Wolf spiders belong to the family of spiders in the order Araneae. They have 8 dark-colored eyes arranged in three rows (4-2-2). Their legs are robust, spiny, and end in three claws. They are named wolf spiders because they are good runners, jumpers, venomous, and agile.
Wolf spiders have fur on their backs that resembles a wolf's brush. They also have eight eyes. Some wolf spiders have a strong venom that can kill a sparrow, while larger ones can kill a human.
Wolf spiders are very alert and hide in gravel, making them difficult to find.
Most of them dig holes underground and line them with silk tubes. Some use debris to conceal the openings of their burrows, while others build tower-like structures above their holes. A few species weave webs. Water wolf spiders are commonly found near water, with a V-shaped mark on their thorax and zigzag or paired yellow spots on their abdomen. Leopard spiders (genus Pardosa) have longer legs with long spines. Hole wolf spiders (genus Geolycosa) spend most of their time in their burrows and have well-developed forelegs for digging in the soil. The genus Lycosa, which includes the largest species in the family, such as the Tarantula of Tarentum in southern Europe, produces a hissing sound by rubbing its two front legs, used for grasping food, and the first two pairs of legs used for walking. This dog-like growl serves as a deterrent to enemies, perhaps the most successful adaptation in the evolution of wolf spiders. This intimidating sound is produced when a group of hook-like bristles on one set of legs rubs against a group of sticky bristles on another set of legs and then tears them apart. Due to continental drift, wolf spiders inhabiting the New World have evolved independently in relatively isolated environments for over 100 million years, and certain species have gradually evolved these defensive bristles. There are about 850 species of wolf spiders worldwide, with 500 species in the Americas, and 460 of these species have spines.
However, the bristles of wolf spiders are not universal and are ineffective against some animals. The natural enemy of bird-eating spiders is a giant wasp the size of a sparrow. The wasp often lays its eggs inside the wolf spider. First, the wasp uses its stinger to paralyze the spider's nervous system, then injects the eggs into the spider's abdomen. After the larvae hatch, they rely on eating the spider's flesh to grow.
Wolf spiders without bristles rely on their venomous fangs as a defensive weapon, and they are fierce. Most wolf spiders in the Old World possess this characteristic. Although their venom is not lethal to humans, it is deadly to certain mammalian species. There have been reports of an Australian wolf spider biting and killing a dog. However, wolf spiders primarily prey on various insects. When extremely hungry, they may also eat their own kind.
Not recommended for keeping, wolf spiders have hair on their backs that looks like a wolf's brush, and they have eight eyes. Some wolf spiders have a high toxicity and can kill only sparrows, while larger ones can kill a person.
1. Fusarium disease
High humidity and temperature are the reasons for this disease. The spider affected by the disease has stiff joints, reduced appetite, slow movement, dim gloss, and spots of Fusarium. There are two methods to handle this disease. The first one is to kill the fungus, which can be achieved by directly spraying with Kaiweijin. The second one is to enhance the spider's resistance by letting the spider take tetracycline and yeast tablets, allowing the medicine to penetrate into the spider's body.
2. Parasitic disease
The spider mites are small in size, often round or elliptical. The mites reproduce through bisexual ovoviviparity, and the development process is different for males and females. The mites mainly harm the spider and disturb the normal rest of adult spiders. Some mites parasitize on the spiders, reducing their resistance and causing them to become thin. At the same time, the mites are carriers of Aspergillus niger and other fungal spores. There are two methods to handle spider mites. The first one is to lure and kill them with bait. You can mix a small amount of roasted and fragrant soybean meal or rapeseed meal with dried chicken manure or pig manure, put it into a sandbag and tie it tightly, and then place it in the breeding box. The mites will crawl into the bag to feed, and they can be killed by scalding with boiling water 1-2 days later. The second method is to use a safe and non-toxic insecticide like Kaiweijin. It must be safe and non-toxic; otherwise, it will also cause harm to the spiders.
Nematodes have slender bodies, slightly pointed at both ends, and are generally milky white and transparent in color. Their lives are generally simple. Except for a very small number of nematodes that reproduce by parthenogenesis, the vast majority of nematodes reproduce through sexual mating and egg laying. The eggs hatch into larvae, and the larvae molt 2-3 times to become adults. Nematodes mainly harm young spiders, especially during the molting process, and cause infection on the spider's body surface by sucking the spider's juices. This parasitic nematode can also be sprayed with a safe and non-toxic insecticide like Kaiweijin, which can generally handle the situation well.
Prepare a transparent box with dimensions of 20*20*30 (length, width, height). It should have a lid and ventilation holes. The size of the ventilation holes should be smaller than the spider to prevent it from escaping. Then, bring some soil from where you collected the spider and add it to the box, about 15 to 20 centimeters high.
Insert a wooden stick or something similar with a diameter of 3 centimeters into the soil at an angle of less than 45 degrees. Carefully remove it to create an artificial burrow. Be careful not to make the soil too loose, as the burrow may collapse, but not too compacted either, or the spider won't be able to continue digging. As Chinese wolf spiders are burrow spiders themselves, they reside in their burrows during the day and search for food around the entrance at night. Place a small cap with a diameter of about 3 centimeters in a corner on the soil surface. Fill the cap with clean seawater, ensuring that the water remains clean for the spider to drink.
In general, it is rare to see a spider drink water, so there is no need to worry. The soil should not contain too much moisture, as Chinese wolf spiders do not like overly damp environments. The food issue is also simple. If it settles in the prepared burrow, then feeding will not be a problem. Crickets are the best choice, but if not available, mealworms can also be used. Feed one cricket every three days or more, depending on the spider's appetite.
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