March 31, 2011
Taking refuge from the floods in Pakistan, spiders are shrouding the trees with webs.
Astonishing photos, via Metafilter, which is infested with skittish comments like "Never going to click on those links. I never wanted to hear about this subject. Even being 6'5" I am so freaked out by even the mention of spiders."
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27 comments:
but they also report that there are now less mosquitos than they would expect
Amazing pics and a very cool side effect. Almost as cool as the fact that the trees taste surprising like cotton candy now.
Those spider webs look a lot like gypsy moth webs. We had a major infestation in central MA sometime in the late 70's, early 80's. Roads slick with squished caterpillars, trees stripped of every leaf and looking like Halloween decorations in the middle of summer. Weird stuff.
No one escapes the dreaded spider wandering into ones open mouth while asleep syndrome...mwa ha ha ha ha.
arachnoidal arbor armor
wv = "slyze" Clever sleeze
Ty Cobb stole many a base by slyzing round the tag.
@Scott M Yes, exactly. Cotton candy. I was trying to think of what it reminded me of.
It's *the devil's* cotton candy.
We need Meade to consult of this one. Peta idiots probably oppose doing harm to billions of spiders' feelings.
Look like tent caterpillar infestations.
Can I assume only the outer branches are covered (if these spiders feed on flying insects such as mosquitos)?
Or do these spiders feed off the tree or smaller parasites of the tree?
Nobody show these to Christo.
Speaking of mosquito control, has anyone ever tried a bat house in their back yard?
I much prefer spiders in trees to mosquitos sucking my blood and giving me malaria.
Scott M.
I hadn't, but I just "Bing-ed" the term and I can't wait to build one of my own and put it up. We have plenty of bats in the area, but having them right in the yard will be cool. Anything that helps with bugs is always welcome, they are the pool owner's nemesis.
Fascinating images, although cotton candy, especially The Devil's Cotton Candy (you should have been writing horror movies for Universal back in the 50s, Madame), would never have occurred to me.
Spiders wouldn't have to deal with webs if they told the truth all the time.
Most of my household spider webs are rather disappointingly pantry moth webs.
You can't have too many pantry moth traps.
Pantry moths come from house-brand cereal and rice.
Odd.
Awe-inspiring words like "terrific", "radiant" & "humble" come to mind.
Also for some reason: "Some Pig"
If you go to the older photos you get to a photo of a man who has dyed the hair on his head and chest with henna dye. Very interesting photos.
Why would there be fewer mosquitoes? There aren't more spiders, they just relocated.
Mother Nature never ceases to amaze.
This just confirms to me that Pakistan is nothing but an 8th world unflushed toilet.
India beat Pakis in Cricket.
India and Paki hate each other.
Next up Sri Linka for the championship
The expense of spider silk shirts is mitigated by their comfort and durability.
Lincolntf,
I think you must be thinking of tent caterpillars. Gypsy moths don't make webs.
I remember the last gypsy moth epidemic in NY before I moved to CA. It was 1980, and I went off to music camp and came back (in August) to find all the trees sprouting new leaves, as though it were spring. The existing leaves had all been eaten.
The other vivid memory is of walking in our woods and hearing a sound as of light rain. It wasn't, though; it was gypsy moth caterpillar droppings. Falling, steadily, everywhere.
Michelle,
Yup, you're right. Thanks. We did have the gypsy moth outbreaks, but they weren't as dramatic as the tent caterpillars. I totally remember the creepy chewing/crap-falling sound effects.
Almost as bad as the caterpillars were the "remedies". Every tree for miles was banded with tape or foil, smeared with Vaseline or tar, pruned to oblivion, etc.
Any of those spiders taking refuge in a giant peach?
http://media.photobucket.com/image/james%20giant%20peach%20spider/inkandpixelclub/James%20and%20the%20Giant%20Peach/jatgp04.jpg
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