I've lived in this house for forty years. We have not had a problem with
spiders prior to June of this year.

I have been renovating the house, closing up walls that were rotted and open
to the outside. Last summer, I replaced entire exterior walls with new
framework and resheathed. the repaired area is air tight. The few spider's
webs that used to form around a pilot lamp in the cellar stopped forming for
a few months since this renovation.

Despite the improvement in the integrity of the building, this June, we
started getting copious quantities of spiders reappearing like never before.
I find cobwebs all over equipment in my adjoining studio everyday. Each day
I clear off the cobwebs and the next day they are back! I get five years'
worth of webs in just 24 hours now.

I am just wondering if there is an unusual cycle of spider reproduction in
the northeast USA this year. What would explain this sudden explosion in
spider population? These are very tiny spiders, not the big ones we usually
see outside or used to see in the cellar. The big ones are gone, but now we
have little tiny ones measuring a millimeter and a half across and are light
beige/yellow in color. Why the sudden appearance of these?

--
Take care,

Mark & Mary Ann Weiss

VIDEO PRODUCTION . FILM SCANNING . DVD MASTERING . AUDIO RESTORATION
Hear my Kurzweil Creations at: http://www.dv-clips.com/theater.htm
Business sites at:
www.dv-clips.com
www.mwcomms.com
www.adventuresinanimemusic.com
-

I've lived in this house for forty years. We have not had a problem with
spiders prior to June of this year.

I have been renovating the house, closing up walls that were rotted and
open
to the outside. Last summer, I replaced entire exterior walls with new
framework and resheathed. the repaired area is air tight. The few spider's
webs that used to form around a pilot lamp in the cellar stopped forming
for
a few months since this renovation.

Despite the improvement in the integrity of the building, this June, we
started getting copious quantities of spiders reappearing like never
before.
I find cobwebs all over equipment in my adjoining studio everyday. Each
day
I clear off the cobwebs and the next day they are back! I get five years'
worth of webs in just 24 hours now.

I am just wondering if there is an unusual cycle of spider reproduction in
the northeast USA this year. What would explain this sudden explosion in
spider population? These are very tiny spiders, not the big ones we
usually
see outside or used to see in the cellar. The big ones are gone, but now
we
have little tiny ones measuring a millimeter and a half across and are
light
beige/yellow in color. Why the sudden appearance of these?

Small light colored spiders are usually newly hatched, subadults, and they
often darken when they get bigger. This time of year the big orb weavers
and garden spiders are out, in my area. You likely had a great year for
adult spiders last year, and you are seeing the result of all the 2004
eggsacks disgorging their young this summer. Spiders are not all bad. Here
in CA I dont sweep webs off the eaves very often, as later in the summer
they intercept hundreds of termites in their flying and colonizing stages, a
very useful service, and spiders love to eat all sorts of wood-eating
insects, and reduce fruit fly and biting insect populations. Since spiders
lurk in holes and cracks in your siding and eaves, that tends to fend off
more harmful insects, such as carpenter ants et al, at points where they
normally enter the structure.
Bottom line - be kind to arachnids, unless they are black widows or brown
recluse spiders.
Most are harmless, and helpful, and fun to watch. OK get them out of the
studio, but leave them on the exterior walls, etc.

I'm not sure about CT, but in Seattle we've had an unusually dry/mild
winter which several people are telling me is the reason it seems there
are so many spiders this year. It seems like I am fighting a losing
battle to keep the spider webs out of the basement.

On a similar note, I came home to find an upside-down tupperware
sitting in the middle of the hallway. My wife had put it over a very
large spider that she had nearly stepped on earlier in the evening.
Upon searching the web we are fairly certain it is in the "hobo spider"
family. Sounds like the bite can be quite nasty. I can't remember ever
encountering one of these spiders in a house before.

-fm

"Mark & Mary Ann Weiss" wrote in message
ink.net...
I've lived in this house for forty years. We have not had a problem with
spiders prior to June of this year.

