It's Spider Time!

Friday, August 16, 2024

Although spiders may seem more visible now, in late summer and early autumn, it doesn’t mean they are more numerous (or gearing up to frighten us on Halloween)!

• All through the spring and summer spiders have been hunting, eating and growing.
• Once mature, or full grown, the adults are easier to spot. Plus bigger spiders build bigger webs!
• Females are usually larger than the males – they need extra energy to lay eggs. 
• In the fall the male spiders are on the move, searching for a mate, making it easier to spot them as well. Once the females lay eggs their life cycle is complete.
• As the temperatures in autumn continue to drop, and the days become shorter, spiders also begin to travel to look for a warmer, sheltered spots.  
• Our houses, and buildings, provide quiet, dark places for them to hide!
• While some spiders may hang out in our homes during the winter months, becoming less active, many adult spiders remain outdoors and die after the first frost.
• But their spiderlings, or baby spiders, will emerge from their protective egg sacs in the spring and build tiny nests to start catching prey, starting the cycle all over again. 

For more information and photos of Common Spiders of the Chicago Region, click here.