Collecting

Collecting spiders is easy. They are found everywhere; you may not even need to leave your house! The equipment can be as simple as a jar with a lid. In fact, I catch most of my spiders by stalking them with a jar. Collecting is fun, and you will certainly want to move outdoors too. Many species of spiders can be found through all seasons of the year.

1. Look in a variety of habitats. Window sills, cracks and corners inside and outside the house, on trees and bushes, on grass, in washes, in the desert, in the mountains, near streams, ponds, under rocks, in leaf litter.
2. Look day and night.
3. Use a sweep net in tall grasses.
4. Use a light colored tarp and beater to knock spiders out of bushes. Like insects, many spiders will drop out of vegetation when pursued. Put the tarp where they will fall.
5. Fishing spiders may hide in drifting debris close to the edge of water. They may hide along the edges of swimming pools.
6. Spiders in leaf litter can be sifted out with a mesh. Another techniques is to put the litter in a funnel over a jar. Adjust a warm light overhead and the heat will force the spiders down the funnel.
7. Some wandering spiders can be captured with pit traps. Try a glass jar or old soup can buried in the soil with large leaves or something to camouflage the opening. You want something with steep slippery sides so the spider can't get out.
8. Look for webs. Always place your jar below the spider to catch it because they tend to drop when pursued.
   
   
   

Keeping and Caring for Spiders

Spiders are really easy to keep and care for. They require very little space and feed usually once or twice a week.

1. Place.

The container you keep your spider in may be as small as a three inch vial or as large and fancy as a terrarium. If you wish to observe natural behavior then you will want to provide the spider with space and habitat similar to the one from which it was collected.

You don't need to purchase any thing, a plus for classroom use. Old mayonnaise jars, large clear containers minus contents from Price Club, yogurt cups with clear lids, old pictures frames for web spinners, etc. are just a few ideas. Decorate the container with materials you collect from outside: twigs, dirt, sand, dry leaf litter, rocks, dry grass, etc. For a touch of color buy a few silk flowers at a yard sale or McFrugals.

2. Feeding.

Food can be provided relatively easily, a must for busy teachers.
a) Fruit flies are suitable for most spiders, although many spiderlings cannot grow up on them alone. Fruit flies are easy to get and maintain. Save them from your genetics experiments. Ask the fly lab at your local universityi for their leftover flies. Keep them going with moist food. Fruit flies will eat almost any leftover scraps of moist food, especially fruit (no surprise). You can also make a less smelly food with Jell-O, corn meal, oat meal, and sugar or honey.

b) For larger spiders, try raising house flies. Leave out some moist cat food, dog food, or fruit to attract flies. They will lay their eggs on the food. When maggots start growing, you can start your colony!

c) Large spiders such as wolf spiders, tarantulas, and Phiddiupus can eat grasshoppers and crickets. Students can catch these for you. Crickets can also be purchased at most pet stores.

d) Have students catch different insects and see what the spiders will eat.

e) Some spiders need water. This can be provided in a small dish or a in a moist piece of cotton or tissue. Many desert jumping spiders do not need the extra moisture; they get all they need from their food.

Preserving Specimens

If a spider dies or if you wish to build an archive collection, you will need to preserve specimens. Spiders are very soft bodied and shrivel terribly if left to dry like insect specimens. It is best to put the spider in alcohol in a vial. 95% ethanol is best, but I have found that 70% rubbing alcohol from the grocery store works well too, especially for classroom use. Store your spiders with labels, either done in alcohol-proof ink or pencil. Include the following information on the label: date captured, location, collector, and identification if known.