Spiders

I

i_am_Lois

Member
Last summer a fearsome looking spider took up residence on one of my screens. It's an Argiope spider. They live till the weather cools, then die. They eat mosquitoes & grasshoppers which makes them beneficial here in Florida. They are shy & don't bite unless provoked. If they do bite it is at the most, no worse than a bee sting. The web they design is quite unique, with what appears to be a zipper woven down the center.

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They are so pretty, aren't they?? Used to have them in the garden, but haven't seen any the past few years....they are fascinating to watch, too.
 
That's a big 'un Lois! We sometimes get spiders that have their own shell, like a seashell...have no idea what they're called, lol. Lots of spiders by me, especially since our house is surrounded by spruce/pine trees.
 
I believe that is the kind of spider that has been in my yard. I don't care if its bite is "only" like a bee sting. That is very painful. I am not having anything around me that will bite.:mad:
 
I quite like those kinds of spiders. We have orb weavers and St Andrews Cross spiders as common garden inhabitants. The orb weavers tend to take up their webs in the daylight, leaving only a single strand to make it easier to spin them out again at sunset. They hide on a twig or the guttering and are well camouflaged by day.

It is fascinating watching them build their web but it is also good to know where they are because walking into one in the dark is not a good experience. It is just one of the reasons why visitors are told to always carry a stick. You hold the stick in front of you so that first contact with a web is not with your face.

But the spiders are harmless.
 
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