Prepare Yourself: Flying Spiders The Size Of Half-Dollars In Chicago

Arachnophobia is one of the leading phobias in the U.S. – literally, the extreme fear of spiders. There’s something very unsettling about the many-legged creatures (some with multiple eyes) and some of them even furry. While few are venomous, although some are, many people just prefer to stay away from where spiders typically hang out – dank basements, wood piles, and old sheds. That’s a good strategy for the majority of people. Unfortunately, something rather strange has come to the Windy City: flying spiders, and we don’t mean Spiderman.

It’s not the first season that they’ve been around, but guests at a posh hotel, Hilton Chicago Magnificent Mile Suites, were surprised to find a letter warning them that they may encounter a flying arachnid. The note says that perhaps they should leave their windows closed.

“… not open your windows in your suite during this time, to avoid the annual migration of high-rise flying spiders, a Chicago phenomenon.”

A Chicago phenomenon? This only happens in Chicago? Well, probably not, but the issue is that the spiders are able to fly as high as 95 stories and are attracted to the big-city lights of the high-rises, typical of Chicago, so therefore they may be more noticeable in Chicago.

Flying spiders — a type of aranchnid commonly known as bridge spiders or gray cross spiders — technically don’t really fly; the baby spiders spin balloon-like webs, which are caught by the wind and travel great distances (it’s been suggested that it can be miles). When fully grown, the spiders are pretty big, about the size of a half-dollar coin. But does it really matter to humans that they aren’t flying and technically parachuting off their own webs? Probably not, as spiders are one of the most-feared creatures on the planet.

However, not everyone feels that way about them. Though they may make Chicago residents squirm, the flying spiders play an efficient role in the environment, says Steve Sullivan, the senior curator of urban ecology at the Notebaert Nature Museum. All spiders do, including the Chicago parachuters.

“Spiders are a wonderful part of our neighborhood ecology. If we didn’t have spiders, we’d be neck-deep in flies by early summer.”

While many might literally or figuratively brush off a flying spider, others were taking the matter to extreme measures in their comments on Reddit, ranging from suggesting to order “fire from room service” to suggesting a nuclear attack on the unwelcome guests.

What are your thoughts on flying spiders?

[photo by Michael Shpuntov/pbase]