GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Midbrak Garden Club met on 13 August to learn more about our black and yellow garden spiders.

These spiders belong to the orb-weaver family - one of the most variable in size and appearance of all spider families. As this group comprises such a large number of species, it makes it difficult to distinguish them from other spider groups and from one another.

Orb weaver spiders are the makers of the classic orb webs frequently seen in gardens, fields and forests. For orb-weaving spiders, identification is done by the features of the web, rather than the spider's appearance. The spider has a beautifully coloured large abdomen and small head, noticeable in the females of most species.

The males are much smaller, do not usually build webs and spend most of their time wandering in search of a mate. Of the 3 500 species of weaver, many are well known, and none more so than a few that we generally refer to as the common garden spider. 

The orb weaver "garden spider" might differ depending on the area, but all of the species are either from the Argiope or Nephila genus.

A spider in a garden club member's premises.

Some of the factors that can play a role in spider numbers:

• Hot, dry summers can increase numbers.

• Even though these spiders prefer sunny places to build their webs, there must be little or no wind and not much summer rainfall (as the web frequently gets disturbed).

• If they cannot catch enough food, their numbers will decrease.

• They live only one season and breed once a year (summer).

• Some larger birds, for example, hadidas, enjoy the garden spider, straight from the web.

• The female is only sexually receptive for 48 hours.

• Females can only live up to a month after breeding and males live from two to three weeks.

• Although the multi-layered wall of the egg sac provides barriers against burrowing larvae of insect predators, some wasps and flies lay their eggs in the egg cases. The vast majority of egg sacs are eventually damaged by birds.

• If the area's winter is too cold or too long, the hatchling spiders become dormant and do not hatch until the weather improves.

Spiders are wonderful to study. If that makes you nervous, remember these spiders are not out to get you. Orb spiders, in particular, are harmless to man.

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