want orb-web spider eggs?

Specifically, Argiope aurantia

I ask, because I have a bountiful multitude of these critters all over my garden. Two years ago, I put a couple of egg sacs in the citrus trees in the greenhouse for the winter and there were lots and lots of hatchlings. Last fall I noticed more and so I moved the egg sacs around, into the crepe myrtle bush, the fig trees in front, the blackberries on the back of the property. They seem to be doing well, because everywhere I look, there are big black and yellow spiders hanging in their webs. I counted a dozen that had set up home web from the back deck to the corner of the house, less than 40 feet. At the rate this is going, in another couple of months, I am going to have egg sacs hanging like Christmas ornaments -- everywhere.

So being the generous live-and-let-live permie that I am, I would be more than happy to share my bounty with my fellow permies. Are there regulations on sending spider egg sacs through the mail? I imagine the best way to do it would be to wait for the first frost (usually around Thanksgiving in this area), and then I could pop them into a padded envelope and send them off.

I remember driving one foggy morning, and being stunned by the dew glistening off the cobwebs that covered every foot of every wire from the electric poles. Those poor insects that flew into that spider kill zone.

That is inspiring John! Im going to try the same with my local beautiful Argiopes. Hopefully my wife will still help harvest fruit.

Fun! I have a tremendous diversity of spiders including orb weavers and haven't thought about moving egg sacs. I wonder if separating them helps more survive because they eat each other if they're in close quarters. I know this is the case with praying mantises

I'm concerned this year because I haven't seen any little spiderlets emerging. Yet. Was the winter that brutal? I suppose time will tell.

John Elliott wrote:I'm concerned this year because I haven't seen any little spiderlets emerging. Yet. Was the winter that brutal? I suppose time will tell.

They have emerged. But this year is FAR behind last year. The largest ones can still fit comfortable on a dime, whereas last year at this time they were already getting up to half-dollar size.

My hatchling black and yellow garden spiders in the fig tree are getting to comfortable and now starting to cannibalize.   Although they have been catching many aphids and white flies unfortunately they are also turning on each other.  What I initially thought was cute snuggling clusters of brothers and sisters, now I realize only the strong will survive. 😌😜

Wow, they do come in big batches. Do they eat spider mites? I got those over my Pepino melon plants, and things I do do not seem to work (neem, spraying strong water, soapy water), and even though there are few lady bugs at work, they don't seem to make a dent in spider mite population.

They are truly there for a short time. As soon as the winds come around most of them fly away.  I found that they did catch small flys and aphids in their webs but they ended up eating each other instead.  About 5 days after the photo was taken, literally all had flown to a new home or had been eaten by a sibling.  😳☺️

Oh boy, if they eat each other, then they have to have many babies, so some would survive.