Posted on 01/09/2012 9:00:26 AM PST by illiac
Even the elders in Pakistan's Sindh province admit they've never seen anything like it: whole trees encased in webs by millions of invading spiders. The mysterious phenomenon may be an unexpected result of the devastating floods that swept over Sindh in 2010, reports Wired.
According to scientists, the spiders likely collected in the trees after fleeing from the rising floodwaters. At their height, the floods covered as much as a fifth of the country and displaced as many as 20 million people.
One unexpected blessing from the bizarre post-flood event is that the hungry spiders seem to be significantly reducing mosquito populations. Malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases became a serious concern in the region after the floods receded and left the landscape blanketed in stagnant water. But areas of Sindh with the most web-covered trees also have reported fewer cases of malaria.
(Excerpt) Read more at mnn.com ...
Shelob LIVES!
Creepy. I would definitely not be standing under that tree.
Thanks. Too much.
Can’t we just enjoy America? Who cares what spiders do in Pakistan?
There are species of caterpillars (we call worms) that do similar things to Sweet Gum trees here in Georgia....nasty looking concoctions.
“species of caterpillars”
We call ‘em Tent Catapillars here in Ohio. They’ll cover a branch. Fugly! You look in that “tent” and see ‘em all squirmin’ around? Yuck. Fire is my preferred remedy!
If that is your desire, why click on a thread with “Spiders in Pakistan” in the title?
Because that makes too much sense. Some people just aren’t content with being miserable. They need to let other know they are miserable.
I used to just cut gown the Sweet Gums they nested in (only those)....I didn’t like the spiked round cones from the trees either, so two birds with one stone...
This is an interesting story. The ones that bug (:)) me are the ones about sex lives and gender preferences of the weird and famous. Chaz Bono is doing what? Sharon Stone said what? That’s what I really, really don’t want to see. (But, then I tend to not click on those either).
Step away from the tree!
Eh, tent caterpillers are worse. Ever had your entire three story apartment building coated in them? :)
Meanwhile, the rest of the Middle East suffers from Iraqnophobia. Thanks illiac.
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