Spider Explosion and their Webs

[Nick]

Has anyone noticed how many spiders there seen to be in the gardens this Autumn
At home I have them going from the gutter 10ft high down to plants in the garden, where there webs could well be over 12ft long possibly it seems there's been a mass explosion of spiders this year, now I need to take a brush out to walk around the garden or you get webbed right across your face lets hear your stores or experiences of spiders this September

[GARYnNAT]

Bumper crop this year Nick

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8273960.stm

Gary

[Dave Brown]

and bigger than normal

[dave2166]

"""they be big fat juicy and hairy and i be afraid of them"""

no not me but the wife is... wont walk around the garden without I've cleared the way...lol women eh??

agreeed the size and profusion this year seems so greater than the past, glad to see some one has enjoyed the last two years poor weather though

[Adam D]

Not really an explosion in numbers up here Nick. Maybe a few more. Although, over the last week I have seen 2 of them in my office - I hae been working here for 4 years and never seen 1 in here before, so something is different this year.

I guess that it is still mild at the moment. We tend to see a lot more when the temperature starts to drop and they try to get into your house :eek!:

Daddy long legs numbers aren't really up on previous years either, even though the BBC news article above states they are in certain parts of the country.

[stephenprudence]

loads of Steatodas (f-black widows) this year, and loads of garden orbs, but they're fine they do a good job in eating to stuff that eats my plants!

[musa_monkey]

Yes, loads of the things around this year, fed up getting webbed but they do a good job eating the nasties so i usually just leave them well alone to get on with it.

[jezza]

Yep here too. But my greenhouse is fly free

[eddie]

Same here on the continent !

Loads of spiders in my small garden. Quite big ones too

[Nick]

Good, so it's not just my garden that has loads this year then, I don't mind them, the o/h hates them, but I don't mind them outside until you walk and get webbed all over your face and hair, I was treating some weeds just now and got a massive web all over my face and head, now I need a bath to get it ll off, and there was me thinking my garden was the only one like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom caves, with all those webs Dave exultant photography there, well done.

[dave2166]

its got overtones of some hammer house of horror film in my garden after dark too...

thing is though they are all over my garden right now but where do they all go too in a few weeks time??

[Nick]

They all come down to my house for winter if not it sure seems like they all move in to mine, we get 100's of woodlice move in when the temps drop the o/h sometimes has named one in the corner above the bath all winter long and then they have young, last winters pet spider stayed in the corner until a mate come then he was found dead in the bath DEAD for some reason, perhaps after mating like the Black Widow they kill there mate to keep them loyal to the one female

[Joy]

I have to confess that one of my greatest pleasures is watching my hubby go to work with his hands in front of him because of the webs. Its hysterical and he hates spiders! Me I dont mind them, I think they are quite clever. Am I mean laughing at him? Cant say there are more, we always have loads.

[Nick]

Hi Joy, I do the same but with my work/lunch bag, so it catches them all to save them going all over my face and hair, no your not mean, even my wife dose it now, how about this, we even say sorry for treading on snails and say that must hurt, sorry, it's just us and our way of making us feel better

[Petefree]

I can't say there are more garden spiders here than usual - there are always tons of them in the autumn. I'm not great with spiders - they fascinate me but I don't like them too close (god knows why - they'd never get me in their mouth )
I heard and saw the news coverage about the population explosion of these and crane flies - I got the impression they were talking more about house spiders.
Although the garden gets full of Garden Cross spiders, and the odd False Widow - they don't tend to come into the house (unless they get caught on my clothes when I'm in the garden and I import them without realising.)
I must admit though, I try to ensure they aren't on plants which I am carrying in the car - I don't like it when they build webs in the car and have had the odd scary moment when one has descended from the ceiling in front of me when I'm driving