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Trees Cocooned in Spider Webs After Massive Flooding in Sindh, Pakistan


© Department for International Development

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From the ‘In Case You Missed It’ files:

An unexpected side-effect of the flooding in parts of Pakistan has been that millions of spiders climbed up into the trees to escape the rising flood waters.

Because of the scale of the flooding and the fact that the water has taken so long to recede, many trees have become cocooned in spiders webs. People in this part of Sindh have never seen this phenonemon before – but they also report that there are now less mosquitos than they would expect, given the amoungt of stagnant, standing water that is around.

It is thought that the mosquitos are getting caught in the webs and may be reducing the risk of malaria, which would be one blessing for the people of Sindh, facing so many other hardships after the floods.

Nature works in truly unexpected and fascinating ways. The full gallery is stunning.

Mike Richard
Founding Editor
Mike Richard has traveled the world extensively since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked African wild dogs in South Africa, and survived a near-miss great white shark attack in Mexico. He loves the great outdoors, good bourbon, and he (usually) calls Tulsa home. He also enjoys speaking in the third person.

4 Comments

  3. This is of course a communal spider web or better communities or colonies of spiders sharing a huge web from tree to tree to the ground and bushes below. Tetragnatha family of spider can become colonial and build communities from tree to tree. There is also a discussion whether if this is caterpillars. But catterpillars can’t move from branch to branch leaving a trail of thread or from tree to tree via branch or on the grass to the branch of trees. Spiders through balloning can do that and expand or extend their nests. Since a thread is let loose more can follow the thread extending it expanding it strenghten it building otther webs on them. Of course this the no flying zone for flies and mosquitoes crucial for malaria and explosion of mosquitoes population and diseases. Ok the poor tree will still have to deal with it but i am sure it recoverd this. Probably anelosimus is there too but i don’t think exists in Pakistan or India. I guess spiders have found ways to become more beneficial we could not see before and spiders under certain circumstances of temperaure, moisture and huge populations of insects around an area become communal like ants or bees. Certain this community is lot different than queens as do ants and bees. There are no queens in spider communities as 80% of colony are females or say “queens” and produce eggsacs to expand the community supporting males. All of them expand and construct or repair webs some of them hunt and share food even for juvelins. When the end of community comes….? Well this depends on wheather ,moisture and temperature and insects population. If this is changed most of females die other leave the web other even become cannibalistic. The webbing because of the weight and degree of how old is it …. collapses and well that’s the end..

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