In-House Summertime Creepy-Crawlies

By Julienne du Toit

Move to the Karoo or Kalahari, and chances are excellent that you will soon meet a Red Roman. It will be unforgettable.

Also known as Solifuges, these very odd arachnids tick all the monster boxes. They are hairy, meaty, a weird orange-pink colour, appear to have way too many legs, sport outlandish jaws and move with an ungodly turn of speed, usually straight towards you, because they seek your shadow.

Solifugae, their scientific name, literally means ‘escape from the sun’. They are also called wind scorpions, camel spiders and baardskeerders (beard-cutters), named so for their pruning shear-shaped mouthparts. They favour dry habitats.

If you shriek involuntarily and leap for the rafters at the mere sight of them, don’t feel alone. They completely freaked out the US Marines invading Iraq in 1991 and 2003. Wild shooting and boot stomping was reported, giving rise to urban legends swearing these monsters could sprint alongside military vehicles and leap onto soldiers’ chests, screeching and clacking their pincers.

All nonsense. If you are human or any life form larger than a tennis ball, these creatures are absolutely harmless. The common advice from long-time Karoo and Kalahari residents is that you should just ignore them. Don’t even try to kill them.

“They move too fast. And a whole can of Doom will not faze them,” attests Elaine Hurford of Prince Albert, who is wise to the ways of country living.

In any case, they might help solve your rodent problem, if you have one.

The Scary Good Guys

It’s generally good to co-exist with spiders because they feed on insects like mosquitoes and flies. In the garden, they eat various pests. South Africa has at least 2 000 spider species, but most are completely harmless or good to have around.

Professor Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman, who wrote The Field Guide to Spiders of South Africa, points out that “jumping spiders feed on flies and cockroaches, spitting spiders feed on booklice, rain spiders feed on moths, daddy long legs feed on ants and brown button spiders feed on all kinds of bugs”.

She goes on to say that the only problem species in houses are the sac spider (responsible for more than 70% of all spider bites in South African homes), and the violin spider. The feared and occasionally deadly button spider seldom comes into the house, but is often found in gardens. It is very shy and works hard to avoid confrontation.

Fortunately, the sac spider is easy to identify. It is generally a pale yellow colour with dark mouthparts and very long forelegs. Its cytotoxic venom can damage tissue and can cause lesions.

Translocating Goggas

Here’s how to translocate spiders and other unwanted goggas.

Take a glass or cup (short with wide rim) and a piece of stiff, thin cardboard. Clamp the glass over the hopefully unsuspecting spider. Note that the rain spider in particular will humbly roll itself into a ball. Others may try to look aggressive.

Slide the cardboard carefully underneath. Show your kids the spider, then take it outside and toss it into a bushy corner of the garden.

If you can’t bear to get that close, keep one of those ultra-long feather dusters on hand. Spiders can sometimes be induced to cling to the feathers until you can shake them off outside.

Things that Hop

Grasshoppers and crickets are some of the most difficult creatures to capture because of their wild leaps. The same applies to toads and frogs, although they can’t spring quite as far.

The trick is to drop something soft and domed on them, some form of headgear, perhaps. Then pick up the whole thing, gently closing the open side of the cap, and escort it outside.

But even in the garden, hopping things are startling. Of course, there are always grasshoppers whirring past you and landing with a tiny thump. But you may find many other kinds – black and green invaders that suddenly reach alarming numbers on a succulent or fruit tree, for example. Ask local advice. Avoid the poisons.

Locusts are generally seen as A Very Bad Thing in the countryside, because the billions of them arriving in massive clouds strip the greenery off nearly everything. But consider the fact that they leave thousands of tons of fertiliser (frass) behind them, refreshing and feeding the veld.

Also, locusts provide a feast for anything that eats any kind of protein. Every animal from dogs to francolin to kestrels to hedgehogs to cheetahs will devour them. Your chickens will go mad for them.

Download iNaturalist or Google Lens and learn to identify the wonders in your garden.

Long Breath

In early winter, we found a Giant Rain Locust or Gysie in our garden. It is a member of the so-called Toad Grasshopper tribe, and is remarkable for two things. Firstly, it possesses a camouflage so effective that despite its size, it vanishes into stones, branches or dead leaves.

Secondly, it is a rain prophet. In the Karoo, its strident sound in the night means that rain will probably fall within three days. They seldom lie. And that call just goes on and on, like an old generator. Hence its nickname in the Eastern Cape Karoo: Langasem or Long Breath.

On the subject of hopping creatures, toads seem smarter than frogs, and are quite keen on finding shelter. Place a small box or open bag in front of them, and they’ll usually crawl right in. Alternatively, use the cap method.

Beware the Fat Tail

In the countryside, it is always advisable to check your slippers and shoes before putting them on. Scorpions sometimes think they are snug little caves to hide in.

There are 160 species in South Africa but we only need distinguish between two kinds: those with huge claws and skinny tails, and those with fat tails and puny claws.

It’s the second kind you should worry about. They are mostly from the highly toxic Parabuthus genus, and the potent venom in their tails makes them fearless. Handle with care – in fact, do not handle at all. Although not nearly as deadly as some South American scorpions, these do cause around eight to 12 deaths in southern Africa every year.

The ones with thin tails mostly rely on their awesome claws to get them out of trouble – powerful enough to split a fingernail. But their venom is not much worse than a bee sting.

Like spiders, scorpions eat insects – often the very ones you want to be rid of, like fishmoths and cockroaches. Treat them gently.

Just as you would with a spider, trap them with a jar or glass, slip cardboard underneath and deposit them outside. They’ll appreciate a place with leaf litter and plenty of hide-outs.

Don’t bother using insecticide on them – it won’t work, since they are arachnids, not insects. But some say scorpions are repelled by cinnamon – worth a try if you are seeing them in your house on a regular basis. – DM

For an insider’s view on semigration and small town life in South Africa, get Moving to the Karoo and Road Tripper Eastern Cape Karoo (illustrated in black and white) by Julienne du Toit and Chris Marais for only R520, including courier costs in South Africa. For more details, contact Julie at julie@karoospace.co.za