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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Golden Silk Spider

Golden Silk Spider from Mexico
September 25, 2009
Hi!
I just moved to a new house and it’s not on downtown so there’s a lot of vegetation and bugs.. I have found lots of this spiders and browsing your site i get to the conlusion that’s a Nephila clavipes, am i right? hehe well, I have my sister and my newborn nephew living with us and i want to know if this spider can be a danger for the little baby.. I never found one of this inside the house, they’re always in their spiderweb and I must say: That’s a strong spiderweb!! … I killed 2 of this on my garden the day I moved in but on an impulse of fear (you know, i’m not familiar with insects)… now.. if they’re not dangerous maybe i can live with that … because a new one showed up today and his web is amazing and I don’t want to kill her (it’s a female, right?) and excuse me for being such a coward, but my sister was very very scared of this
Guillermo Medina
Fortin, Veracruz, Mexico (Gulf of mexico)

Golden Silk Spider

Golden Silk Spider

Hola Guillermo,
Your identification is correct, and you have nothing to fear regarding the Golden Silk Spider.  They are harmless to humans, but they will help to control flying insects that might be a problem, like mosquitoes and biting flies.  We would encourage you to educate your sister and to live in harmony with these beautiful spiders.  Yes, their webs are incredibly strong.

Posted 26 September 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Cloth spun from Golden Silk Spider webs

Cool article: cloth spun from spider’s silk
September 23, 2009
Hi WTB–
I thought you might enjoy this article–beautiful cloth woven from silk that was harvested from orb weaver spiders.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/spider-silk/
JJR

Dear JJR,
We should have some very old postings in our archive on textiles woven from the silk of the Golden Silk Spiders in the genus Nephila.  Thanks for the awesome link.

Posted 24 September 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Golden Orbweaver with Egg Sac

6 yr old bug scientist needs your help again
September 21, 2009
Hi,
Earlier this summer, you helped us identify a silver argiope orb weaver that we found outside my son’s school. Since then, he’s found a Golden Orb Weaver in our back yard that we identified by using your sight. Over the weekend, she suddenly disappeared for a couple of days and we wondered what happened to her. Well, this morning, we found out. She was back – and with a very large egg sac.
I’ve attached pictures of her both before and after the egg sac appeared.
My son would like to know if you have any idea how many baby spiders we can expect and how long it will take them to hatch. Also – will the mommy spider survive this process?
Thanks for your help!
P.S. I tried to send this earlier today, but got an error message and couldn’t tell if it went through so if you get it twice, I apologize.
Mom of future “bug guy”
Aliso Viejo, CA

Golden Orbweaver with Egg Sac

Golden Orbweaver with Egg Sac

Dear Mom of future “bug guy”,
Several hundred spiderlings will emerge from this Golden Orbweavers Egg Sac, probably between 200 and 500.  Since you live where there is a mild climate, they mother spider might survive to see her spiderlings emerge, but in harsher climates, the Egg Sac will overwinter and the mother will die.  When the spiderlings emerge, they will balloon away on the wind on silken threads to disperse whichever way the wind blows.  They can travel quite far on the wind.

Posted 22 September 2009 § Eggs ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Marbled Orbweaver

Bulbous, orange with black and white markings. @1/2″ diameter with orange, white and brown striped legs.
September 20, 2009
Hello, I live in Connecticut and found this spider within an outdoor light fixture. Have never seen anything like it. What kind of spider is this and is it poisonous? Is it a helpful or harmful species?
Chris
Connecticut,USA

Marbled Orbweaver

Marbled Orbweaver

Hi Chris,
The Marbled Orbweaver, Araneus marmoreus, is a highly variable spider, but your orange variation is one of the more distinctive of the variations.  This is a harmless species.

