With Halloween on its way, you may begin to see people decorating the outside of their homes with giant faux spider webs that drape across their bushes, trees, or walkways. While these are fun decorations, no one wants to walk through a real spider web.
Spider webs are sometimes very beautiful in their design and fun to look at.
Most of the time spider webs are described as creepy or spooky, but there are some interesting facts about spider webs that may make you appreciate them a little more.
Fun Spider Facts – Because spiders are unable to digest solid food, they must liquefy their prey before they eat it, and the spider web plays a big part in this process, catching prey and allowing the spider to kill it and inject it with venom that liquefies the insides of the unlucky victim.
Spider Web Silk – Stronger than Steel
If you have ever experienced walking through a spider web or maybe brushing up against one, then you are familiar with how sticky a spider’s web can be and it can take a while to get all of its tiny threads pulled off of your clothing.
Fun Spider Facts – The threads of a spider’s web are called silk. A spider’s silk is actually stronger than steel. The same strand of steel compared to the same strand of spider silk doesn’t stand up to the durability and strength of the silk. Spider silk is currently being researched for use in bulletproof vests and other types of armor.
Vitamin K for Spider Veins
Some spiders will take on the task of making a new web every day. The spider will eat their old web from the previous day and from it get a large amount of protein to assist them in building their new web. A spider always starts its web with one single strand of its silk.
Fun Spider Facts – Spider webs contain vitamin K, which helps stop bleeding and promote healing. The ancient Greeks and Romans used spider webs as bandages, without even being aware of what vitamin K was at the time. Amusingly enough, nowadays people use Vitamin K in a cream to reduce the appearance of spider veins!
Spider Web Fishing Lines
Spider webs have been known to be used for fishing lines due to their strength. They have been used to make nets and hats as well. While spider webs are usually avoided and scare people, they have been put to good use throughout time.
Fun Spider Facts – Hundreds of years ago in Austria, people layered spider webs on top of each other to create a type of canvas to paint on. They were known as cobweb paintings. While spider webs can be fun to look at, no one wants a spider spinning webs in or near their home.
Related Information:
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Hobo Spider
Brown Recluse Spider
Spider Blog Page
New Spider Species Discovered
If you are experiencing a high volume of spider webs in your home, contact Croach® today.
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