Posted on 08/30/2007 2:44:49 PM PDT by Orange1998
WILLS POINT — Entomologists are debating the origin and rarity of a sprawling spider web that blankets several trees, shrubs and the ground along a 200-yard stretch of trail in a North Texas park.
Officials at Lake Tawakoni State Park say the massive mosquito trap is a big attraction for some visitors, while others won't go anywhere near it.
"At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland," said Donna Garde, superintendent of the park about 45 miles east of Dallas. "Now it's filled with so many mosquitoes that it's turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs."
Spider experts say the web may have been constructed by social cobweb spiders, which work together, or could be the result of a mass dispersal in which the arachnids spin webs to spread out from one another.
"I've been hearing from entomologists from Ohio, Kansas, British Columbia — all over the place," said Mike Quinn, an invertebrate biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department who first posted photos online.
Herbert A. "Joe" Pase, a Texas Forest Service entomologist, said the massive web is very unusual.
"From what I'm hearing it could be a once-in-a-lifetime event," he said.
But John Jackman, a professor and extension entomologist for Texas A&M University, said he hears reports of similar webs every couple of years.
"There are a lot of folks that don't realize spiders do that," said Jackman, author of "A Field Guide to the Spiders and Scorpions of Texas."
"Until we get some samples sent to us, we really won't know what species of spider we're talking about," Jackman said.
Garde invited the entomologists out to the park to get a firsthand look at the giant web.
"Somebody needs to come out that's an expert. I would love to see some entomology intern come out and study this," she said.
Park rangers said they expect the web to last until fall, when the spiders will start dying off.
**shudder**
OK, I'm picking up a teensy vibe of hostility here. Find a happy place. Find a happy place. Find a happy place...
“...There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of
mosquitoes caught in those webs.”
Obviously, this is the work of Conan The Spider.
Wanting to hear the cries of his enemies.
(/SARC)
Wasn’t there an episode of X Files like this.
Same here. I can pick up nearly any critter with no problem and have been bitten by quite a few but with spiders I don’t have an urge to pick them up.
One of Gods coolest creatures in any case.
Yark
I’ve seen smaller versions of these here in the big oak trees.
Illustrations needed for this real life nightmare.
Here’s a happy place for you: http://www.uselessmoviequotes.com/files/nukerip.wav
Spiders have decided in favor of a border fence...
I don’t know. Little dogs better stay away from it.
Snakes are useful too but I don’t want to kiss one...
Just before Holloween? Yikes.
Is anybody sure this isn’t the work of *one* spider? We are talking about Texas...
I have had a lot more spiders and big webs on my ranch than usual.
Could it be that the wet weather has increased the spider population or......
Their Mothership has landed and they are in the process of building an infrastructure that will allow them to take over da Vorld?
I’ll take the Orkin man over a spider, thank you. One spray kills thousands. I doubt a thousand spiders could do in a race of pests so efficiently. Indeed, the spider is little more than an antiquated species with few redeeming qualities....unless youre like my cat who enjoys stalking and eating them.
Spider taught me how to fly for about 2 seconds.
Heh. That’s nothin. You should see my crawl space.
Illegal immigrant spiders - doing the work American spiders won’t do....
That sounds like a very good idea...
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