Posted 20 September 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

South American Micrathena: Arrowshaped Orbweaver

Unknown spiked spider, Black, Yellow and Red, Guyana, South America
September 12, 2009
I found this spider in Guyana, South America. Taken August 21, 2009, during the start of the dry season. It was in Surama Village, located in the North Rupununi Savannah. It’s location is 4 degrees north latitude and 59 degrees west longitude. This village is where the rainforest meets the savannah. The spider was in the rainforest, not savannah. This picture is somewhat overexposed from sunlight, but the spiders back end is bright yellow (looks kind of white in the picture), with a little bit of red and black. The yellow continues to it’s upper body. I estimate that it measures about 1 to 1.5 inches from head to end.
Bryan Chautems
North Rupununi, Guyana, South America

South American Micrathena

South American Micrathena

Hi Brian,
Perhaps one of our readers will be able to supply you with an exact species.  We are relatively certain your spider is an Orbweaver in the genus Micrathena.  There is a North American species, Micrathena sagittata, that looks quite similar and is known as the Arrowshaped Micrathena.  That species is represented on BugGuide.  Your individual may be closely related or even be a subspecies.

Update
South American Micrathena: Arrowshaped Orbweaver – Unknown spiked spider, Black, Yellow and Red, Guyana, South America
September 12, 2009
Hi Daniel:
I think it pretty much has to be Micrathena, as you suggest.  It does look very similar to M. sagittata and that species does occur as for south as Guyana, but I don’t think that’s it.  It looks more like another wide ranging species, M. schreibersi.  As is so often the case, this species is variable and the red highlights are not always present, but most of the other prominent features seem to match as well.  If I may hedge a little, however, this is a very abundant genus with over 100 species, almost all of them neotropical, so there may be other candidates as well. Regards.
Karl

Posted 12 September 2009 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Golden Silk Spider: Grossly exaggerated

over a foot long with leg lenth, color is mustard and black on legs
September 11, 2009
This spider is huge! Its web is thick as a thin rope. I see them all throughout the woods here in Valdosta Georgia.
from whats that bug
Valdosta, Georgia, United States

Golden Silk Spider: Scale distortion

Golden Silk Spider: Scale distortion

Dear from whats that bug,
We are highly amused by the gross exaggeration in your letter.  This is a Golden Silk Spider, Nephila clavipes, which is sometimes called  a Banana Spider.  They are native to the Southeast U.S. and range into South America.  They are harmless.  They are big spiders, but nowhere near the size you indicate.  Your photo is a wonderful example of how photography can be used to fool the eye by eliminating depth cues and distorting the actual scale relationship between two objects.  The spider is much closer to the camera and its distance relative to the person is greater than what the photo leads one to believe.  This same scale distortion was used several years ago in a widely distributed image on the internet of a Camel Spider in Iraq.  The quality of that image was much better than the low resolution, blurry image you have submitted, so we don’t expect your photo to go viral, creating mass hysteria among arachnophobes.

Posted 12 September 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Arrowshaped Micrathena

Spider with reddish brown legs and yellow & black pointy back
September 8, 2009
I was sitting on my backyard swing and my 18 mos old brought my attention to this spider, she thought it was a bee. I put it in a bug jar and took a couple pictures of it. It is between 1/4-1/4 inches long. We live in SW Pennsylvania And it’s nearly fall here. I’m just wondering what kind of spider it is, I’ve never seen anything like it around here before ! I am petrified of spiders, so I can’t believe I actually got this in a jar.. haha Any information you have would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
Momma of Three
South Western PA

Arrowshaped Micrathena

Arrowshaped Micrathena

Dear Momma of Three,
Suddenly we have gotten quite behind in our responses.  The new semester with budget cuts has brought added responsibility to our already busy lives.  This is an Arrowshaped Micrathena, Micrathena sagittata, a harmless Orbweaver.  You can read about the species on BugGuide.

