Pine, and scorps vs tarantulas

[Bugmom]

So I was doing some research on using natural materials, and a lot of the wood where I'm at right now is Georgia pine. So I typed that into the search engine here, which brought up this thread:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?211677-Georgia&highlight=georgia+pine

Now... if a scorpion can live in pine trees and thrive, and I saw tons of spider webs on and around the pine trees, why is it reported to be toxic to tarantulas? And is it only the sap that's toxic? Would well-baked sap-less bark be OK to use in a tank?

 

[cmcghee358]

I didn't read the whole thread you linked, but, as far as I know pine isn't toxic to tarantulas. But Cedar is toxic to most inverts.

 

[poisoned]

Most conifers contain essential oils that are toxic to some animals. Especially cedar. Although, no research has been done on Ts, and we know some scorpions live in pine forests.

We are not sure if it's toxic to our critters, but we avoid conifers just to be safe. If you have abundance of slings, you are very welcome to do some research.

 

[Bugmom]

I guess my line of thinking is, if scorpions and spiders live in/on/around pine trees, then how can it be toxic to a tarantula?

 

[Beardo]

I guess my line of thinking is, if scorpions and spiders live in/on/around pine trees, then how can it be toxic to a tarantula?

Because scorpions are different animals than tarantulas.....and they don't live in pine trees.

 

[jen650s]

So I was doing some research on using natural materials, and a lot of the wood where I'm at right now is Georgia pine. So I typed that into the search engine here, which brought up this thread:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?211677-Georgia&highlight=georgia+pine

Now... if a scorpion can live in pine trees and thrive, and I saw tons of spider webs on and around the pine trees, why is it reported to be toxic to tarantulas? And is it only the sap that's toxic? Would well-baked sap-less bark be OK to use in a tank?

Possibly, however, all pine trees contain resins and turpines (turpentine) and other chemicals which are toxic to many insects, also, all pines are toxic to some extent which is why they are often cleared from pastures when hard woods are not. Some insects are immune to the toxins, but not many, which is why there are relatively few pine pests (although the ones that do exist are big trouble). While there are plenty of insects that live on them there is a lot of difference between living on a tree in open air--especially a spider living in a web attached to the tree, protected by the bark; rather than on the wood itself in a closed environment with limited air circulation. There is also no way of knowing what mix of pinewood is used in the substrate mix unless you grind it up yourself and the same level of toxins do not exist in all pines.

Pine oil is used in household cleansers to sanitize you counters and floors for it's anti-microbial properties that continue to work long after the cleaning done.

Here is an article about the health problems that pine causes in rodents (for whom the bedding is commonly sold)
http://www.ratfanclub.org/litters.html

And another one about the health problems pine oil causes in humans (scroll to page 10)
http://npic.orst.edu/RMPP/rmpp_ch19.pdf

Here is another article about which pines have the highest levels of toxins
http://www.ehow.com/list_5976996_pine-trees-poisonous_.html

All of which adds up to me not being willing to risk my inverts on a substance that can make most higher order animals either ill or dead.

 

[Bugmom]

Well. That makes more sense.

 

[vespers]

Because scorpions are different animals than tarantulas.....and they don't live in pine trees.

Scorpions have been found in pine trees.