Spiders in the Crimea: what are they and what to do with a bite?

In the world there are a huge number of people who suffer from arachnophobia (fear of spiders), and their fears can not be called baseless. Among these insects there are those that threaten the lives of children and adults. Spiders of the Crimean peninsula are no exception - in the local fauna there are poisonous octopuses.

Spiders are one of the most numerous orders, not only among arachnids, but also representatives of the animal world. In total on the earth there are over 40,000 of them. Compared to this figure the number of spiders in the Crimea looks much more modest - only about 5000. Most of them are quite harmless, but there are several instances, a meeting with which can significantly spoil the rest.

Among the multitude of these spiders, females pose the greatest danger to humans, since they are much larger than males and can easily bite through human skin. These arthropods can be distinguished by a whitish cruciform pattern on the abdomen. Spiders of this species are quite large - the female, hanging with bulging paws, can reach 4-5 cm in diameter. They feed mainly on insects, their bites are not particularly dangerous for humans, although they can be very painful, often causing slight local inflammation and necrosis of tissues near the site. bite.

Getting to this spider is much more dangerous and is fraught with the most adverse consequences for humans. These creatures appeared in the Crimea relatively recently, but have already brought many unpleasant moments to vacationers. Most tarantulas live in dry areas, they dig holes in the ground, or simply take a mouse, killing their "legitimate" owners. This spider does not weave nets - it waits in the hole for the appearance of prey, then it throws at it with a sharp movement and paralyzes it with its bite. Locals call these spiders "wolves".

Tarantulas are spiders of gray color, they are shaggy, they have rather powerful legs. These representatives of the flora are considered the largest spiders of the Crimea - the length of their bodies reaches 3 cm, and with the legs extended, the dimensions are almost doubled.

The most dangerous are females that guard their cocoons. Tarantulas often climb into the tents for tourists, however, people are not of particular interest to them. Moreover, hearing the sound and vibration of human steps, these spiders try to hide, attack solely as self defense - that's just for the attack, they can take any sudden movement of a person.

In the era of the Middle Ages, it was believed that you could be saved after a tarantula bite only if you were to dance a unique dance for a long time. That is how the world famous tarantella appeared. It is difficult to die from the bite of this creature, however, cases of an individual strong reaction are not excluded.

A distinctive feature of karakurt is a black belly with bright red spots, a total of about 13, rarely they can be framed by a scarlet edging.The remaining parts are pure black, as if glossy.

According to the description of these creatures have an unusual feature - during mating the female exhibits exceptional bloodthirstiness: at the end of "communication" she simply eats the male, for which she received the nickname "black widow".

Black widows are not aggressive towards people but if they believe that a person threatens their offspring - attacktherefore, most often they bite children and adults inadvertently. Keep in mind that the poison spills into the bite only when pressing on the abdomen, so the spider crawling through the body should not be slapped, and gently sweep.

Black widows - this is the most dangerous type of spider from all living in the Crimea. Their venom is 15 times stronger than that of rattlesnakes, but the dose is lower, so the mortality from their bites is low. However, painful symptoms occur after a bite:

• pain and aches throughout the body;
• convulsions;
• palpitations;
• urinary problems;
• dizziness, fainting;
• face blueness;
• panic attacks;
• cramps in the stomach and intestines.

Non-venomous spiders in nature do not exist in principle, therefore and in the Crimea it is impossible to meet them.

There are only varieties that, even at rather large sizes, do not pose a serious danger to humans, since they are too weak and cannot bite through the skin or the poison itself is not sufficiently concentrated.

This is a relative of the tarantula, which is similar to him in everything, but differs in the zone of residence - these creatures prefer dark and damp areas where no one simply expects to meet a spider. You can run into it in ravines, as well as cellars, garages and vegetable stores.

A bite does not pose any danger to a person, but, nevertheless, there may be a slight discomfort at the site of the bite, mild swelling, and sometimes slight irritability and spasms.

These are burrows that rarely crawl out of their shelters. And if the contact did occur, then you should not be scared - bites can only cause short-term pain and local inflammation.

