Oh. We all get them. All of us. No home would be complete without.
Without the cobweb.
Most people think they are ambiguous mystery strands of dust that form in our corners or from the middle of the ceiling. But, in truth, they come from the butts of spiders.
Yes, science has shown us that there are many kinds of webs made by different types of spiders.
There is even a name for the Cobweb Spider — the Theridiidae.
Spiders of the family Theridiidae are responsible for many of those flimsy, loose, flappy-looking webs that we see in the corners of houses, barns, and sheds.
They are like most other spider webs, although maybe not as pristinely circular and architectural. But all webs are sticky. And, when that spider decides to pack up and move away — or die — it abandons its old web. That thing starts to collect any old dust or lint or any little thing that flits along on the breeze.
As a result? We get those dust-laden strands hanging around in the corner of the dining room. And most people seem to have the false idea that spiders do not make cobwebs.
So. I’m here to set the matter straight. A public service announcement, perhaps.
Sometimes, we may even see a single strand of a dusty cobweb. Those were made by spiders too. They were probably never part of a web. But when spiders move between surfaces, they use a single strand to swing along. Like a little safety line. So yes, they spin a filament of silk as they go. Just like Spiderman.
We see the fluffy dust stands when the light is just right.
Here’s another good one for you. One infamous species of cobweb spider is the venomous black widow. They are in the same Theridiidae family. But most of us get those cobwebs from the rear ends of harmless, tiny brown “common house spiders.”
I like spiders, as they are good for our world. Just to remind everyone. These household spiders eat flies, mosquitoes, and other pests. And while I have a happy appreciation for them, one thing I can’t stand is walking my face right into a web. I’m not the same for the rest of the day, or at least until I take a shower. I feel like I have a passenger riding along somewhere.
But back to cobwebs. A thing of spiders. And their silky leftovers.
A little gift from our eight-legged friends.
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Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught.
— Honore de Balzac
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The difference between utility and utility plus beauty is the difference between telephone wires and the spider web.
— Edwin Way Teale
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“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.”
— Ethiopian
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Cob webs revealed. The silky truth.
