erved.
The spider then dashes out to the victim and subdues it using all of its eight legs (insects have six legs). It hangs onto the web with its first two pairs of legs, the third pair grabs the prey, and the fourth pair pulls silk from the spinnerets to wrap around the victim. When the prey is subdued, the spider bites it and injects an immobilizing venom. It then either eats the unfortunate victim, or cuts the silken mummy from the web and stores it elsewhere to be eaten later.
Soon female garden spiders will mate and lay hundreds of eggs in a papery egg sac which is attached to the edge of the web. After laying eggs, females die. The eggs hatch before winter arrives, but the spiderlings remain in the protective sac until spring.
But not all spiders spin webs to capture prey. In fact, only about 180 of the approximately 4,000 species of spiders that inhabit the U.S. are orb weavers.
Brightly colored crab spiders, for example, ambush their prey. Their enlarged forward-directed front four legs give them a crab-like appearance, and they hide among colorful flowers and wait for unsuspecting pollinators. Look for these among the heads of goldenrod and other fall flowers.
Wolf spiders are large, active predators that run down their prey. When not hunting, they rest under rocks or in burrows. Female wolf spiders carry their egg cases under their abdomen, and when the spiderlings hatch, they gather on their mother’s back. If startled, the brood can scurry in all directions, giving the impression that a big spider magically transformed into many tiny ones.
And fishing spiders rest on bits of floating vegetation and detect vibrations on the water surface when insects fall in. The water serves as a substitute web. Other times, fishing spiders feed more actively. They may dangle their front legs in the water to lure a nearby aquatic insect or minnow.
For more information about spiders, visit www.spiders.us.
Dr. Shalaway can be heard on Birds & Nature from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday afternoons on 620 KHB Radio, Pittsburgh or live online anywhere at www.khbradio.com. Visit Scott’s web site www.drshalaway.com or contact him directly at email@example.com or 2222 Fish Ridge Road, Cameron, WV 26033.