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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.
Those aren’t spider webs. That’s the work of worms.
Next thing you know they will find the Huge Manatee that I’ve heard so much about.
You better retune your beeber from stune to skrill.
Could be but I like to think its “Hilldebeast” den.
As I said: creepy and unpleasant-looking, but definitely on the team.
The screech of millions of mosquitoes would not be as bad as the sound of millions of little feet (or even worse, just 8 big ones).
Well, yeah...that’s exactly what I would do as well. Bring the heat!
I recently commented to friends about all the spider webs this season - they are everywhere. I get rid of them on my house and the next day another spider moves in. I drove from KC to St. Louis a few weeks ago and they were all over the trees and were HUGE.
Could this be a bad case of web worms and not spiders? If it is it will kill the trees. We had a bad case of web worms on our pecan trees this year and we have sprayed them.
We have “tent worms” here in MD. They aren’t this large but the same look. http://www.gardengrapevine.com/WebWorms.html
Or this! http://www.worth1000.com/entries/293500/293617YeGD_w.JPG
Aren’t those the ugliest things Yuck!!
I own some land with Pecan Trees (old pecan orchard) I will take a look this weekend.
See #61 and post 65.
I refuse to clean spider webs at home for that exact reason. Right now I have serious roof leaks, half filled buckets and some puddles all around the living room, and not a mosquito at sight.
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Every morning those dang spiders have one web across any sidewalk I decide to use when I walk Jr in the dark. Ick....I’m always thinking I hope the spider didn’t hitchhike in my hair.
I'm not generally fond of spiders, but anything that removes the swarms of aerial bloodsuckers from the environment is a real pal.
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