More spider sightings? Fault mosquitoes
You’re waiting for a train at a CTA “L” stop, perhaps on the Brown Line, when you feel something fall onto the back of your neck — then start moving.
Suddenly frantic, you reach up, praying it’s a falling leaf.
It’s not. It’s a spider. Looking up, you see the source — a thick overhead web, teeming with the creepy critters.
Does this nightmare sound (or feel) familiar? It’s a horror some Chicagoans are taking to the internet to report, part of a seemingly growing number of complaints about an above-average spider population this season. You likely can blame another pest for this pesky problem, say experts: mosquitoes.
“With spiders, we usually see a peak population in the end of the summer into autumn,” said Jim Fredericks, chief entomologist at the National Pest Management Association, a nonprofit trade group representing the pest control industry. “If we couple that with extremely rainy and warm weather … there are more flying insects,” like mosquitoes.
Chicago, and the Midwest more broadly, saw heavy rains and an increase in temperatures toward the end of the summer, leading to more mosquitoes, which means there’s an “abundance of food” for spiders to catch in their webs, Fredericks said.
So “L” platforms may be like supermarkets for opportunistic spiders. Commuters who’ve reported increased spider sightings say the extra arachnids they’re seeing are “the worst thing ever.”
“There are hundreds if not thousands of spiders that are visible, dropping down on the poor, unsuspecting civilians from above,” said one Reddit poster recently. “I have to carefully juke and dodge my way between spider webs to get onto the L.”
“They were in rare form tonight,” reported another. “Normally they’re just a writhing mass of bodies moving across the fluorescent lights overhead but when I was there this afternoon about 8 of them at once dropped down to about face level and just literally hung around for a bit.”
The CTA said there has been a “slight uptick” in calls regarding spiders this year compared with last year.
“We place a high priority on cleanliness and crews regularly inspect and clean stations, removing any spiders and/or spider webs they encounter,” CTA spokeswoman Irene Ferradaz said in an email. “We encourage customers to contact (the) CTA if they see any pests by alerting station staff, calling Customer Service at 888YOUR-CTA (888-9687282) or e-mailing us at feedback@transitchicago.com.”
Not everyone hates spiders, of course. Joe Garcia of Bridgeport actually likes them. He understands it’s not a very popular perspective, but the eight-legged creatures have always fascinated him.
Garcia, who takes the Orange Line fairly regularly between his home and the Loop, said he hadn’t noticed more spiders at CTA stations or anywhere else this season, but that may be because he’s usually hustling to and from the train.
“I can see how that would creep people out, but I guess I just never look up,” Garcia said. “I’m always looking straight ahead . ... My advice is the opposite of what you tell people who are afraid of heights: Don’t look up!”
Still, spiders do have a bad reputation, notes Fredericks. Halloween and horror movies have not helped: Dozens of films have been made about tarantulas, black widows and other arachnids, most not based in truth. Experts are quick to remind the fearful that most spiders — which, according to Fredericks, are one of the main reasons pest control pros are called — are not dangerous. In fact, spiders can be useful as they eat pests like mosquitoes.
That fact may not be enough to stem the fears some Chicagoans have.
“I respect spiders and what they stand for but damn are they spooky,” said one Redditor.