Meet Spain’s Creepy Crawlies – Part 2

In the first part of our creepy crawly special, we met some of the wee beasties that most alarm, disgust or annoy new residents and visitors to Spain. In this second part we continue the theme; know the enemy to defeat, or avoid, the enemy.

1. European Paper Wasp

What Are They?

Otherwise known as ‘those dangly legged buggers’, the European Paper Wasp is differentiated from its standard waspy cousin by the ruddy great long legs that dangle as it flies. 

How Nasty Are They?

Whilst your standard wasp is an irritation, it doesn’t tend to attack unless provoked whereas the Paper Wasp appears to be rather more aggressive. It has a habit of making small paper nests in cavities, so can be amassed around gate openings and doorways where it defends its nest rigorously by hurling itself, stinger first, at any passer-by. 

Luckily its sting is no worse than any other wasp and shouldn’t cause any long-term issues unless the victim suffers an allergic reaction.

How Are They Stopped?

Distraction is the best deterrent; a shallow dish of water with some stones in that’s away from the house works or a wasp catcher with a little rotting meat and water in.

2. Wolf Spider

What Are They?

This thing, Lycosa Hispanica, is the largest spider in Spain. Originally known as a Tarantula, it’s actually a Wolf Spider. The female can have a body that grows up to 3 centimetres; then you have the legs on top to make something of a truly disturbing size. 

These are spiders who prefer the great outdoors, living in burrows in the ground that are easy to spot (and therefore avoid) as they’re perfectly round holes a few centimetres in diameter and usually have a natty little collection of twigs and grassy bits arranged around the opening. The spider stays in the burrow during the day and hovers around the top at night waiting for passing dinner.

How Nasty Are They?

The good news is that, though disgustingly large and skin-crawling, the Wolf Spider is not aggressive. If it does get irritated enough to bite it’s said to be no worse than a wasp sting.

How Are They Stopped?

This is a case of live and let live since the Wolf Spider doesn’t come into the house and will leave you alone if you leave it alone. 

3. Indian Meal Moths

What Are They?

Also known as weevil moths, pantry moths, flour moths or grain moths, they are around  8–10mm in length and are generally reddish brown in colour with a coppery shine though some can be bronze or dark grey. 

They lay eggs which and very small and difficult to see with the naked eye. The grubs that hatch are off-white in colour with brown heads and grow steadily up to 12-14mm in length.

How Nasty Are They?

Though not harmful to humans, they are a complete destroyer of your pantry food, feeding upon grains, cereals, nuts, biscuits, dried fruit, soup and sauce mixes and even crushed red chilli. The moths will lay eggs on any dried pantry food they can get to and those eggs will hatch out into little maggoty things called waxworms which will eat their way through the food whilst spinning out silky tracery all over it. After that, they pupate and emerge as moths to start the entire horrid cycle again.

The truly unpleasant thing is that the grubs are capable of burrowing through thin plastic, paper and cardboard so even unopened packets are not safe.

How Are They Stopped?

These things are extremely hard to eradicate once they’ve got into your larder. The attack strategy involves throwing away any food that looks infected by them and wiping anything that doesn’t with warm soapy water or a mixture of vinegar and water. The next step is wiping down all shelves in the pantry in case the moths have laid eggs on them. 

Once all that is done, it’s the prevention stage; a visit to a local China Bazaar for a truck full of Tupperware to keep dried food in is essential and it’s also advisable to get sticky moth traps that attract the critters with pheromones.  Be aware they can also get into clothes if no food is available so using sandalwood clothes hanger discs and bags of lavender in the wardrobe will help ward off these and other moths.  

4. Yellow Scorpion

What Are They?

The common yellow scorpion, or Buthus occitanus by its posh name, is found throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. They are around 60-80mm in length and a yellowish-brown colour.

This little blighter is usually out hunting insects at spiders at night, especially during the Summer months, and it likes to spend the day hiding under stones and in nooks. They can climb very well so can be found on walls and ceilings where you’ll spend your time wondering what would have happened if one fell on you.

How Nasty Are They?

Well, that stinger at the end of the tail contains a venom that it injects into its prey to paralyse it however, the good news is that the venom is not as strong in the yellow scorpions found in Spain as it is in the ones in Africa and the Middle East. It won’t prove fatal but can be more of a problem in young children, the elderly and pets as well as people who have allergies to stings. 

If you do get stung by one, it’s best to get it checked out at a medical centre.

How Are They Stopped?

This is another case of live and let live; the yellow scorpion won’t go out of its way to have a dig at you and is only likely to sting if it feels threatened. In general, you’ll only encounter them out in the scrub, but if you do find one in the house it’s best to encourage it into a big jug with something suitably long and proddy and then relocate it outside.

So that’s eight creepy crawlies that are best avoided. Tune in folks because a bonus round of unpleasant beasties may be coming your way soon.