# Litte spiders that live in sealed environments between double window panes. How can they exist?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/litte-spiders-that-live-in-sealed-environments-between-double-window-panes-how-can-they-exist/697664>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 6, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/litte-spiders-that-live-in-sealed-environments-between-double-window-panes-how-can-they-exist/697664 "2014-09-06T16:31:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/litte-spiders-that-live-in-sealed-environments-between-double-window-panes-how-can-they-exist/697664/1 "2014-09-06T16:31:17Z")

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I’ve occasionally seen very small spiders, some with webs and some just scooting around, between closed window panes where there should not be any food available. Also seen between screens and closed windows. What the hell are they living on?

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/litte-spiders-that-live-in-sealed-environments-between-double-window-panes-how-can-they-exist/697664/2 "2014-09-06T16:42:35Z")

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Obviously those environments that you think are sealed aren’t.

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/litte-spiders-that-live-in-sealed-environments-between-double-window-panes-how-can-they-exist/697664/3 "2014-09-06T16:46:01Z")

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They may be young spiderlings that got into the space but will eventually die of starvation or leave. But there may be even smaller insects or arthropods living in the spaces and eating mold, bacteria, or algae, like mites or book lice, that provide them with food. These may be so small that you don’t notice them.

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/litte-spiders-that-live-in-sealed-environments-between-double-window-panes-how-can-they-exist/697664/4 "2014-09-06T17:06:05Z")

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little spiders are so cool. small moving dots.

a spider may lay eggs in the cracks between the window and frame. when these hundreds of eggs hatch then the little buggers go in all directions.

many things like insects produce hundreds of off spring to have a few survive.

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**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/litte-spiders-that-live-in-sealed-environments-between-double-window-panes-how-can-they-exist/697664/5 "2014-09-06T18:43:46Z")

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The modern-day equivalent of toads inside rocks, I guess.