Orb weavers, they're back.

[OneEyeJack]

Oh, happy day. The orb weavers are back in my yard, again. They've been gone for quite a while and now they're back, all over the place. It must be the hot, humid weather we've been having.

These guys are engineers, artists and cold blooded killers, all at the same time. They build the most spectacular webs. I'm watching one being built, right now. It's 20 feet up in the air and spans a gap of at least 15 feet between a palm tree and an almond tree. It's a great engineering feat and a beautiful work of art. This guy is trucking back and forth around in a giant multi-sided circle. It's going to take the rest of the afternoon to finish.

Do you have any of these guys working your yards?

 

[DeepFriar]

Arachnid Special Forces. Hoo Ah. I don't have them. My wife is terrified of spiders, irrationally so IMHO so they would be killed on sight.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

In another month I'll start seeing them around here. They make beautiful webs that sparkle with dew in the early morning sunlight.

 

[eljefino]

They weave all around my porch light. When I flick the light on, moths fly in, and they go bonkers. You can also tick 'em off by blowing on their web, they wake up and think something landed.

Watching them "mummy up" a bug is a treat, too. Industrious.

 

[NMBurb02]

We had one sometime last year and it was pretty cool. We named it Orby (original, I know). The coolest thing was watching it battle another spider (not an orb weaver) and taking that spider down. One day he was gone and we have not seen any here since.

About four years ago at another place we had an orb weaver set up shop about four feet from our front door and right across the only walkway to get out. He was quickly eliminated.

 

[mattwithcats]

My friend by the front door, she is the size of an egg.

This was last year, she laid three small egg sacs, her daughter is there now, and has laid one big one....

 

[Jimmy9190]

Cool spiders. The Orbs and Orchard Weavers are some of my favorite spiders. Where I used to live down near Tampa I always had these Orchard Weavers around my porch and carport:



I have always liked spiders and watching them weave their webs. The Orchard Weavers were so pale green they were almost transparent, and I always liked the green and orange color scheme.

We have a few Wolf Spiders around my house now, but not many other species that I have seen. Unfortunately, Mrs. Jimmy does not share my love for spiders. Not in the least.

 

[Shannow]

There's orb spiders in Oz as well.

The worst thing about the older of the two stations that I worked at (RIP) was working late at night in the turbine hall, and walking down a staircase, face first into a 3"+ orb spider that had spun her web across the stairway as a great place to catch flying insects.

Imagine the coldest, clammiest thing you can imagine, smack bang in the middle of your face...then imagine it wriggling.

Happened more times than I care to remember, and the first was nearly a coronary event.

I do love them 'though.

 

[BRZED]

Shannow, only radioactive spiders need worry you. And even then - homeostasis! Suit up.

 

[Shannow]

BRZED,

I wouldn't worry about the hormetic effect of radioactive spiders.

The only reason that I tolerate the wife and children having a cat is that they kill the Funnelweb spiders that are endemic to this area.

(We've also got redbacks)

 

[xxch4osxx]

Originally Posted By: mattwithcats
My friend by the front door, she is the size of an egg.

This was last year, she laid three small egg sacs, her daughter is there now, and has laid one big one....

These are called garden spiders up here. Cool looking webs though. Got lots of orb weavers around here, I leave them alone so they can eat the bugs.

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
The only reason that I tolerate the wife and children having a cat is that they kill the Funnelweb spiders that are endemic to this area.


The felines are immune to the funnelwebs' venom, or are just quick enough (or lucky enough) to never be bitten??

 

[Shannow]

Funnelwebs are deadly to primates, but not dogs and cats.