Spiders in 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 groundless. Among these insects, there are those that threaten the lives of children and adults. Spiders of the Crimean peninsula were no exception - poisonous octopods are found in the local fauna.

Spiders are one of the most numerous orders, and not only among arachnids, but also representatives of the animal world. In total, there are over 40,000 varieties of them on earth. Compared to this figure the number of spiders in 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 ruin your vacation.

Among the many 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 - a female hanging with protruding paws can reach 4-5 cm in diameter. They feed mainly on insects, for a person their bites do not carry any particular danger, although they can be very painful, often causing mild local inflammation and tissue necrosis near the site bite.

Acquaintance with this spider is much more dangerous and fraught with the most adverse consequences for humans.These creatures appeared in Crimea relatively recently, but have already brought vacationers a lot of unpleasant moments. Basically, tarantulas live in dry areas, they dig holes in the ground or simply occupy mouse, killing their "rightful" owners. This spider does not weave networks - it waits in the hole for the appearance of prey, then with a sharp movement pounces on it and paralyzes it with its bite. Locals call such spiders "wolfs".

Tarantulas are gray spiders, they are furry, they have quite powerful legs. These representatives of the flora are considered the largest spiders of the Crimea - the length of their torso reaches 3 cm, and with elongated paws, the dimensions almost double.

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

In the Middle Ages, it was believed that you can be saved after a bite of a tarantula only if you 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 abdomen with spots of bright red color, 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, these creatures have an unusual feature - during mating, the female is extremely bloodthirsty: at the end of the "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 man is threatening their offspring - they attacktherefore, most often they bite children and adults by accident. Keep in mind that the poison spills out into the bite only when pressing on the abdomen, so the spider crawling over the body should not be slammed, but gently sweep.

Black widows are the most dangerous species of spiders from all living in Crimea. Their poison is 15 times stronger than that of rattlesnakes, but the dose is lower, and therefore the mortality from their bites is low. However, after a bite painful symptoms occur:

• pain and aches throughout the body;
• cramps
• palpitations
• problems with urination;
• dizziness, fainting;
• cyanosis of the face;
• panic attacks;
• cramping in the stomach and intestines.

There are no poisonous spiders in nature, therefore and in Crimea it is impossible to meet them.

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

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

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

These are burrowing spiders, which rarely creep out of their shelters. And if the contact nevertheless happened, then you should not be scared - bites can cause only short pain and local inflammation.

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

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

A rather interesting species of spiders listed in the Red Book. Most often they are found in 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 limbs in appearance resemble the tentacles of a mollusk. Mostly they feed on small insects, lizards and scorpions. Small spiders are not able to bite through human skin, therefore, they are not particularly dangerous, but adult individuals have rather sharp teeth, so their bites are very painful.

This is another arachnid inhabitant of the Crimean peninsula, similar to an ordinary 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 in color, which somewhat resembles two arrows connected to each other. According to the intensity of human exposure, the poison of false karakurt resembles a wasp.

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

As for the time of day, then spiders are most dangerous at night and early in the morning, most often they are found in hot, dry weather, and during rains they usually hide and do not respond to prey caught in their network. The only exceptions are tarantulas, which for hunting, as a rule, choose daylight hours.

When camping, extreme care must be taken. Here are a few recommendations, following which will help to protect yourself while traveling in the Crimea:

• When walking in the forest, field or steppe zone, prefer high closed shoes.
• During the collection of firewood and brushwood, do not sharply raise dry branches from the ground; first turn them over with your foot to make sure that there are no arachnids under the branches.
• You should not leave shoes on the street at night - it is better to take them to the tent.
• Be sure to close the tent, do not keep it open, from time to time carry out treatment with repellent preparations.
• Before nightly sleeping, be sure to shake out your sleeping bag, as it is highly likely that a spider may be hiding in them.
• On any trip, be sure to take a first-aid kit with you and include an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory ointment, antihistamine and medical alcohol in it.

Encephalitic mites live in large numbers in the mountain 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 hide in the grass and undersized shrubs.

Of course, it’s hard to imagine that you will be visiting the sights of Crimea in closed clothes or in an anti-encephalitis jumpsuit, however, certain precautions can be taken:

• Before the trip, it is better to be vaccinated against encephalitis - the vaccine is done 5-7 months before the expected date of the trip.
• Be sure to bring repellents with you - aerosols, sprays and ointments containing acaricidal components that kill ticks.
• Be sure to treat the composition of the entrance to the tent and its walls.
• From time to time, make it a rule to check yourself and your comrades.
• If the tick could nevertheless get under the skin, then it should be carefully tied to the body with a thread and carefully twisted, moving counterclockwise.

When bitten by a poisonous spider, special serum is most effective. Unfortunately, not every medical center can find it, therefore in 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, so the victim should be given first aid on the spot. Usually it comes down to taking an antihistamine and treating the bite with anti-inflammatory drugs. A cauterization method is very effective - this is done in any way possible, but without fail during the first two minutes. The fact is that the jaws of the spiders are rather weak, and during the bite they can’t inject the poison deep under the skin, which means that for the first couple of minutes it is located quite close to the surface, so exposure to elevated temperature partially destroys the poisonous component.

After this, it is necessary to provide the victim with a plentiful drink and be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. Keep in mind that according to statistics, about 4-5% of bitten people die without timely medical assistance.

About the poisonous spiders of the Crimea, see the video below.