Ah! Spider! BIG Spider!

[Posted separately to ba.garden, too. -- TR]

I was out during an unusually warm evening attempting to reduce the
number of pests through direct conflict that generally feast on my
garden and trees unfettered from human contact. I was providing this
vigilante-style justice to several snails, slugs, pincher bugs, and
beetles when I ducked my head into a heavy silken thread stretched the
six feet from my persimmon tree to one of my cars.

This type of steel-cabling has usually been a good indicator of a black
widow's presence. But the Shelob that greeted me from the middle of her
tram was not black nor did she have the tell-tale hourglass in the
abdomen. This Behemoth was orange and gray! It had a bulbous body like a
blacky but wasn't aggressive.

I've just read an article in Discover Magazine on spiders in the US and
immediately thought of the hobo spider. Has anyone else run across this
spider or can you provide any other information on it?

The "Arachnophobic" Ranger

PS: She was FAST! Before I finished staring at her, she was back in the
persimmon tree and gone for the night.

"The Ranger" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
Good move!

....
Well, from that description it's hard to tell. However, the good news is
that the Black Widow doesn't (usually) weaver her web outdoors. She's very
shy and retiring, and is usually found in dark, warm, hidden
places--woodpiles, for instance. She also doesn't make that much of a web.

Not knowing where you are, my guess is that what you found was probably one
of the orb weavers. While they certainly look threatening, they're harmless
(unless you have a distinct "look & feel" like a small bug...(:-o)!).

Well, the Hobo Spider is a member of the funnel web clan (IIRC). So no, it
would have a ground based web not a large aerial one. That and the
coloration you'd described is wrong.

Good for her! This way she'll be around to help you eliminate those other
pesky things that like your garden as much as you do...(:-o)!


L8r all,
Dusty

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"The Ranger" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:


Don't be such a girl...... ;-D <lol>
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 08:27:32 -0700, "The Ranger"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:



[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

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and then

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]


Does that help any?


Penelope

Dusty Bleher <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
[snip]

Sorry about the lack of details there; I was quite happy standing my
minimum six feet away while I cleaned off her webbing. <shudder> Yeesh!

I've not had too much experience with widow's webs but those in my FILs
vineyards tend to be pretty complex, not Charlotte's Web material but
grand enough to net flies, honey bees, and meat-bees.


California, Northern Prefecture of our fiefdom.


Great... The thing was as big as a nickel when she was all scrunched up
tight! When she took off across the remaining strand, she easily gained
in sized to a quarter (although my daughter-units both say larger.) I
can understand a small bug's terror at seeing her coming.

<shudder>

I'll just water my persimmon from afar for a while. There's no need for
me to get much closer than -- oh -- twenty feet for a while.

The Ranger

OmManiPadmeOmelet <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
[Arachnid Escape]


You're saying that like it's a Bad Thing(sm)! You come remove it from my
persimmon tree!

The Ranger

Penelope Periwinkle <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
[snip]

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[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Yes! Thank you. I think it's either the Golden Orb Weaver or the
Jeweled Araneus. Either way, it was large, fast, and entirely to
In-Your-Face-Human for me.

The Ranger

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"The Ranger" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:


That's what jars are for! :-)

I like spiders.
They are voracious predators of "bad" bugs!

'sides, I was just teasing you...
As long as they are outside, I'm ok with them.
Just keep them out of the house!

But, the cats think they make great toys......
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

OmManiPadmeOmelet <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...

Don't laugh too much but I thought of that. If she'd remained curled up
I probably would have been able to screw my courage up enough to do it
without thinking about the consequenses...


In other people's yards, I agree!


I know. That's why I was pushing you towards it. I'm a very much, "You
show me first how it's done" type of guy. (And with spiders, I often
need multiple lessons, so I'll happily keep pushing you towards them.)

The Ranger

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"The Ranger" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:


<grins>
You'd hate my back yard at night... Most of my larger arachnid buddies
are nocturnal. I don't see them during the day but have to watch where I
walk at night due to all the webs!

I wish I had more of the big bananna spiders in the grapevines.
They are diurnal...

I have gourd bird houses put up and they are frequented by house wrens.
They eat a lot of diurnal spiders to feed their kids! Great little
predators for beetles too.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson