04 August 2011

Good time to look for the Fen Raft Spider


Paul Tyrrell wrote: 'Myself and Jamie Bevan (CCW warden at Crymlyn) went down to the Tennant canal on the morning of the 30th to look for Fen Raft Spiders, and with Jamie's help I managed to see eight individuals. As he told me, this is the best time to see them as the females tend to sit out in front of the nursery web which she constructs to keep the young spiders safe from predation. So when you find a web with an egg sack, or young spiders in it, and there can be well over two hundred in a web, there should be a large female near by, although you may find them without a web, once there young have dispersed.'
Web with egg sack
young spiders in the bottom left hand corner 

No comments: