Garden Spider info, please

[briar rose]

I was sat in my very windy garden earlier watching with great interest a Garden Spider going about her day, her web had become quite tatty and raggedy, I thought she would just mend it, but no, she seemed to gather it all together roll it into a ball, then, I can only assume she ate it, as it suddenly disappeared, is this what they do, or did she drop it, what ever she did, happened in the blink of an eye as I missed it any thoughts

Thank you

A few pics, but as it was very windy, most of them were blurred

[John_M]

Yes, spiders can and do recycle their silk. They produce enzymes which can rapidly break the silk proteins down. When a spider severs a strand of silk, this is not done by cutting, but by the action of enzymes produced in the mouthparts.

[frits_b]

Interesting pictures! I knew spiders do this, but I don't recall seeing actual photographs of it...

[I Love Nature]

Originally Posted by briar rose

I was sat in my very windy garden earlier watching with great interest a Garden Spider going about her day, her web had become quite tatty and raggedy, I thought she would just mend it, but no, she seemed to gather it all together roll it into a ball, then, I can only assume she ate it, as it suddenly disappeared, is this what they do, or did she drop it, what ever she did, happened in the blink of an eye as I missed it any thoughts

Thank you

A few pics, but as it was very windy, most of them were blurred


I don't know much about them eating their webs but I am sure that is correct. The garden spider, araenus diadematus

I don't know much about them eating their webs but I am sure that is correct. The garden spider, araenus diadematus is the largest orb weaver spider in Britain.

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by I Love Nature

I don't know much about them eating their webs but I am sure that is correct. The garden spider, araenus diadematus is the largest orb weaver spider in Britain.

Apart from the ones that are larger. Araneus quadratus for one.