How to Repel Camel Spiders

Soldiers in the desert have faced deadly combat, extreme heat and long deployments away from home. However, there is one challenge that those who serve or live in the desert are all too familiar with and may never get used to--camel spiders. Camel spiders are large, fast, and tenacious and have been known to chase people for hundreds of yards. Here's how to repel camel spiders

Things You'll Need

• Metal box

Instructions

1. Get rid of all small bugs in your immediate area, especially darkling beetles. Camel spiders like to eat those bugs and termites, too. Don't give the spiders a reason to come near your tent at night in search of food. A bug crawling on you could cause an indirect bite. Although rumored to be poisonous, camel spiders are not, but their bite is a powerful one that can cause an infection. You don't want a piece of their pincers.

2. Put your food in a metal box. Camel spiders won't go for your food. They like bugs and even other spiders but your food could be appealing to those other little creatures, which in turn will attract your scary foe.

3. Control your shadows. This may seem silly, but camel spiders are just like every other desert creature and try to stay in the cooler shadows. People think that they are being chased by a camel spider (known to reach speeds of 10 mph), but they are really trying to beat the heat. Camel spiders would rather not go out in the day and try to hide from the sun. So if you are walking around in the desert and see camel spiders, don't put up an umbrella or make a large shadow near them.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't use insect spray on camel spiders. Camel spiders will not die from it. Instead you will probably anger the camel spider.

• Do not keep camel spiders as pets. They aren't trainable and only prefer desert climates.

• Check your sleeping bag and other dark spots in your camping area before going to bed. Make sure that your sleeping bag is zipped up during the day.

Resources

• Myths and facts about camel spiders