Addressing one of the more frightening claims, that the spiders can 'fly', Dr David Coyle assured people that they don't fly'like the monkeys in the Wizard of Oz.' Dr Coyle, an entomologist at Clemon University, explained that only the baby spiders have that ability - and they lose it when they grow into their bright yellow-and-blue streaked bodies.
Once their eggs hatch in the spring, the spiderlings hitchhike by ballooning - they release tiny silk threads that are picked up by the wind.
'One of the issues is people think that the big ones are going to fly like the monkeys in the Wizard of Oz and drop on their picnic,' Dr Coyle said. 'A spider that large is not capable of being carried by silk. So they don't fly.'
'A really big on might be three to four inches across with its legs spread out,' said the entomologist.'Four-inch bodies are not happening, six-inch anything is not happening.'
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