What Are Cobwebs? Where Do They Come From?

Most cobwebs actually consist of abandoned spider webs. These home-abandoning spiders, mainly those of the species Theridiidae, build these sticky webs for catching prey.

Web-building spiders create elaborate webs for catching prey (wandering spiders chase after their prey, rather than building webs). Over time, however, mechanical stress and dust accumulation weakens the web, forcing the spider to abandon it and build a new one. That’s why you never see a spider on a cobweb, even though the eight-legged arachnid is responsible for its creation!

The word cobwebs comes from Old English, coppeweave, and originated sometime in the 14th century. Coppe comes from attercoppe, which means spider or literally “venomous head.” Web also has its origins in Old English and means tapestry or something intricately woven.

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[nooceluap]

Thanks for this excellent video and explanation of cobwebs.

[KingRapz]

I GENUINELY thought a spider was running across my ceiling when I heard this sound at 0:57! I had to rewind this after like 3 times just to be sure I wasn’t tripping!!! 😱😂😛

[dontforgettolike]

Always keep daddy long legs (cellar spiders) around. They can’t hurt you, they stay away from you, and eat the ones that CAN hurt you, and DON’T stay away from you. Treat them like pets. Let ‘em be.

[RezzyFlintboyOfficial]

Hear some information about where cobwebs come from and And who are the ones creating them and why they create them and also the misconception that black widows do not have natural born predators which is actually not true because they do.

While it is a common belief that black widow spiders have no predators, this is actually not the case. Black widows face threats from both other spiders and insects in their habitat.

One predator of the black widow is the cobweb spider. Cobweb spiders are nocturnal spiders that resemble black widows in appearance, being brownish tan in color with dark spots. However, they are not actually black widows. Cobweb spiders have developed a hunting strategy where they actively seek out and capture black widows. For some evolutionary reason, cobweb spiders seem to preferentially target black widows over other spider species. At night, cobweb spiders will patrol their webs, searching for any black widows that become ensnared. Once caught, the cobweb spider will quickly overpower and consume the black widow.

Another surprising predator of black widows is the mud dauber wasp. Mud daubers are solitary, ground-nesting wasps that build their nests out of mud. They are known to provision their nests by hunting spiders, including black widows, to paralyze and lay their eggs on. Mud daubers have evolved the ability to capture black widows without suffering the effects of their venom. They will sting the black widow to paralyze it, then drag it back to their nest to serve as food for the wasp larvae. This demonstrates that even insects can pose a threat to the otherwise feared black widow spider.

In addition, there is a common misconception about cobwebs and what they are made of. Many people believe that cobwebs are just dirt, dust, pollen and other debris that gets stuck in messy spiderwebs. However, cobwebs are purposefully constructed structures made entirely of silk spun by cobweb spiders. Cobweb spiders weave very irregular and tangled webs that appear messy and distorted. This web structure has evolved as an effective trapping mechanism. The messy, tangled nature of the cobweb makes it very difficult for trapped insects or other spiders, such as black widows, to escape once ensnared. The cobweb spider can then easily locate and consume any prey that is caught in its web. So in reality, cobwebs serve an important predatory function for their spiders rather than just being dirty accumulations.

[mukhumor]

I thought they were made by the elusive Cob.

[Haydyne]

the cobwebs that keep appearing above my bed are proof that spiders are coming and going 😭

[stonesstorys]

I change my mind. I’m scared to see that the worst kind of move. Web