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Black spiders invade ‘Khozam’ in RAK

RAS AL KHAIMAH - Residents of Khozam in Ras Al Khaimah have expressed fears about the growing number of black spiders invading the residential areas. Some of them have managed to spread their web inside the houses too.

The residents say they had informed the officials concerned in the RAK Municipality about the matter so that they could come up with measures to eradicate the spiders as they are posing a danger to the lives of especially children.

Ibrahim Ahmed, a resident of Khozam area, said he recently found a spider inside his house that he managed to kill using a strong insecticide spray. He reported the matter to the Health and Environment Department of the municipality as other residents had also seen black spiders in the sands near their homes.

He said he had made enquiries and found out that these spiders might be poisonous. “Many people are ignorant about the danger. They pose a serious risk to children who play in the sands around their homes.”

Another resident of Khozam, Umm Mohammed, said she had seen black spiders in her house several times. She had managed to kill them.

Sadik Assaf tried to clear all the rubbish around his home in Khozam and sprayed an insecticide in and around his house after coming across black spiders.

He called on the authorities concerned to pump out the stagnant waters that had remained in some areas of Khozam since the recent heavy rain. He said these puddles of water helped breeding of spiders.

He said the authorities must use modern insecticides and spray the whole area in order to eradicate the spiders.

Dr Salah Abdul, preventive specialist for the Northern Region under the Ministry of Environment and Water, said the black spiders, which had reportedly invaded their homes, were hazardous and poisonous and could be harmful to people’s lives. Spider bites could cause infections, which could lead to paralysis, disability and sometimes death.

He, however, attributed the spread of black spiders in the area to the mating season during spring that begins in March.

Dr Abdul said it was the task of the Health and Environment Department in the municipality to eradicate insects in the emirate while the Ministry of Environment and Water ensured the spraying of pesticides in agricultural areas.

Official sources in the Department of Health in the RAK Municipality confirmed receiving reports about black spiders from residents of Khozam but attributed their presence to the poor hygiene and waste accumulation in some houses in the area.

They said they had started spraying modern insecticides in the whole area, but urged the public to maintain hygiene in their homes.

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