Orb Weaver Spider

Fall is settling in and frost freeze warnings were posted for western Michigan which prompted me to take an orb weaver, Araneus diadematus, inside my house to save it from possible death. While inside I filmed the female orb weaver and caught her some flies to eat. She made a nice web over night in her container and caught her breakfast in the morning! Then it was back to her outside web to resume her normal outdoor life. She was a wonderful and cooperative model! Be sure and see "Life Cycle" of an orb weaver, which completes this particular spider's life in a second video. Bob

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Orb weaver spider
• bob spider hunter

[syazani1997]

i just wanna ask...can i make orb weaver spider as my pet??

[BobCsAll]

@syazani1997 - Yes, you can keep an orb weaver as a pet, but they only live for a season, possible a season and a half. They (females) may/will lay their egg sac and then shortly thereafter die. You would need a 5-10 gallon aquarium, or something of this size so the spider can weave its web and you can feed it by throwing or inserting insects in the web.

Bob

[SyntheHeartless]

I'm more empathetic toward all the nefarious critters that roam / crawl the Earth than I am people, Lol. I have a "live and let live" truce with most of the arachnids that find their way into the house except for the brown recluses -- those I smash on sight. No offense.

When should I put the orb weaver back on the porch, and about how big of a tank would be sufficient to sustain it until then? ... and how did you feed it? Lol. Caught or store-bought insects?

[BobCsAll]

@SyntheHeartless - Haha, no offense taken! I kept my orb weaver in a ten gallon aquarium. I fed her flies I caught. But this time of year, flies are hard to come by in the wild! The one I kept indoors, had eventually laid her eggs and made her web sac and then she died before winter came. See the vid: Orb weaver: cycle of life".

Bob

[SyntheHeartless]

After rooting around Wikipedia I came to the conclusion that it isn't safe to let it loose in the basement as there are lots of pholcidae running amok -- I don't squash those guys 'cause they're benign and great for insect control -- and they'll probably eat the poor thing.

[BobCsAll]

@SyntheHeartless - Just enjoy it for a while and turn it lose to the wild. Nature will tyake it's course.

Bob

[SyntheHeartless]

It's kind of funny watching people's reaction when they spot one of the hundred odd pholcidae hanging out around the house and I make up a name (on the spot) so it seems like an endearing relationship, like "YOU LEAVE HANK ALONE!"

This newest edition is Roy Orbison, though, haha. He's big enough to necessitate a name.

[BobCsAll]

@SyntheHeartless - You have a heart for spiders! It would most likely not survive in the basement for very long. It it were to be inseminated by a male, she would lay her egg sac and then die. You probably wouldn't want a bunch of spiderlings all over your basement come spring! LOL

Bob

[SyntheHeartless]

I'm not versed in arachnids and was tempted to squash an enormous spider I found on my porch after hearing so many brown recluse horror stories around the state, but I caught it instead and hit Youtube to see if I could suss out what it was. Thanks to your video I now know it's an orb weaver and will allow it to live; I may even let it live inside since it became unreasonably cold pretty fast this year in Pennsylvania.

Think it'd be safe to just leave it in the basement?

[Celticninja011]

@BobCsAll Thats funny, the spider I have is actually a Banded Spider. I just got the two mixed up. And I use to have a Black and yellow garden spider, but she was very weak and it seemed like she had already laid her eggs around somewhere that I had not noticed. She died shortly after I brought her in, and now this banded Spider was the replacement. very interesting spiders, and the Argiope's are a very colourful and fascinating Family of spiders.

Thanks for the feed back.