What kind of spider is this?

5 years ago

Bumped into this big spider near the wood fence. From tip of leg to tip of leg it's about 2.5 inches. Is it harmless? The web is very strong not like strands of silk that breaks easy, this web is more like rubber band strength and you can see it is even reinforced around the middle.

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dirtygardener

5 years ago

It's an orb weaver, or what we used to call "writing spiders." An old superstition says that if it writes your name on its web, you'll die. They're scary looking, but very beneficial in that they eat all manner of bad insects.

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Comments (10)

dangermouse01 (coastal central FL 9B)
5 years ago
Guessing some type of orb weaver.
Miami Cuse thanked dangermouse01 (coastal central FL 9B)
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
5 years ago
It's likely harmless to humans, but not to insects.

According to UF, there are only 5 types of venomous spiders here - Brown Recluse and 4 types of widow spiders.

http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/suwanneeco/2017/11/02/venomous-spiders-watch/
Miami Cuse thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
She is Argiope argentata, the silver argiope. This spider is very beneficial, and though all spiders can bite, these are very loath to. They don't leave their webs and are never aggressive.

The Silver Argiope is identifiable by their very distinctive resting posture.....an X.

All orb weaver spiders make very, very strong silk.

BTW, the identity of the 'official' writing spider is Argiope aurantia, the stunning yellow and black garden spider, my personal favorite.
Miami Cuse thanked rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
5 years ago
Not only may most spiders be loathe to bite humans, but many are not strong nor large enough to pierce our skin.
Miami Cuse thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
Miami Cuse
Original Author
5 years ago
OK, so it's not going to cause harm, but it is in my way to install a new side gate. I need the spider to be out if the way.

Is there some safe way to relocate the web or something I can do to move it a few feet over? What if I take a piece of pipe or bamboo pole and put it against the outside of the webbing, spin the pole a few times to get the silk around the pole, then move the pole to the other side and seat the pole into the dirt? Will that work?
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
5 years ago
Miami, no need to try to move the web. These spiders, as do all of the orb weavers, take own their own webs almost every day or night, reconstructing it all over again.

If you make her feel unwelcome in the present location, she will find a new location. I've had to do that with a different Argiope species; she established a web between two pillars that framed our front door, lol.
Miami Cuse thanked rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
5 years ago
FWIW, I've shifted spider webs out of the way by taking the end of one or several of the structural threads - the non sticky ones that support the web - and wrapping it several times around a different anchor point - a branch or similar.
Miami Cuse thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
dirtygardener
5 years ago
rhizo_1, thanks for identifying this one. The "official" one is my favorite too, but as long as they're making that zig-zag in their web, they're writing spiders to me. We used to have HUGE ones on the island where my grandmother lived. They would make webs all the way across the dirt "roads" (actually just two ruts going through the woods), and my cousins and I would take big sticks with us when we went walking to knock them down & beat the weeds to scare off snakes.
irma_stpete_10a
4 years ago
Thanks for the info, spider fans! I've been feeling guilty about pushing webs away lately. Me thinks if I read about their lives and how to pronounce their names, I'll be more comfortable with keeping them around.... it seems to work! Argiope