I went around outside and tried to get some good pictures of the ones who are inhabiting the trees, the carport, the front porch, etc.
Chiquita #1. Her web is in a tree that extends downward to the bridal wreath shrub right next to my deck stairs. |
| Is this something she's wrapped up or is it part of her? |
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| Chiquita #2 and #3. |
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| Look closely and you can barely see the golden threads of the web. This is in the carport. |
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| Chiquita #2 near the garage door. One thing I've learned--they seem to like to build their webs suspended between areas where I like to walk. If you don't like where they have built a web, you can knock it down with a broom handle and they usually will build somewhere else. That happened with the one on my front porch. She was TOOOOO close to my front door so I knocked down her web. Now she's moved over about three feet. The worst thing is walking into one of these webs. They are unbelievably strong. Although I've never found a spider on me from walking into a web, there was one occasion where I ran back inside and took a shower because there was so much web in my hair. That was the only time I felt that way. I found a very interesting web site that has lots of information about banana spiders. Here is the link: http://www.shadygrovetrainingcenter.com/wildlife/bannana_spider_photo_gallery.htm/ Did you know that there are theories about banana spiders being predictors of hurricanes? Check out this web site for more information! http://www.shadygrovetrainingcenter.com/wildlife/Golden%20Silk%20Spiders%20and%20Hurricane%20Warnings%20043007.pdf I sort of hope that we don't have to prove that theory any time soon, though. My daughter's got lots of spiders too. Actually these are just a few of mine, but the pictures of my other Chiquitas just didn't turn out very well. |
I hate spiders but they do good for us by eating other bugs. I think they watch for where I walk so they can build right there. I have walked into them and boy they are so strong. Seems you can't get the darn web off when it touches you.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there were the spiders we had one summer. We called them zipper spiders because right in the middle of the web there was a white strand that zig-zagged back and forth. There were two outside our kitchen window and their webs spanned from the eave of the house to the ground and they looked as big as the ones in your pictures.
ReplyDeleteBecca, I know what you mean. They seem to be very aware of exactly how inconvenient their webs are!
ReplyDeleteSunny Day, I've seen a couple of these white 'zippers' too. What in the world could they be?
I found three huge ones in my carport late yesterday. A poor moth had just gotten caught, apparently, so I tried rescuing him with a rake handle, without actually hurting him more. After a few tense moments he flew away. But that web is so huge he may wind up in it again.
The 'zipper' ones are not the same thing. I think they are look a likes but it seems like i read somewhere they do bite. I'm not sure though.
ReplyDeleteI love my chiquita banana spiders too. The large ones are the females and the little ones that are sometimes in their webs are their male bitches. After they have had their way with them they eat them.
In one of the pics above she is wrapping up something pretty big; maybe some sort of beetle. I've heard they are scared of cockroaches because of how erratic they move; it scares them.
I usually don't move my chiquitas either. They're good little helpers when it comes to bug control.
That's interesting about the zippers. Because I saw two rather large 'zippers' in the web next to my deck two days ago. When I checked yesterday, they had sort of disappeared. The spider with the big thing wrapped up was the one who had 'zippers' in her web.
ReplyDeleteMale bitches :) LOL
I watch them from my kitty post behind the refrigerator. They have no idea I am watching them and by listening you would swear they are sailors! Dirty mouth? Clean it up!
ReplyDelete