Edgewood woman turns arachnophobes into spider lovers through education

For Amy Bianco, the ideal Florida vacation doesn’t involve lounging on the beach. She’s much happier hiking through dense forest in search of spiders.

On her latest trip to the Sunshine State she spotted a bunch of golden orb-weavers, a species known for its intricate webs.

The Edgewood resident and amateur arachnologist is on a mission to dispel myths and educate people about the eight-legged creatures.

“They’re underdogs,” Bianco says. “They get such a bad rap.”

Several years ago, she launched SpiderMentor.com, a blog filled with fun and informative facts about Western Pennsylvania’s creepy crawlies.

Bianco works with various organizations, including Pittsburgh Parks Conservatory and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, to identify and catalog the vilified and feared spiders.

Armed with a makeshift sweep net — a pillowcase attached to the end of a broom handle — and some specimen jars, she heads into the great outdoors to catch crab spiders, wolf spiders, comb-footed spiders, lynx spiders, banana spiders and long-jawed orb weavers in their natural habitat.

A spider that people won’t find in Pittsburgh is the black widow. There are some species, known as “false widows,” that share many of the same physical characteristics, but lack the distinctive red, hourglass marking on their bellies.

All spiders, except for the family Uloboridae, are venomous, yet rarely bite.

Bianco spends her summers leading spider excursions through Frick Park and teaching workshops at the Community College of Allegheny County, where students observe live and preserved specimens.

The instructor usually brings Daphne, a “super laid-back and chill” pink-toed tarantula, to class with her. By doing so, she makes people realize they aren’t the monsters that popular culture has made them out to be.

Think less “Arachnopobia,” more “Charlotte’s Web.”

Bianco, who works at Pittsburgh’s Environmental Charter School, has always had a soft spot for spiders. As a kid, she’d hear a high-pitched shriek and dutifully remove one from beneath the chair her mother was standing on.

That natural curiosity turned into a lifelong obsession. She’s a member of the American Arachnological Society and recently earned a certificate from Ohio State University after spending 50 hours in a Spider Biology course taught by renowned expert Richard Bradley.

When Halloween ends, her house will still be filled with spider-themed paraphernalia, including oven mitts and toilet seat covers. She even has a web tattooed on her back.

Communing with fellow enthusiasts is thrilling for Bianco, who still gets strange looks from family members when she puts on a headlamp and goes on a nocturnal spider hunt.

They’re slowly coming around though. Her mom — who used to scream at the sight of a Daddy Long Legs — now allows Daphne to scurry up her arm.

By spinning spider yarns, Bianco hopes to convert more folks into fans.

“During my classes, I first acknowledge a person’s fear,” Bianco says. “I don’t force them to hold it. I tell them a story about spider, so maybe the next time they see one they’ll pause before stepping on it.”