BEWARE THE KISS OF THE WASP SPIDER WOMAN

By Helen Slade - Tuesday, September 18, 2007

The wasp spider, with its distinctive yellow and black markings and unusual zig-zag silk in its web.

NATURE NOTES
THE wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi, is one of our most striking and easily identified spiders.
It is the female we notice, often sitting in the middle of her orb-type web, in bushes and rough grass during the autumn.
The male is tiny, just 4mm long, reddish and easily overlooked. Unfortunately for him, the female can see him quite easily and the males are frequently eaten during mating, despite the male attempting to catch her while her mouth parts are still fresh and soft.
Female wasp spiders are unmistakable having a yellow abdomen striped with black and white bars. Their web can also be distinctive with a zig-zag of white silk (called a stabilimentum).
The function of the silky band in the web is not known but it has been suggested it might add strength to the web or perhaps scare off predators.
The spider shakes the web vigorously when something large is approaching, which has the consequence of making it appear to be a blurry white spot.
The spiders feed on flying insects and in particular are keen on grasshoppers and crickets. Despite its striking appearance, however, it is not poisonous.
The wasp spider was always considered to be a southern European species, needing hot summers to survive.
The first was spotted on the Island in August 1979 at Hamstead during a Natural History Society field meeting.
They tend to live in places where the grass is long and unmanaged because they build their nest sac on the grass.
Consequently the area around Hamstead and Newtown is ideal for them. Reports this year indicate there are plenty to be seen in that area.
Since it was first spotted here, it has appeared with increasing frequency on the northern half of the Island and, more recently, in the southern half. It is also now found on the mainland as far north as Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. In some countries of Europe the wasp spider is protected by law, but not yet here.

The society is anxious to record the spread of this beautiful spider and would welcome records sent to the society’s website or from Wildlife Watch record cards available at public libraries and tourist information centres.
Don’t forget to visit the society’s website, at www.iwnhas.org, for more information about various activities, including the Wildlife Watch project.

Column courtesy of the IW Natural History and Archaeological Society.

BEWARE THE KISS OF THE WASP SPIDER WOMAN

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