Nghe An People in Yen Thanh district go into the forest to catch black spiders with yellow stripes to sell to traders to export to China as drinking bait, earning nearly 200,000 VND a day.
In mid-August, Ms. Tran Thi Hien, 43 years old, and two neighbors sat in the middle of the yard of their house in Lang Cau hamlet, Lang Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, classifying spiders they had just caught in the forest.
Wearing plastic gloves, three women separate spiders as big as little fingers and index fingers into two different types and put them into nylon bags and large plastic cans to be shipped to traders. This is seasonal work for local people every autumn.
People of Lang Thanh commune classify spiders caught from the forest. Photo: Hung Le
Ms. Hien works in the fields, and when the season is over, she plants and peels the bark of acacia trees for forest owners in the commune, earning more than 300,000 VND a day. On rainy days, she brings nylon bags, small sacks, plastic cans, and a meter-long bamboo pole into the forest in Lang Thanh commune to catch spiders spinning webs on the branches of acacia trees.
The spider has a black body with yellow stripes, is more than 2 cm long, 1 cm wide, has many legs, and lives in groups under bee farms in acacia forests. Locals call this animal "devil-faced spider" because of its strange shape. About 4 years ago, no one dared to catch it because they thought the spider was poisonous, afraid that it would attack and affect their health.
At this time, spiders are in the egg-laying season, and when processed into dishes, they have a rich and fatty taste, so people focus on catching them for about 2-3 months. Every time she goes to the forest, Ms. Hien uses a pole longer than a meter to reach the cajuput trees taller than her head, picks up the spiders that fall to the ground and then catches them again. On average, if lucky, a person can catch more than a kilogram a day, at least 500 grams, and sells them for 150,000 to 200,000 VND.
Black spiders with yellow stripes are sold for processing into food. Photo: Hung Le
"Spider moves slowly, you just need to be quick and have a good eye to catch it. However, people must wear gloves to be safe, because this species bites quite painfully. The bite is not venomous but the swelling takes a few days to heal," said Ms. Hien, adding that catching spiders is quite hard and dangerous, due to the rugged terrain of the mountains and forests, sometimes causing injuries, but in return, it also earns money to cover living expenses.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc, 33 years old, a trader in Lang Thanh commune, said that spiders as big as an index finger are purchased for 300,000 VND per kilogram, and below that price is 100,000 VND. Transactions are bustling in the late afternoon, with more than 10 people coming to buy goods each session. On average, Ms. Ngoc collects 600 kg of spiders per season.
Ms. Ngoc kept the spiders she had purchased in the refrigerator. About 2-3 days later, after collecting enough quantity, Ms. Ngoc’s husband drove the nylon bags and sacks of spiders to Thanh Hoa to import for agents to export to China as snacks.
Classification of forest spiders. Video: Hung Le
"Processing spiders is quite simple. Just remove the silk sac in the abdomen, wash it, put it in a pan to fry until crispy, and can marinate it with spices and lemon leaves. Dishes made from spiders are always considered specialties. Before sending them to partners, I usually leave a little for food," said Ms. Ngoc.
Mr. Nguyen Trong Huong, Director of Yen Thanh District Agricultural Service Center, said that people go to catch spiders to sell because of word of mouth. Regarding state management, there is no agency that directs or regulates the ban on catching this species.
"However, we recommend not catching spiders for food. Spiders are a link in the ecosystem, and while they are harmful, they are also beneficial. Furthermore, plants and animals in nature are very diverse, many plants and animals contain toxins that are harmful to health, and not all species are edible," said Mr. Huong.
The black and yellow-banded spider, commonly known as the banana spider, scientific name Nephila pilipes , resides throughout Southeast Asia as well as Oceania, and is commonly found in primary and secondary forests and gardens.
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