Another spider hoax surfing the Internet
JOBURG - Another email hoax does a disservice to the venomous violin spider.
Violin spiders have a bad reputation, with hoax emails claiming deathly situations and impending danger caused by the arachnid.
The latest email, warning of violin spiders killing an entire family after re-using water left in a kettle overnight, has been proven to be a hoax.
Contrary to the claims of this latest hoax, Jonathan Leeming, an author and expert on spider bites and scorpion stings, said that violin spiders are not common in southern African houses.
“Violin spiders live in dry places, gaining almost all of their water requirements from the prey that they eat. They are not attracted to water such as water in a kettle.
“Even if the spiders crawled into the kettle and died, venom does not seep out of the dead spiders. If venom was added to water in a kettle, the process of heating and boiling the water would destroy the venom, rendering it useless and ineffective.”
Lemming added that even so, violin spider venom would only cause a reaction when injected into the human body. “It’s perfectly safe to ingest [drink] venom,” he said.
According to the expert, violin spiders do not alter their breeding rate due to changes in weather conditions, nor are they a health threat, as the email purports.
“This email is a complete hoax, containing no factual information whatsoever. This email only perpetuates ignorance and mass hysteria.”
Details: www.scorpions.co.za
