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It's been predicted that we're on the verge of a boom in the numbers of spiders and crane flies (or daddy long legs) this autumn. Researchers at Buglife say that last year's wet autumn meant the larvae of daddy longlegs had plenty of decaying plant matter to eat and this year's temperate summer had been good for spiders.
This is great news for our resident winter birds, such as the wren, who rely on good numbers of insects and spiders to see them through the colder months.
I've only seen 2 crane flies so far this year - and they were both yesterday! Have you noticed them yet? Have you seen an increase in spiders or bundles of eggs in the garden?
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Hi LRB!
Yes not the best of news for an arachnophobe like me!!
Here there are thousands of daddy-long-legs! Just walking through any grass makes them fly up in droves! I couldn't even put a number on them as there are so many! It is indeed great news for our feathered friends but I'm not so keen! No deia why as I love insects in general...
As for spiders, there certainly are a lot of the 'garden spider' type spiders on verges and hedgerows and of course, in the garden! Thankfully I've only been visited by 3 house spiders so far (compared to 12 last year!!).
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
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I though it was just me being more observant with what lives in the garden, but the orb weaving spiders (the bulbous brown stripey ones!) seems to live on every shrub, piece of garden furniture in fact anywhere it can in our garden! I don't mind spiders at all but as I am long sighted I do tend to find myself walking into a web without realising it. The other day I found a spider sitting on my left shoulder - I'd obviously walked straight into the web! What I find amazing are the the ones that make a web that is really quite small in diameter but the strands that enable it to hang can stretch at least 2 or 3 feet long! We had one that was positioned between a rose bush and one of our garden chairs and the gap between the two must have been about 5 feet! Unfortunately it couldn't stay as it was blocking our path.
Crane flies are just starting to appear where we are, we have only seen one and this was in the house.
Regards
Kerry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kezmo6310/
Not seen any crane flies so far this year but a few pretty big spiders! Looking forward to the time of year when morning mists leave dew on the webs - a pretty and magical sight, imho
Make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games [Robert Falcon Scott]
Seen some whopping spiders already in the garden & in the house, also some crane flies are getting trapped in our conservatory every time I leave the windows open (I do try to rescue them). Can't tell if there are more than usual for this time of year, tho.
The size of them is amazing. My daughter was hyper- ventilating the other night when she came across one whilst in the toilet. lol
All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. Spike Milligan
MarJus, do not read this post.
Hi, all. Here in the midwest U.S., we also have a large spider population this year. I adore spiders. I've never been afraid of them and try to protect them (no poisons that might harm the birds). The other day, we heard an ambulance roaring through our nearby little town, siren screaming. Neighbors reported that an elderly man in town had been bitten by a brown recluse spider (which has a powerful venom) and had gone into shock. I didn't believe it, because the brown recluse is a favorite subject of very tall tales and rural legends here. I dismissed the idea as gossip and exaggeration.
But, lo and behold, the local medical center confirmed that the man, indeed, was bitten by a brown recluse. The victim remains in critical condition (he was in poor health before the bite). I have been MUCH more careful now about sticking my hands in dark, rarely disturbed places (seldom used clothing, baseboards, cardboard boxes, fallen brush outdoors, etc.). I'm still not afraid of spiders and would not harm them, but I am more cautious!