Spiders Taking Over Gippsland With Magnificent Webs After Floods

Southeastern Australia was recently found blanketed in horror movie-like spider webs after several floods in Gippsland, Victoria. The spooky images were initially shared on Reddit after which they went viral.

The spooky webs were observed after torrential rainfall and winds that slashed the area, resulting in many deaths and thousands evacuating their homes.

Image: Indian Express

Despite their creepy look, the spiders are actually harmless. They sprawled the silk tenements to protect themselves from waterlogged soil by retreating to higher ground.

It is a semi-regular thing to occur in Victoria during the winter season. Spiders can make a range of different silks and one such silk is used for such situations. This phenomenon is like ballooning where they weave a very thin little silk to fly away with the breeze.

This is how baby spiders also disperse when they emerge from the egg sacs. Once they find a suitable spot, the spiders hook on one vegetation and quickly chamber up.

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With the massive flooding, millions of spiders were displaced, deploying thin silk at once, which carpeted the entire countryside like a veil. Some people called it a ‘nightmare’ while others bubbed it enchanted beauty.

Image: Snopes

This phenomenon shows how versatile spider silk can be. It is not just for catching food, but also for locomotion in such emergency situations. It is essential for the locals to know that this is nothing to worry about.

The worst thing that anyone can do is to spray insecticide on it. Spiders make a huge contribution to control pests and spraying them away will only accelerate the problem. The spiders don’t like being close to anyone either (and if this seems like a menace) they will disperse away as quickly as possible.

Via: The Conversation