“Someone stepping off the road [CA Roan Drive, in Dallas] for a closer look will see thousands of lanky spiders darting among the webs that extend up to 40 feet into the trees”, he told to the TAMU AgriLife website.
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An extraordinarily massive spider web was found in the suburb of Dallas, covering the trees like shrouds, and now scaring arachnophobes everywhere.
A similar web was found inside Lake Tawakoni State Park in 2007.
Although they are an unnerving sight to arachnophobes everywhere, they are completely harmless, and therefore it is unnecessary to use insecticides on the trees.
The scientists say that spiders usually move alone and this is quiet rare however, Tetragnathaguatemalensis spiders are known to construct such webs with in collaboration with other spiders.
The spiders responsible for the 2007 nest were confirmed to be member of the species Tetragnathus guatamalensis. Scientists don’t know for sure what species has woven the most recent giant web, but many suspect they belong to the long-jawed family of spiders known as Tetragnathidae. Spider experts flocked to the region to glimpse the rare site, which was made possible by a large group of spiders that worked together to build the web. According to experts, one of the factors that comprised the so-called “right condition” is the over presence of midges and other small insects that appear from lakes during the night. It is compulsory to have food to form this kind of webs.
Merchant advises neighbors to let the spiders be; there’s no need to call the exterminator, he says.
“What is really interesting about these spider aggregations is the lack of aggression among spiders of the same species on the same web”, said Vogtsberger. Although the webs present a spooky appearance, they are pretty benign and a sight that needs to be appreciated rather than being feared. They’re typically the most populous resident of these webs, though, with maybe millions in the largest webs with many other species inside as well.
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“If you get the chance to take a drive along CA Roan Drive in Rowlett, you might want to take a few moments to stop and admire this spider handiwork. But please don’t touch the art”, Merchant closes.
