Merchant cited an example that happened in 2007, when media reports featured a giant spider web that was seen at Lake Tawakoni State Park, which is approximately 35 miles from Rowlett.
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A spider web in Texas is so abnormally huge that it has turned a road into a creepy scenery taken out of a horror movie. This specie of spider is said to work with other spider species, cooperating with one another in building webs. Such an extensive web was a real surprise since arachnologists know that usually spiders build the web on their own.
A large “communal” spider web at the Lakeside Park South section of the Dallas suburb of Rowlett.
TAMU AgriLife Extension Service urban entomologist Mike Merchant said that these webs stretch probably about the length of an entire football field. Many people during that year reported about the web and spider experts have to flock to the area. The giant web found in 2007 was identified as the ultimate work of a type of spiders known as Tetragnatha guatemalensis. This eerie web, as it has been described by some, is hanging on a few trees on this route and it certainly isn’t the work of Spiderman. Scientists suspect that thousands of spiders had worked together to create this “communal web”, so that they could better take advantage of large-scale insect migrations and hatches from a nearby lake.
Merchant continues, “Arachnologists had previously noted that this species is known to build communal nests when conditions are right”. It is compulsory to have food to form this kind of webs. They don’t bite and aren’t hazardous.
The spread of the glistening webs hanging on trees are not considered extremely unusual because even if it is generally rare in occurrence, some people are already aware that these types of web art do exist.
And if you’re fearless enough to get out of your vehicle?
Because of their lack of aggression, Merchant said there is really no need to treat for them.
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“Insecticides or other treatments are really unnecessary as this spider is essentially harmless and, although the communal nest may look spooky, they too are basically benign and are a sight more to be appreciated than feared”, Merchant said. “But please don’t touch the art”.
