How Do Spiders Spin Webs?
WouterMany species of spiders spin webs to catch prey. The silk they use is strong and lightweight. They also recycle the silk materials for new webs.
Some spiders, such as the redback spider in Australia, spin tangled webs to trap and kill insects. Their sticky threads keep prey stuck and dangle until the redback spider finishes eating them.
Scientists are trying to decipher how these spiders make their silk webs. Researchers have found that some species can make extremely strong webs. Some even produce a triangular silk sheet that flies through the air. This explains why some spiders can build webs between trees.
Other spiders do not spin their own webs. They live in other species’ webs. The orb-weavers, for example, build a complex web using dragline threads radiating out from a central Y shape.
They then glue a catching spiral into the center. A third anchor point is added to the web and the spider builds an auxiliary spiral from non-sticky silk.
The auxiliary spiral keeps the sticky spiral in place. The spider then removes the auxiliary spiral. It also fortifies the center of the web with five circular threads.
Another fascinating fact is that spiders are good engineers. They can weave an orb-shaped web that is strong enough to carry a heavy load. They do this by starting with a foundation of dragline threads, then gluing more threads to the middle of the web.
Some species of spiders can also control the size of their web. Male spiders are not territorial and do not stay in one spot. They spend their lives looking for mates.
