A ball of spiderlings bursts into life!

The female lays eggs inside a silken egg case, often seen over winter under windowsills and sheltered crevices. Each one may contain 100’s of eggs. Not all may survive though. After hatching these spiderlings (possibly Araneus diadematus or the garden spider), spin a communal blanket of silken strands upon which they cluster collectively for safety and to complete their development before leading a solitary life.

I have over the years touched many such spiderling clusters and the ones nearest to the touch are the ones which scatter immediately and like a wave the others follow, bursting in all directions. Depending upon the force exerted, spiders furthest from the touching (or immediate danger from a potential predator) may move least of all. The more pressure and speed I exerted the wider the bursting response whereby all the spiders would scatter. This is a defensive behaviour by the young spiders which would cause confusion to a potential predator. The individual spiders disperse, floating away on silken strands to begin their life’s journey.  Try it for yourself! Finger on the button…..Boom!

Further reading and photographs about spiderling balls can be found at this first class web site by Africa Gomez

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