# Cricket Box Surprises



## Derek Benson

As some of you do, I buy boxes of crickets and occasionaly find interesting little non crickets in the contents. From the hairy grub like worms to spiders. Have you guys found anything out of the ordinary? I usually dump the contents into my rubbermaid, remove the potatoes or whatever they call food, and sift the dead and shed exos out. Last night I opened the lid and found this guy on the rim of it:




























I tried to kill it without damaging the abdomen, so someone could help with an ID on it. Is it what I think it is? Brown recluse?

I also found a more clear colored spider that had a longer pair of front apendages, kind of similar to a crab spider, much less "threatening"

Any ideas?


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## boombotty

I don't think that is a brown recluse. I have found several in my last house, and they didn't look anything like that. They will have the "fiddle" marking on the part of the body the legs attach to.
Scott


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## Ed

Its unlikely to be a brown recluse (as it is always possible) but it is a huntsmans spider. We get them at work with the crickets on a regular basis and I had several sent over to the local entomology department a number of years ago and they came back as one of the huntsman (double checking they weren't recluses). Unlikely to be a problem if they bite you but some species are known to be toxic.

Did the crickets come from a big supplier in Louisiana?

Ed


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## Jer

Go post this at http://www.arachnoboards.com

Someone will likely be able to tell you a generic and specific name.


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## dom

well the little bug like worms you find are in there to eat the dead crickets that may happen.. thats what my local pet store told me.


the brown recluse has a fiddle on it back.


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## philthelizard

I agree with the general consensus. This is definitely not a fiddle back/brown recluse/violin spider. I used to get fiddle backs in my house/shed/bed etc. all the time (I’m originally from Oklahoma, where fiddle backs outnumber people 10 to 1). 

Also, the fuzzy worms you get in your cricket boxes are probably Dermestid beetle larvae. They like to eat on everything is the box, literally.

Cool spider though.

phil


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## dom

you ever get those huge wolf spiders like the size of grapefruit and bigger.. My dad found one when i was in middle school down by englewood,Fl when our house was in construction stage,we went to look at the progress and when he stepped on it to kill it, by my moms orders (LOL)
i guesss the spider was carrying her egg sack and a shit town of babys came spewing out. funniest thing i ever saw. my mom must have ran almost half way down the street.


sry to get off topic just a funny story


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## Derek Benson

The crickets are mass ordered through the reptile store here and orders for about 2/3 of Kansas and I pick up my box (very cheap when mass ordering and no shipping), so I am not sure where they come from. It's a brown box with purple lettering that says live crickets, no information where they are from, just where the boxes are made...


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## porkchop

*Brown Recluse...?*


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## dom

porkchop said:


> *Brown Recluse...?*


correct notice the violin shape on its head/back


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## Jer

_Thanatus vulgaris_ for the win!!!


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## Derek Benson

Jer said:


> _Thanatus vulgaris_ for the win!!!



After a short google cheat, you are correct, I believe.


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## Jer

You betcha. The site I found while Googling also stated that these were common in cricket boxes.


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## Jer

Just found one in with my crickets. I left it be.


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## Derek Benson

I terminated mine, don't need them eating crickets instead of the frogs eating them....


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## Jer

I like spiders. I can spare a few crickets for her. They keep my fruit fly problem down, which my landlord is constantly complaining about.


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## slipperheads

*Re:*



dom said:


> you ever get those huge wolf spiders like the size of grapefruit and bigger.. My dad found one when i was in middle school down by englewood,Fl when our house was in construction stage,we went to look at the progress and when he stepped on it to kill it, by my moms orders (LOL)
> i guesss the spider was carrying her egg sack and a shit town of babys came spewing out. funniest thing i ever saw. my mom must have ran almost half way down the street.
> 
> 
> sry to get off topic just a funny story


 :lol: Ahaha that's great.


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