Welcome to You Ask Andy

Kathy Composano, age 12, of Niagara Falls, Ont., Canada, for her question:

WHAT HAPPENS TO SPIDER WEBS?


A spider web is among nature's architectural marvels. The marvelous silk it is made of comes from glands within the spider's body. Far more complex than a mere slender thread gleaming in the sunlight, it can stretch like rubber and is stronger than steel. And because it is so resistant to shock and age, it is often used as cross hairs in gunsights and binoculars.

The some 30,000 known species of spiders all producesilk, but not all spin webs. The web is merely one of countless ways this eight legged creature uses the silk it makes..

Although the kinds. of spider webs are nearly endless, they fall into three main categories. Tangled webs are the simplest variety  a shapeless, loosely woven jumble.. Sheet webs are flat sheets of silk spanning blades of grass or branches of shrubs or trees. The most beautiful and complicated are the orb webs, where coiling lines of sticky silk connect the wheel¬like spokes extending from the center.

Most spiders begin spinning almost immediately after emerging from the egg case. Tiny wriggling acrobats, they seem to float in the air as they let out drag lines for miniature versions of the adult masterpiece. For the rest of their lives web spinning will occupy a sizable chunk of their time. For even with the best of care, the fragile structures usually last no longer than a day or so.

Some very fussy orb weavers set aside about an hour to spin a new web every night. Others assess the damage of the day's catch and, if it is not too bad, will repair the torn threads.

All kinds of demolition crews wreck spider webs. You yourself have no doubt walked through dozens of them unintentionally. And while gentle raindrops and soft breezes merely caress the gossamer strands, pounding rains and debris¬hurling winds are something else. Of course, the main purpose of the web is to trap food for the very nearsighted arachnid. And it is only logical the snare will need a replacement after a day or two of capturing wriggling, combative insects.

Spider webs are perfect traps for darting insects. Often poised in the center of the web, the spider patiently awaits an unlucky passer by. When such a juicy morsel blunders into the trap, the spider sways violently back and forth in the web, tangling the hapless victim further, rendering escape impossible.

 

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