Big Spider

I snapped a couple pics of this gal last week.
She moved a few days ago and I lost her.
I found her yesterday in a much better spot for me to get nice and close.
A Yellow and Black Zipper.
Andy p

Here is another shot.
Andy P

Guess you DID get close, Andy. Great pics, but I still think spiders are creepy. I know they're good for the garden. I don't bother them...they don't bother me.

Whoa! Them garden spiders are some monsters! They don't scare me much, not even tarantulas. Poisonous spiders, like widows and brown recluses? Yes. Having a spider crawl up my arm or on my face? Yes!!!

But I don't have a problem being in close proximity to a spider, as long as I know it is not going to crawl on me.

Now bees, they are my bugaboo!

Nice shot, Andy!

Thanks!

CJ

((Andy .. you ol show-off, you)) .. heehee

A superb photo!
That's so 'close-up' .. you can see the 'alien head' in that shape/design on her back!

Happy for ya .. that he 'moved', to better accommodate you. (hee)

- Magpye

Thanks everyone. Spiders don't bother me too much, so long as they are small and not ON me, lol.
I was watching her rebuild the web this morning and thought it would be cool to snap a pic of a thread being put in place. Clumsy me, I twanged a support thread. The entire web began undulating violently and wouldn't stop. Poor spider hung on but didn't resume construction.
Later I noticed her wrapping lunch so I snapped a pic of that.
Andy P

Great Shots, Andy! (as usual). :-)

Great pic Andy. As many times as I've seen them doing their thing in the garden, I never noticed the "alien head" I wonder if they were ever mentioned on the X-files ;)

Andy THOSE shots are fabulous wonderful captures of that well... pretty? spider

You knew I would find this sooner or later I always seem to have to open the threads on spiders!!! You got some really cool shots of her I am glad she is in your garden and not mine LOL EEK!!!!!!!!!

Anne

She's an Argiope - an orb web spinner. In that 3rd picture isn't that her spinnerets coming out of her lower abdomen? Mr. Argiope is small and liable to be eaten after the traditional spider after-cigarette. We have 2 giant females in our tomato garden and the kids petted them today. They are so funny - fearless when they're young. One spider ran to the center of her web and the other one must have also popped a thread because the whole web was shaking violently. Argi # 1 had a live grasshopper she was just wrapping up when we arrived. I think we've had more fun watching the spiders than growing tomatoes.

Those are great photos Andy - keep them coming.

Thanks everybody.
Anne, I think you like to scare yourself, LOL.
Aly, I was wondering why the web kept vibrating longer than 'natural' when I touched a thread. It turns out that the spider was testing for captures by vibrating the web herself, according to BugGuide. Fascinating.
No fresh pics today. She moved again, not a good spot this time.
Andy P

yes i agree I do like to scare myself -- I guess that is why I watch scary movies and look at spider threads LOL

Just still would not want to run into any in my yard I am always very careful to look out for them and keep a distance.

We have some kind of spider 4 to be exact that have built very stretchy filmy looking webs in the corners of my windows and they hide in the corner. I cannot open the window and flip it open to clean the outside now since they are there and would scare me in person! Not sure how I will get to that chore now LOL

I cannot get a picture since they dart back into the corner when i approach the window LOL they are fast !

Ah, people who like spiders. I like them in my garden and certain places outside around the house - not in my bed.

This one seems to have munched on some dragonflies - their transformation cases were all over this tree. Elm leaves are 1 1/2" - 2" long.

EEEK that is one big spider and so hard to see now i will be afraid to go near the bark of a tree LMAO

Indirt, that is a scary one!!!! I hope it's not a jumper, LOL
Andy P

i believe it is a wolf
i have seen so many of the another kind of wolf eaten by wasps - the camo is probably to keep the wasps away

She moved a bit yesterday.
This morning I found this.
Andy P

Then I found her, dead.

The life cycle moves on.
She just dropped from exhaustion.
How long before the eggs hatch?
Andy P

Hey Andy, great pics. I just found one of these in my Yucca tonight. I'm REALLY not into spiders, but did find her interesting. Here's a site you might like http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Argiope_aurantia.html if it comes up as their homepage search for "Argiope aurantia". I just did a Google search for "black and yellow spider" and found tons of info.

I also found an egg sac. There may be more than one, up to 3. Each sac can hold 300 to 1400 eggs. They will hatch this fall, but will overwinter in the sac for protection from the elements and predators. They should look like normal Black and Yellow Argiopes, only smaller. They will leave the egg sac in spring. So, you may have lost the Mama, but I'm sure 300 or so crawling through your garden next spring will make up for it. Ewww!

