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 Inspection
than the Black Widow. They have the same type of
globular abdomen, but it is always dull in color and
The funnel web is easy to see in moist basement
not as eye catching. These quiet spiders hang in the
areas.
web and wait for small insects to blunder onto their
snares.
Habitat Alteration
The problem with cobweb spiders inside buildings
Tighten and close up spaces around entrances.
is that when they feed, they defecate drops of feces
that dry and discolor anything they fall on. These spots
Pesticide Application
are difficult to remove from painted wooden trim.
Apply contact spray into the funnel. Vacuum
Regular dusting eliminates cobweb spider problems. In
webs and spiders.
historically significant buildings and museums their
presence should be called to the attention of building
supervisors.
WEB WEAVING SPIDERS
Spiders in Boathouses
Orb Weaving Spiders
A unique but not uncommon spider habitat is in
Several hundred species of orb weavers are
the rafter area of boathouses. Ballooning spiderlings
distributed in the United States. Usually only the large,
trailing their silk threads are taken up by the wind and
conspicuous orange and yellow, or black and yellow,
deposited on boathouse uprights and piers. When they
species are noticed in late summer when they build
crawl up into sheltered spaces, they find it is also a
webs that extend one foot or so across on porches or
refuge for flying insects like flies and gnats. When
small trees and shrubs. These large flat webs have
they feed, their feces falls on the painted roughened
many straight strands radiating out from the center and
decks of pleasure boats. As with the housebound
are connected with spiral thread winding around and
Cobweb spider, these spots are extremely difficult to
around from the middle out to the perimeter. The
remove.
spiders, often with bodies one inch long and very long
legs, sit in the center of the web waiting for flying
Habitat alteration
insects to be trapped. The large orb weavers are not
This perplexing problem is abated somewhat if the
aggressive towards people; if the client's fear is great,
spiders food source is eliminated. Locate lights so they
the webs can be knocked down.
will not attract flying insects to the boathouse. Flies
Smaller orb weaving spiders build webs across
and gnats do not rest in breezy areas, so fans activated
paths in the woods. Another web builder, the Barn
at night may also help.
spider, Araneus cavaticus, is the prominent,
nonaggressive character in the children's book,
Pesticide Application
Charlotte`s Web.
Careful placement of electric fly grids
outside the roof area may reduce gnats.
Cobweb Spiders
Avoid placement that draws flies or
attracts midges from distances.
Fogging inside the roof only causes the
spiders to drop out of the fogged area
on their webs and return when the fog
is ventilated.
Do not use residual pesticide spray
applications; they are almost certain to
d r o p o n the water and cause
contamination. Spray applications also
degrade rapidly in heat.
Sticky tapes or papers for fly control
will liquify in the heat of these shelters
and also drop on boats below.
Cobweb weaving spiders make small irregular
webs. These webs are characteristically found indoors
in the upper inside corners of window frames. There
SPIDERS ON MONUMENTS
are many species of cobweb spiders and the Black
Spider buildup on buildings and monuments can
Widow is one of them. Most all of them are smaller
cause major problems for structural maintenance.
Module Two, Chapter 3, Pg 5
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