the flower spider will hide under the leaves or petals, but come daytime, they will stay still on the top of a petal or leaf.
Behavior
Instead of looking for a prey, this amazing spider can be often observed sitting steadily while it waits patiently for its prey. They are known for their ability to blend in with their environment. They also have the ability to walk sideways, backwards and forwards. They do not create webs for herself, but will just use its silk to create sacs for her eggs.
This spider has the ability to change color depending on the color of the leaf or petal it is staying. It sits patiently for prey to pass, and once a prey is present, it will pounce its legs to grasp the prey. Once the prey is captured, the spider will use its venom to immobilize the prey. It will just hold its prey until it gets all the liquid fluid of the insect it is holding.
Food
They can consume a variety of insects such as honeybees, butterflies, beetles, mosquitoes, flies, and so on. They are carnivorous and are known as predators that can quickly subdue their prey and then eat them. The spider will suck the juice of their prey and leave it dead.
Life Cycle
This spider may not live for more than two years, however, their life starts with a male searching for a female to mate with. Once the female has its eggs, she will place them in an egg sac that she will place within a leaf. Once the eggs are hatched, she will care for her spiderlings by providing them food to eat. In some cases, when the mother cannot provide food for her young, she will sacrifice herself instead.
Other Information and Tips
The flower spider is not considered a pest. This spider has even garnered a lot of observers and admirers because of their amazing ability to capture their prey and their unique coloration.
Photo: Thomisus spectabilis by Graham Wise, used under CC BY 2.0 / resized from original