Fall is pumpkin time and spider time

Whether you are an arachnophobe, or you just don’t like the creepy feeling of walking face first into a spider web, most people cringe when they see a spider. A University of Georgia expert says most spiders are actually helpful to keep around.

Brown recluse spiders seem to strike the most fear. Nancy Hinkle gets a lot of calls this time of year from people who think they’ve spotted a brown recluse.

Very few brown recluses live in Georgia

“We get calls about 'brown recluse' spiders being in webs outside people's houses,” said Hinkle, an entomologist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “There are two fallacies there: brown recluses are never found in webs, and they're almost never outdoors.”

Hinkle says the spider gets its name for a reason. It’s reclusive and almost never seen. They have been found in less than 20 percent of Georgia counties, mostly in the northwest corner.

“In all of recorded history, fewer than 100 brown recluse spiders have been collected in Georgia, despite hundreds of pest control operators and entomology students avidly looking for them,” she said.

Web-makers and insect-eaters

There are plenty of other spiders in Georgia. Barn spiders are to blame for creating the webs most often walked into by people.

“I would bet that almost every home in Georgia has a barn spider on the porch or somewhere nearby this time of year,” she said.

Hinkle has one on her deck, one at her back door, and one at her front door. They’re handy to keep around, she said. Being nocturnal, they construct new webs every evening, where they wait to trap insects. Rusty brown with legs extending 2 inches, they’re noticeable this time of year.

“Their webs trap all sorts of flying pests,” she said. “People get annoyed when they walk into these webs and get silk covering their faces, but I consider that a people problem, not a spider problem.”

The yellow garden spider is one of the longest spiders in Georgia. Found in gardens and around shrubbery, it constructs large webs. The abdomen has distinctive yellow and black markings while the front part of the body is white.

The female typically remains in one spot throughout her life, repairing or reconstructing her web as it is damaged or ages. Also called the “writing spider,” its web may have a distinctive zigzag of silk through the middle.

Another common Georgia spider is the orb-weaver. It makes large webs, too.

Larger in the fall

Spiders have been living in Georgia landscapes all summer.

They’re now just large enough to be really noticed. The first hard frost will kill most of them, Hinkle said. Until then, they are busy mating and producing egg sacs that will overwinter and re-establish the population next spring.

In addition to relying on the spiders to help with outdoor pest control, Hinkle uses them to avoid doing lawn work.

“A golden garden spider has built her web attached to my lawnmower handle,” she said. “Not wanting to disturb her, I haven't mowed in weeks!”


By Sharon Dowdy
University of Georgia


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Little Spider, Big Spider

Earlier today I caught some movement outside the window beside my computer. At first I thought it was just a spider moving across the outside pane. I glanced at it, made sure it wasn't inside with me, then went back to work.

A bit later I caught some motion again and took a closer look expecting to find this huge monster of a spider weaving a web.

It wasn't weaving a web, it was caught in a web. I watched for a minute or two then went back to work.

After a bit I stopped again as I caught some new movement out the corner of my eye. It was the tiny owner of the web coming to investigate what it had caught for dinner.

This tiny little light brown spider would get close to the bigger black spider (ugly thing) only to be deflected by one of its long legs. I watched for maybe fifteen minutes as the little one tried to come at the big one in various ways.

Finally I went back to work. Finally I noticed that the little one gave up. It must have been pretty hungry to try for so long! However, common spider sense must have gotten past the hunger pangs and it decided to leave the big guy alone.

Off and on I've watched as the big dude has thrashed about in the web trying to work itself loose. I debated on whether to go outside and help it out, but finally decided to let nature run its course and not meddle.

It's fighting hard for life. It has managed to do quite a bit of moving but it's not going anywhere. I don't know how long it will take for death to catch up, I imagine it will tire and stop its fight at some point, then the little one will move in for the big feast.

I suppose given the proximity of some bird feeders that one of my many birds could swoop in and steal my little spider's dinner.

It's going to be interesting to see the end of this saga. I can't help but feel for the big ugly black spider.

Whoops, I just looked up as it has managed to get partially free! Wouldn't that be a kicker if it somehow defied the odds and figured out a way to get loose from the web? I don't see it happening though as it's free swinging in the middle of the web and every step it takes will lead to another sticky string.

I'll keep you posted!