These spiders are also called the octopus wasp, they are distinguished by a yellow-black color with pronounced, like a hornet, stripes. His lifestyle is similar to a cross, but he hangs his nets mostly in the grass.

Argiope can hardly threaten a person’s life, although it bites, as a rule, unexpectedly and rather painfully.

Quite an interesting type of spiders listed in the Red Book. Most often they are found in the dry foothill areas of the peninsula. The length of the body reaches 6-7 cm, the legs and body are completely covered with hairs, the front legs look like the tentacles of the mollusk. They mainly feed on small insects, lizards and scorpions. Small spiders are not able to bite through human skin, therefore, they do not pose any particular danger, but adult individuals have rather sharp teeth, therefore their bites are very painful.

This is another arachnid inhabitant of the Crimean peninsula, similar to the usual karakurt, with the only exception that it does not have red spots on the abdomen - instead of them you can see a strip of scarlet color that somewhat resembles two arrows connected to each other. According to the intensity of human exposure, the poison of a false karakurt resembles wasp.

Spiders are most active from May to September, but the peak is in the second half of summer (July and August). Females guarding their offspring are especially dangerous for humans.

As for the time of day, spiders are most dangerous at night and early in the morningmost often they occur in hot, dry weather, and during the rains they usually hide and do not react to the prey caught in their nets. The only exceptions are tarantulas, which, as a rule, choose daytime hours for hunting.

During outdoor recreation it is necessary to observe extreme caution. Here are a few recommendations, the adherence to which will help protect yourself when traveling around the Crimea:

• When walking in the woods, field or steppe zone, prefer high closed shoes.
• During the collection of firewood and brushwood, one should not sharply lift dry branches from the ground; first, turn them over with one foot to make sure that there are no arachnids under the branches.
• Do not leave shoes on the street at night - it is better to take her to the tent.
• Be sure to close the tent, do not keep it open, and from time to time treat it with repellent preparations.
• Before going to bed at night, be sure to shake out your sleeping bag, since there is a high probability that a spider can hide in them.
• On any trip, be sure to take a first-aid kit with you and include antiseptic, anti-inflammatory ointment, antihistamine and medical alcohol.

Encephalitic mites live en masse in the mountainous and foothill areas of the peninsula, where many of the most interesting tourist routes pass. They can be found in Demerdzhi, Bakhchisarai, Simferopol and Yalta. As a rule, they are hidden in the grass and short shrubs.

Of course, it is difficult to imagine that you will see the sights of the Crimea in closed clothes or anti-encephalitis overalls, However, certain precautionary measures can be taken:

• Before the trip, it is better to get vaccinated for encephalitis - it does the vaccination 5-7 months before the expected date of travel.
• Be sure to bring with you repellents - aerosols, sprays and ointments containing acaricidal components that kill ticks.
• Be sure to process the entrance to the tent and its walls.
• From time to time, make it a rule to test yourself and your companions.
• If the tick could still get under the skin, then it should be as carefully as possible to tie his body with a thread and gently unscrew, moving counterclockwise.

When a poisonous spider is bitten, a special serum is most effective. Unfortunately, it can be found not in every first-aid post, therefore in the conditions of a hospital, calcium gluconate is administered intravenously, after which a decision is made on further treatment.

During rest, it is not always possible to get to the hospital immediately, therefore, on the spot, the victim should be given first aid. It usually comes down to taking an antihistamine and treating the bite site with anti-inflammatory drugs. Cauterization method is very effective - it is done in any way possible, but certainly in the first two minutes. The fact is that the jaws of the spiders are rather weak, and they cannot inject a poison deep under the skin during a bite, which means that for the first couple of minutes it is located quite close to the surface, therefore the effect of elevated temperature partially destroys the poisonous component.

After that, you need to provide the victim with abundant drinking and as soon as possible to deliver to the hospital. Keep in mind that According to statistics, about 4-5% of those bitten die in the absence of timely medical care.

About poisonous spiders of Crimea, see the video below.