I have been renovating the house, closing up walls that were rotted and
open
to the outside. Last summer, I replaced entire exterior walls with new
framework and resheathed. the repaired area is air tight. The few spider's
webs that used to form around a pilot lamp in the cellar stopped forming
for
a few months since this renovation.

Despite the improvement in the integrity of the building, this June, we
started getting copious quantities of spiders reappearing like never
before.
I find cobwebs all over equipment in my adjoining studio everyday. Each
day
I clear off the cobwebs and the next day they are back! I get five years'
worth of webs in just 24 hours now.

I am just wondering if there is an unusual cycle of spider reproduction in
the northeast USA this year. What would explain this sudden explosion in
spider population?

I'm experiencing the same thing. I park my car, come back two hours later,
and it's practically strapped to the ground with spider webs. They're in
the house, on the house, and, I have no doubt, under the house in quantities
I've never seen before. The difference is, I'm in southern California, not
Connecticut.

Jim Beaver

My house is on a lake, I get spiders every year. Massive webs all over
the deck, rebuilt in a few hours if you tear em down.

Orkin was canvassing the neighborhood the other day, I signed up. They
treated the inside and outside, and layed down some sort of chemical
barrier around the house. ($89 a treatment, every other month).

I've seen a reduction, although there are still some around. It's gonna
take some time to kill off the spiders food supply I guess.

I've lived in the house for 7 years, normally I just accept the
spiders... but this year they are building an abnormal amount of
nests.... thick white webs about 3" long x 1/2" wide ALL OVER THE
PLACE.

So the war has begun.

Mark & Mary Ann Weiss wrote:
I've lived in this house for forty years. We have not had a problem with
spiders prior to June of this year.

It might be worthwhile to check with your county extension service, in
case they are the dangerous variety. They may also be increasing
because they prey on something less desireable. Worth checking if it is
an unusual condition.

"Norminn" wrote in message
...


Mark & Mary Ann Weiss wrote:
I've lived in this house for forty years. We have not had a problem with
spiders prior to June of this year.

It might be worthwhile to check with your county extension service, in
case they are the dangerous variety. They may also be increasing because
they prey on something less desireable. Worth checking if it is an
unusual condition.


More mosquitoes, more spiders, especially around light sources which attract
mosquitoes.

"Matt" wrote in message
ups.com...
My house is on a lake, I get spiders every year. Massive webs all over
the deck, rebuilt in a few hours if you tear em down.

Orkin was canvassing the neighborhood the other day, I signed up. They
treated the inside and outside, and layed down some sort of chemical
barrier around the house. ($89 a treatment, every other month).

I've seen a reduction, although there are still some around. It's gonna
take some time to kill off the spiders food supply I guess.

I've lived in the house for 7 years, normally I just accept the
spiders... but this year they are building an abnormal amount of
nests.... thick white webs about 3" long x 1/2" wide ALL OVER THE
PLACE.

So the war has begun.


Keep spraying, and you may be one of the casualties of your war. Have you
gotten the precise names of what Mr Orkin uses, and done any research to
find out when they were tested on humans to prove their safety?

It seems that CT is not the only area that's seeing an increase in these
spiders, based on the response here. Oddly, the west coast has reported a
surge in spider activity. So maybe it's something happening on a larger
scale.
I do have to get them out of the studio equipment though, especially the
cameras, because they can foul up the tape drive mechanisms. Annoying in the
other equipment, but less harmful. But geeze... I clean up and a few hours
later, the cobwebs are back!
That's a very interesting statement about the possibility that a certain
desirable prey may be on the increase this year.
I normally don't kill spiders, even in the house because I know they are
great scavengers, but they used to respect my space and now these little
guys are like wild children--getting into everything and anything--nothing
is sacred to them--they desicrate it all. And the fact that my electronic
equipment is being used as 'housing' now is not sitting well with me.


--
Take care,

Mark & Mary Ann Weiss

VIDEO PRODUCTION • FILM SCANNING • DVD MASTERING • AUDIO RESTORATION
Hear my Kurzweil Creations at: http://www.dv-clips.com/theater.htm
Business sites at:
www.dv-clips.com
www.mwcomms.com
www.adventuresinanimemusic.com
-