Posted 10 September 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Delta Flower Scarab caught by Golden Orbweaver

orange beetle with triangle on thorax in an argiope’s web
September 3, 2009
Around noon today, I saw this small beetle get caught in the web of the largest Argiope aurantia spider I’ve ever seen. I live in Fort Pierce, Florida. The beetle has an orange abdomen and legs, but a yellow and black thorax and head. There is a yellow triangle pointing towards the abdomen on its thorax. What could this beetle be? I don’t think I’ve seen one before.
I’ve also included a picture of the spider, in case you want to use it on your site.
Thanks!
Gary
Fort Pierce, FL

Delta Flower Scarab in Orbweaver's web

Delta Flower Scarab in Orbweaver's web

Hi Gary,
This lovely beetle is a Delta Flower Scarab, Trigonopeltastes delta.  The beetle gets its common and scientific name from the shape of the marking on the thorax that resembles the Greek letter delta.   According to BugGuide:  “Adults take pollen and/or nectar. (Possibly eat vegetative parts as well?) Food plants include Goldenrod (Solidago), Feverfew (Parthenium), Coneflower (Echinacea), and Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccafolium).“  Golden Orbweavers are also called Writing Spiders because of the pattern of the stabilimentum in the web that is believed to help camouflage the spider.  We are quite happy to add your images and letter to our Food Chain pages.

Golden Orbweaver eats Delta Flower Scarab

Golden Orbweaver eats Delta Flower Scarab

Posted 05 September 2009 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:

Golden Orbweaver

Yellow and Black, Scarry looking bug in friend’s backyard
August 20, 2009
My friend sent me the attached picture of a black/Yellow sorta striped bug from her back yard. 2 questions….1. Is it poisonous or does it “bite”. (she has 3 children and watches my 3 when I’m at work.) 2. What is it?
Christina J. Kuckie
lockport, IL

Golden Orbweaver
Golden Orbweaver

Dear Christina,
You aren’t worried about this beautiful Golden Orb Weaver being a thief?  It is also called a Black and Yellow Garden Spider, Argiope aurantia, the spider from Charlotte’s Web.  All spiders have venom, but very few will bite people and even fewer are dangerous.  The Garden Spider minds its own business and stays in it web.  It is not aggressive.

Posted 20 August 2009 § ‡ Comments (1) °

Yellow Garden Spider

Pictures of my friend Gardenia
July 31, 2009
Hi!
I hope you like the pictures I took in August ‘08 of a Female Garden Spider that had made it’s home in my euonymous plant . Once I had identified her, I named her Gardenia, and she became a regular stop on my daily garden tour. I think she is eating a fly in these photos.
Brenda A
Waterdown, Ontario, Canada

Golden Orb-Weaver
Golden Orb-Weaver

Hi Brenda,
Thanks for sending us your photos of Argiope aurantia, a female Yellow Garden Spider or Golden Orb-Weaver as we call them in Los Angeles. We think Gardenia is a very fitting name.  One of our gardeners, Raul, has been nicknamed Gardenia by the rest of the crew.  Thanks for indicating that your photos were taken last year as we thought it was a bit early to get photos of such a mature spider.

Posted 02 August 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Orchard Orbweaver

Type of Florida Spider
July 28, 2009
Please help me identify this spider.
Many Thanks,
Magnus
Satellite Beach, FL

Orchard Orbweaver

Orchard Orbweaver

Dear Magnus,
The Orchard Orbweaver, Leucauge venusta, is a common spider in the Southeast.  According to BugGuide its habitat is :  “Woodlands. Builds in low shrubs or small trees, close to the ground“ and it can be identified by the “Slightly elongated abdomen marked with silver, yellow, black, green, and bright orange or pink spots. Spins its web at an angle and hangs in the center.“

Posted 28 July 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Golden Silk Spider

Golden Silk Spider
July 26, 2009
I took this picture today and I was excited that it turned out so nicely. I wanted to share it with other bug enthusiasts.
He (or she) is hanging around in my back yard and is welcome to stay as long as he/she likes.
Sharon Pleasants
Monroe LA

Golden Silk Spider
Golden Silk Spider

Hi Sharon,
Thanks for sending us your photo of a female Golden Silk Spider, Nephila clavipes.  The female is about 100 times the size of the male who would probably go unnoticed except that a male or males are often found sharing the web of a female.  We also just posted a photo of a relative in the same genus from Indonesia.

Posted 27 July 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) °

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