Ruud Kleinpaste: Winter movements with silk - Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Before we lose our Winter Scenes, it might be an idea to get up at sunset and look around your garden (or a nearby forest, if you like). Spiders are in many places, despite the cold, icy conditions. The best time to see their “websites” is on dew-laden mornings – the owners are nearby and await the rising of that wintry sun. 

Spider silk glands have liquid proteins called spidroins. They're actually kind of gooey and are pressed out gently to form silk. It’s strong, yet light and flexible – a fabulous building material that serves many purposes. Those webs have sticky and non-sticky strands of silk, so the spider can walk on them without getting stuck themselves. 

Websites can be incredibly fascinating in the way the spider builds them – this sheetweb is extremely strong and contains silken supports above and below the sheetweb’s “trampoline”. If a moth or beetle flies over the web and accidentally hits the guy-ropes, the poor insect loses its balance and ends up on the silken trampoline.  

In no time the spider works out where the prey ended up and dinner is served! 

But winter finds that spectacularly weird phenomenon, known as “gossamers”. Small websites in conspicuous places, often made visible by fog or fine rainfall. The spiders usually hide under their web and grab overwintering insects (often very small critters), which sustains them and allows them to grow. If weather allows, they will “balloon” with a soft wind and disperse to new living quarters.  

But if their massive living place suits them for a little bit longer, they just stay in their dwelling.  

In spring, huge numbers of small spiderlings will take to the sky in large numbers of flying Arachnids, who don’t even have wings! 

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