The Badge Archive

Quick Spider Facts

Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Bugs badge requirements.

Info Needed for Badge Requirements – See Below

Items Needed:

  • Pen or pencil for each scout or small group.
  • Printed spider diagram with blank labels for each scout or small group.
  • (Optional) Short bug fact sheet
  • (Optional) Troop Coloring supplies (crayons, markers, or colored pencils)

Instructions (Total Time: 6–11 Minutes):

  1. Quick Spider Facts (2–3 minutes)
    • Leader shares a few simple facts (see below)
  2. Label the Diagram (4–5 minutes)
    • Scouts label parts on the spider diagram. Scouts can work individually or in small groups with help as needed.
  3. (Optional) Add Color and a Fun Fact (2–3 minutes)
    • Scouts color their spider and write one fun fact they learned.

Info Required for Requirement 1 – Spiders

Where Spiders Live
Spiders live almost everywhere: forests, deserts, grasslands, wetlands, and even inside homes. They build webs in corners, trees, underground burrows, or hidden spaces.

How Long Spiders Live
Most spiders live for 1 to 2 years, but some tarantulas can live up to 20 years!

What Spiders Eat
Spiders eat insects like flies, mosquitoes, and ants. Some larger spiders eat small animals like frogs or lizards. They help control bug populations.

What’s Good About Spiders

  • They eat pests that bother people and damage plants
  • They help keep ecosystems balanced
  • Their silk is super strong and used in science and medicine

What’s Not So Good About Spiders

  • Some people are scared of them
  • A few types have venom that can hurt humans
  • They sometimes build webs in places people don’t want

Who Their Enemies Are
Spiders are eaten by birds, lizards, frogs, wasps, and even other spiders!

Main Parts of a Spider

  • Head – Where the eyes and mouth are
  • Eyes – Most spiders have 8 eyes to help them see movement
  • Fangs – Used to bite and catch food
  • Legs – Spiders have 8 legs to walk and feel vibrations
  • Abdomen – The back part of the body that holds silk glands
  • Spinnerets – Tiny tubes at the end of the abdomen that spin silk for webs

Resources:

  • “The Importance of Spiders in Biodiversity – Glenlivet Wildlife.” Https://Glenlivet-Wildlife.co.uk/, glenlivet-wildlife.co.uk/insects/the-importance-of-spiders/. Accessed 10 July, 2025.
  • Oldham, Cydni. “Spider – Description, Habitat, Image, Diet, and Interesting Facts.” Animals Network, 12 Mar. 2020, animals.net/spider/. Accessed 10 July, 2025.
  • “Spiders | Habitat + Diet + Behavior + Facts | – Science4Fun.” Science4Fun – Learn Science Experiments, Topics, Ideas and Activities, 15 Feb. 2020, science4fun.info/spiders/. Accessed 10 July, 2025.
Tia Kennard