They have more legs than a dog and won't fetch slippers but spiders have the potential to become one of man's, and woman's, best friends, according to University of Queensland researcher Jan Green.
Ms Green, a PhD student with the University's Centre for Tropical Pest Management and the Department of Entomology, is studying the use of spiders as biological control agents in Queensland's citrus orchards and believes arachnids have been poorly treated in the past.
During her research, which has also resulted in the comprehensive Field Guide to Spiders, Ms Green identified 21 spider families in citrus orchards in inland and coastal Queensland, all contributing in their own way to eradicating a variety of pests.
'Spiders comprise a large, conspicuous component of the fauna in agricultural eco-systems worldwide and are ubiquitous in terrestrial habitats,' Ms Green said.
'They are predators which feed almost exclusively on insects and other arthropods.
'Spiders consume large numbers of insects, many of which are pests, making them invaluable to humans as pest control agents. They also play an important part in controlling pests in some agro-eco-systems.'
Ms Green said while one spider species may not control a single pest species, spider communities were effective in reducing pest populations.
Further research was essential to allow spiders to be used to their best advantage as biological control agents of agricultural pests, she said.
Ms Green said farmers currently used three different methods to combat agricultural pests including organic, integrated pest management (IPM) and chemical control.
'IPM uses a combination of chemical pesticides, cultural controls including growing trees around the outside of the orchards, and organic controls including the use of mass-reared natural enemies like ladybirds to kill pests,' she said.
'And I actually found the IPM orchards to have a greater diversity of spiders than those purely organically controlled perhaps because of that disturbance factor.'
Ms Green said the response of farmers to her research varied although 'they all thought I was crazy because I was out vacuuming the trees at night'.
'Some of the farmers were already well aware of the benefits of the spiders and especially those using IPM thought they were great, but others just hated them and their webs,' she said.
'It depends on the farmer really. I am trying to change the attitude of people who don't yet really appreciate the spiders' true value.'
Ms Green said her field guide to south-east Queensland's spiders had started from a grower's perspective but 'grew and grew' to include spider structure, their biology and ecology.
'It's really a book for anyone who is interested in identifying spiders, whether out on farms or orchards or in their backyards,' she said.
Ms Green said the fear of spiders many people felt was unjustified, with wasp and bee stings more likely to result in serious illness or death.
And in the folklore of other cultures including the American Indians, Japan, Europe, Cameroon and Bali, spiders were respected, she said.
The class name Arachnida came from a Greek fable involving the young maiden Arachne who claimed to be a better weaver than the goddess Athena.
Athena, realising the claims were true, began beating the girl but eventually took pity on her and turned Arachne into a spider so she could weave forever.
Ms Green said larger spiders like the common huntsmen were to blame for a lot of fear but despite their size and mobility were actually fairly harmless.
'They are hunters and just in the house looking for food which means they are getting rid of cockroaches and other pests,' she said.
'I used to be scared of spiders but overcame that with knowledge, learning and education.
'If you leave them alone they'll leave you alone.'
For further information phone Jan Green at the Department of Entolomolgy on 3365 7354 or 3365 2271.
