Virtual Field Trip... Spiders in WV

1. Spiders
Found in Our State
Field Trip Facilitator:
Emma Gail Ronat

2. Let’s begin in our class…

3. Let’s Review What We
Learned on Our Last Trip
•
•
•
•
•
•
Spiders have 8 legs
Some spiders crawl and some spiders jump
Some spiders spin webs
Some spiders bite
Some spider bites are poisonous
Some spiders go in the water to catch
tadpoles
• There are spiders living in California, at the
beach, and in West Virginia

4. Common Traits of Spiders
• Spiders have 8 legs
• Some spiders spin webs

5. More Common Traits
of Spiders
• Spiders have two major body parts:
cephalothorax (combination of the head and thorax)
and abdomen
• Most spiders have 8 eyes

6. Can spiders hurt us?
• Most spiders found in West Virginia are
harmless.
• Black Widows rarely bite, but if so they are
poisonous.

7. How are spiders a benefit to us?
Destroy unwanted insects
in garden or homes

8. Let’s begin our adventure
and see what kind of spiders we
might find in West Virginia!

9. Let’s travel through West Virginia and enter
into Summers County where we live. We
will take a look at the scenery and the
woods where we might find some spiders.

10. We will be entering 5 different spider rooms
today. All of these rooms contain spiders
that are found in our state of West Virginia.

11. Are You Ready?

12. Let’s enter
The Wolf Spider Room

13. This is an outdoor room as the Wolf Spider does
not normally inhabit buildings.

14. The Wolf
Spider
•
Largest and most common
spider found in West Virginia.
•
The Wolf Spider’s bite is
harmless.
•
Mainly live outdoors and rarely
enter buildings.
•
The mommy Wolf Spider carries
her babies on her back.

15. Our next room is
The Orb Weaver Room

16. We will be entering another outdoor room as the
Orb Weaver are most common out-of-doors.

17. The Orb Weaver
•
A common spider in West
Virginia.
•
The Orb Weaver is harmless.
•
Construct their webs between
the foliage of plants or weeds.
•
Annoyance to hikers as they
spin their webs among weeds
and plants.

18. Our third room will be
The Jumping Spider Room

19. The Jumping Spider are most common outdoors
but may seek shelter in buildings.

20. The Jumping
Spider
•
Very common in West Virginia.
•
Considered harmless.
•
Stalk their prey in broad
daylight, approach slowly and
when near makes a sudden
jump.
•
When disturbed, they will jump
to avoid contact.
•
Easily recognized by the
arrangement of 6 eyes and their
way of jumping.
•
Common in well lighted areas.

21. Next, we will be entering
The Crab Spider Room

22. The Crab Spider will mainly be found outdoors.

23. The Crab Spider
•
Easily recognized by their crablike habit of moving side ways
and by the appearance of legs
that resemble a crab’s legs .
•
Wanders and capture their prey
by sneaking upon it.
•
Do not construct webs.
•
Eight eyes.
•
Considered harmless.

24. Our last spider room will be
The Black Widow

25. The black widow commonly spins her web in dark
sheltered areas away from the weather. They can
be found under stones or logs, in outbuildings, in
wood logs, under or in discarded cans and similar
places.

26. Black Widow
•
Gets its name from the fact that
she may kill and eat the male.
•
The Black Widow has a distinct
red hour-glass shaped marking.
•
The venom of a Black Widow is
highly poisonous but is quite
timid and has no instinct to bite
people.
•
If attacked will try to escape
instead of biting.
•
However, when her web is
disturbed, she may rush out and
bite.

27. What if we get bit?

28. How can I tell if I have been
bitten by a spider?

29. How can I tell if I was bit
by a spider?
• Symptoms may include
–
–
–
–
–
Pain at the bite area
Stomach cramping
Numbness
Tremors
In severe cases:
•
•
•
•
•
•
nausea
vomiting
fainting
dizziness
chest pain
respiratory difficulties
Black Widow Bite

30. Are spiders poisonous?
Most spiders found in West Virginia are not poisonous.
Black Widow Spiders are the most common poisonous
spider in West Virginia.

31. First Aid
• Apply antiseptic to the bite
area to prevent infection.
• Use ice packs to localize the
venom.
• Go to a doctor as soon as
possible.
• If spider can be found, have an
adult place it in alcohol and
send it to the Department of
Agriculture.

32. One last room…

33. Let’s enter
The Daddy Long Leg Room
Is it a spider?

34. Not a true spider, just a
close relative.
Daddy Long Leg
•
Often found in basement area,
under porches, and in old
sheds.
•
Feeds on plant juices and both
dead and living insects.
•
Have no poisonous glands, so
are harmless.

35. Resources
• Images found at:
• www.google.com
• Additional Materials can be found at:
– West Virginia Department of Agriculture
• www.wvagriculture.org