Summary

Orb weavers are a type of spider that is found in many parts of the world. They are known for their ability to spin webs that can be up to two feet in diameter.

Some orb weavers are able to survive the winter by spinning a web that they can use as a shelter.

Related posts:

1. Can I Keep An Orb Weaver As A Pet?
2. Can You Hold An Orb Weaver Spider?
3. How Long Can An Orb Weaver Go Without Food?
4. Can Orb Weaver Spiders Bite?

Do Spiders Hibernate?

To dispel this myth and shed some light on what spiders actually do to make it through the winter, A-1 Pest Control experts have created this guide to answer all of your questions. From, “Do spiders hibernate," to, “Where do they go”, we’ve got you covered.

And, if you are noticing an unsettling spike in insect sightings in your home no matter the season, we’ll also fill you in on how to get your first pest inspection from A-1 Pest Control free, so you can stay cozy without worry.

Where Do Spiders Go in the Winter? Pest Pros Explain How They Survive the Cold

When the weather is warm, you can spot a spider just about anywhere: creeping through the grass, crawling across the floor, joining you for a shower, and making itself at home in your shoe, in a closet, or in the corner of the wall. But when the temperatures drop, those spider sightings get fewer and farther between.

While that may be a relief, where exactly do spiders go in the winter? Do they die? If not, how do the eight-legged critters survive the colder months? We asked pest control experts to weigh in, and they had some interesting answers.

Orb Weaver Spider Gallery

Orb-weaving spiders are three-clawed builders of flat webs with sticky spiral capture silk. The building of a web is an engineering feat, begun when the spider floats a line on the wind to another surface. The spider secures the line and then drops another line from the centre, producing a ‘Y’ shape. The rest of the web is then constructed before the final sticky capture spiral is woven into place. Some species of Orb Weaver spiders remain in their webs day and night.

Some Orb Weaving spiders do not build webs at all. Members of the genera Mastophora in the Americas, Cladomelea in Africa and Ordgarius in Australia produce sticky globules instead, which contain a pheromone analog (a chemical that triggers a natural behavioural response in another member of the same species). The globule hangs from a silken thread dangled by the spider from its front legs. The pheromone analog attracts male moths of only a few species. These get stuck on the globule and are reeled in to be eaten. Interestingly, both types of bolas spiders (unusual orb-weaver spiders that have given up spinning the typical web. Instead, they hunt by using a sticky ‘capture blob’ of silk on the end of a line) are highly camouflaged and difficult to locate.

One feature of the webs of some orb-weavers is the ‘stabilimentum’, a crisscross band of silk through the centre of the web. It is found in a number of genera, but Argiope, which includes the common garden spider of Europe as well as the yellow and banded garden spiders of North America, is a prime example. The band has been hypothesized to be a lure for prey, a marker to warn birds away from the web and a camouflage for the spider when it sits in the centre of the web.

Humped Orb Weavers build small flimsy, horizontal webs among shrubs and grasses or over water. They remain in their webs during the day and capture flies and other small insects.

Most arachnid webs are vertical and the spiders usually hang with their head downward. A few webs, such as those of orb-weaver in the genus Metepiera have the orb hidden within a tangled space of web. Some Metepiera are semi-social and live in communal webs.