Then if only 25% of those stay in your garden, and 25% of those are female....oh, gosh, I'm not the greatest at math...but you'll be overrun with these creepy things.

Of course, I'm really thinking of YOU here, and not myself....just because one showed up in my garden as well. lol.

However, I must say, they are great, great bug catchers! This one has spun it's web in my Yucca, which is right in the center of a circle of Brugs. Those Brugs have had NO bugs this year. The Brugs on the other side of the garden just needed a Neem spray. So, I guess I'll keep the ugly spider that my DH and the neighbor kids say is "cool" looking. It's organic, and I've been trying to go organic...but I just hope they never touch me or get in the house. OH, that is a horrible thought, they are so huge. This one is bigger than 1 1/4".

Doing the spider dance....yuck, yuck, yuck!!
Heather

My pics aren't nearly as good as Andy's...sorry...

Egg sac. They are always near where you find the Mama's web.

Shot of underside of spider. Ick, ick, ick.

Last one, side view. The circle in the background is just the curly cues on the Yucca plant, it has nothing to do with Mrs. Spider, but it looks like she's blowing bubbles out her butt, LOL!!

Heather, you are too funny......
These gals don't usually bite unless you really provoke them.
My girl set up home in a deciduous flower bed, that I clear in the Fall. What am I going to do with the egg sack then?????
Last season I had a big praying mantis use that flower bed. This year I have mantis all over the yard. I cleared that bed last Fall but never found that egg sack.
I like the mantis but one or two of these Argiopes is enough. LOL
Andy P

What kind of plant is the web for the sac attached to? It looks like it has a pretty hefty stalk. Any chance it could winter over there?

I don't think you'll have any success trying to move it. But, I suppose you may be able to rig something up with dowel rods and duct tape...no, I'm not kidding. One of the biggest issues for these spiders is wind and predators. Predators such as birds and mud wasps. So, keeping the sac out of the open would be something to avoid. Also, as soon as you pluck or maybe even touch one strand of the web the whole thing may collapse.

The babies will hibernate through winter, but will hatch before hibernating...from what I've read. So, if you're going to monkey with the sac, do it now. I've experienced baby spiders going crazy...100's of them crawling in every direction. It's like a living nightmare. I think that's why they freak me out so badly!! I don't know how long it will take them to hatch for sure, I'll look for more info on that. If you're going to move the sac I'd do it soon.

Or, you can always do what my neighbor kid said to do...bring the sac in the house and see what happens to it. OMgosh, can you imagine????

Ok, Andy, how badly do you want to save these creepy critters? I have a better idea than duct tape, lol.

Nylons. Yepper, good ole pantyhose. I'm sure one of the women in your life will lend you a pair or buy a pair for you. If not, then go to the store (drug store, dept. store, even grocery store) and find a lady that works there and tell her what you want them for. When she's done laughing at you she'll show you where they are and probably even pick a pair out for you. LOL! If not then I'd be willing to send you a pair, just let me know your size.

Nylons are tougher than you might think. I'm thinking to cut one leg off and tie it off to the 2 dowels, but not too tightly. Then you could slit the leg right down the middle, except leaving the very middle part intact. This is hard to explain. In the middle you would have a little place for the egg sac to rest.

I can cut up a pair and take pics to show what I mean if you think this sounds more interesting than stupid, LOL.

Also, if you use white hose, rather than nude or tan it might make the babies feel more at home. ROTFLMBO!!!

You are funny, Heather. The web is attached to Liatris, Peony and Phlox. None will stand up to our Winter. I can leave that section in tact and see what happens. I will not disturb it for now, at least.
The egg sack is out in the open, not protected or hidden in any way.

I use pantyhose on my clothes dryer vent to catch lint.
Andy P

Andy - I must have unwatched this thread coz I forgot about it till I read that your Argiope died. Sniff sniff. I shall have to look for our Big Mama today in the mater patch. The kids can't be there and they have really enjoyed her. But now what I really want to know is how do you use pantyhose on the clothes dryer vent? I have to crawl past a bunch of overplanted perennials to get to my outside vent to clean the screen - if there's a better way.,......

Aly, the nylon stocking is attached to the back of the dryer, where the vent tube would go. I have no outside vent. A builder oversight.
The added heat and moisture is welcome in the winter, I don't use the dryer much in the Summer. The clothes line is handy and fuel efficient. LOL
Andy P

We have the same dryer set up here. Don't forget to clean that thing.

Have you looked for other egg sacs? There may be more, but better hidden.

