# The Night of the Living Spiders (webs everywhere!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 9, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090 "2007-10-09T14:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/1 "2007-10-09T14:32:54Z")
One morning last week, I went outside and saw that there were suddenly spiderwebs on all the shrubbery around the neighbourhood. What happened overnight? Did all the hatchlings come out at the same time? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/2 "2007-10-09T15:52:22Z")
I have noticed and wondered about it as well. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/3 "2007-10-09T17:46:15Z")
That’s probably exactly what happened. The mama spider lays a large number of eggs at once. Under ideal conditions, they all hatch and few are eaten by predators. Your spiders got lucky. ---
**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:** [October 9, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/4 "2007-10-09T19:38:32Z")
I don’t think this is the right time of year for them, but could it have been tent catepillars, instead of spiders? Or some other sort of silk-spinning critter? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/5 "2007-10-09T19:41:29Z")
I won’t speak for the OP, but definitely not tent caterpillars in the situations I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/6 "2007-10-09T19:43:16Z")
Tent caterpillars? Do they make what looks like a spider web? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/7 "2007-10-09T19:45:55Z")
[http://branchingout.cornell.edu/picturefolder/GRAPHICSCANS/ETC\_Tent\_4.jpg](http://branchingout.cornell.edu/picturefolder/GRAPHICSCANS/ETC_Tent_4.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/8 "2007-10-09T19:47:52Z")
I’ve noticed it here too, but I put it down to the fact that they show up more on misty mornings. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/9 "2007-10-10T01:42:55Z")
In California, at least, the orb weavers seem to be more active in the early fall. This is also prime tarantula season. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/10 "2007-10-10T02:52:31Z")
[QUOTE=Vetch] I’ve noticed it here too, but I put it down to the fact that they show up more on misty mornings. [/QUOTE] Could be you notice them more on misty mornings because the moisture in the air sticks to the webs revealing them to you. On non-misty days there may be just as many webs about but you cannot spot them as easily. Just a guess though. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/11 "2007-10-10T03:04:18Z")
There’s always the possibility that it’s just one really, really big spider, probably from outer space. You may want to lock all of your doors and cover all of your windows with plywood, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/12 "2007-10-10T12:22:08Z")
I live near water, and often have fog. From mid summer through fall there are spider webs everywhere. The fog put drops on the webs and they all glisten in the sun, so you see them all. In the willows they go from the top of branches to the low branches in arcs. There can be hundreds of webs in a tree. By the end of August my garden flowers have baby crab spiders in many of them. You’re just missing how many there are around you. In the fall the webs start showing up in the house, because many spiders are moving in. Right now the ceiling is full of new spider webs, which I’m about to vacuum away. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/13 "2007-10-10T13:27:52Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] The fog put drops on the webs and they all glisten in the sun, so you see them all. [/QUOTE] That matches my observations as well. Cool. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/14 "2007-10-10T21:04:04Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] That’s probably exactly what happened. The mama spider lays a large number of eggs at once. Under ideal conditions, they all hatch and few are eaten by predators. Your spiders got lucky. [/QUOTE] The thing that really stood out was that it wasn’t just on my bushes. It was on all the neighbours’ bushes too. How common is that? ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-night-of-the-living-spiders-webs-everywhere/422090/15 "2007-10-11T06:16:38Z")
[QUOTE=blondebear] In California, at least, the orb weavers seem to be more active in the early fall. This is also prime tarantula season. [/QUOTE] I’m in wa state and they’ve been pretty busy for the last few weeks. I counted 10 new webs w/spiders near the garbage can yesterday, so it’s definitely the season.