With today being the first day of fall and many people embracing the fall decorations and decor, it is the perfect opportunity to talk about the biggest spider in Florida, the Golden Silk Orb-Weaver Spider (Nephila).
Diet:
- Small flies
- Beetles
- Cicadas
- Locusts
- Bees and wasps
- Small birds and bats
Web:
- Produces large asymmetrical orb webs
- Remains in the web permanently which makes them vulnerable
- Spiders look for dense vegetation where webs can be used strategically
- Results of strong web, small birds and bats can become trapped
- Spiders are alerted to prey caught by vibrations in the strands
- Small prey is captured alive and removed from the web in silk
- Larger prey is bitten until the venom immobilizes the target
Facts:
- Found in warmer regions and wet climates
- Females can be up to ten times larger than males
- Females are 1.5-2 inches (not including leg span) and males are 1 inch
- Spider-lings can be carried by the wind for long distances
- Golden Silk Orb-Weavers are named for their yellow toned silk
- Can catch food to store above the web and can contain over a dozen prey items
- Changes their body position to to receive optimum sun to ensure correct body temperatures
- Venom is effective on prey, but hasn’t been observed to effect humans if bitten
- The golden silk has been tried for centuries as a means of textile
- Fishermen on coastal indo-pacific remove webs to be used to catch bait fish
- Also called Golden Orb-Weavers, Giant Wood Spiders, and Banana Spiders
Information provided by: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/golden_silk_spider.htm
To learn more about Nephila Spiders watch: https://youtu.be/JW7tLXeIv3M
Shanna Weber