I was kinda hoping to see that little papery ball in the center of a hosiery sling shot type of contraption.

Is there any way you can think of to maybe add extra support very carefully to the plants the web is attached to? C'mon, don't you want 300 free bug catchers next year??? Just think of all the money you'll save, plus it's organic so you're saving the environment too. Then maybe you could even catch some and sell 'em on eBay and make some money! Egads!!!

Hi, Andy, VERY sorry to hear that your argiope died. Mine don't usually die until closer to Christmas perhaps because we don't have much of an autumn season. Mine usually leave lots of those "pods" attached to the house in areas near/behind shrubs. Maybe you could support the plant yours is attached to with a straightened wire clothes hanger, one end studk in the ground beside the plant, the other looped around the plant. Then again, maybe the mother spider knows more about this than we do. Maybe she put it where she did on purpose, knowing that the support would dry and sink into a comfortable, protective pile of plant debris. Just a thought.

Here is one of my "girls" from last year munching on a butterfly: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/179948692/1459596041015894510lFfUSu
I don't condone this behavior (eating butterflies) but we've agreed to disagree on this.

Here is one of my other garden spiders. I think this is also an argiope. (If anyone knows otherwise, please advise.) I've gotten used to the former variety, but am still trying to learn to "love" these ladies. Thankfully, these usually build hi-wire webs that stretch from limb to limb above my head. http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/179948692/1459595663015894510xdwEER

About that behavior of vibrating the web, I thought they were doing this to let me (clearly too large for prey) see the web and thus, hopefully, avoid contact with it.

When they spin that web, I always picture them shaking their little fists at me...all eight of 'em.

heatherjoy - sadly, probably less than 1% of the hatched babies will make it to adulthood. That's why they have so many, so at least enough will survive to make more babies.

I had one female in my bushes last year but she disappered before laying any eggs so I don't have any this year.

Last fall I saw about fifty webs and spiders in the woods (about 5 miles from home). I wish there was a way I could have transported some of them here - but didn't even know if I could or if it would have been a good idea.

Hi Andy - thanks anyway ! That was a builder oversight but at my last house they tried to rectify it by running a tube about 25 ft across the basement ceiling and venting it out a new hole on another side of the house. Just have to shake your head and think that might not be the most efficient thing I've ever seen.

Less than 1%? Oh my goodness. That's quite low. As much as I dislike creepy crawlers and slimy slitherers I don't like those odds. I've already delayed my plans to dig up my Yucca plant this fall because of the babies...please don't try and talk me into anything else. Yes, I'm a sucker for helpless animals...but spiders???? Currently there are 5 stray kittens under my front porch that we are feeding, and one will probably end up being my baby. How many aphids would I have to catch for 300 baby spiders?

Maybe you could adopt Andy's eggs and give them a good home, wooconley? They really are incredible creatures, especially if their survival rate is that low.

I went looking for the Mama this morning and I didn't see her. Of course, I didn't look too well. If she's still alive I didn't want her to surprise me, and if she's not alive...well, I don't know if I want to see that.

By the way, when they vibrate the web when you come near it's a defensive thing. They are trying to make themselves look bigger, like the whole web is part of their body. If that doesn't work to scare off the predator then they drop to the ground and hide.

I shouldn't know this much about spiders, and now I'm being girly and feel like they are crawling all over me. I need to go paint my nails now.

I found a second egg sack last week, must be older than the first one I found. It's nestled in what was the Phlox flowers. I noticed today that the older one had a tiny wasp/fly on it and there were small holes in it. It looks like trouble for the spiderlings inside.
The original one looks OK, for now.
Another worry is my Praying Mantis have moved from the day lilies to the phlox/peony clusters, very near the egg sacks. They are over 4 inches long now, maybe they outgrew their old spot.
I'm not going to interfere with Nature, I'm only an observer.
Andy P

Here is that second egg sack today. Not good.
There have been small holes in it for a few days. Yesterday I noticed these small wasp like bugs on it.
See a hole near the top?
The other egg sack looks OK, so far.
Andy P

wow great shots and so very glad you are taking care of and watching over the future of BIG SPIDERS LOL

all kidding aside interesting to see albeit icky!!!!!!

Awesome Andy,
Arigopes are very intelligent spiders, each one has a signature.. I had one on a window that made an X in her orb. Every day she would tear the whole web down (after catching and eating something else), and build it back up again signing her X in the middle, resting in an X pattern herself.

Debnes

Thanks.
That little bug on the egg sack has been identified as a parasitic wasp, Ichneumon. Those little spiders in there are doomed.
Lets hope the other egg sack will make it.
Andy P