Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,497
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 28, 2014 19:10:24 GMT -5
Howdy folks, Went for a hike down the canyon to our limestone half pipes again the other day to see if the cave spiders had come back yet. They only gather every few years.They are a variety of large long leggety harvestman ( daddy long legs) that like to gather in huge groups in the summer for God knows what reason but it's very cool anyway. I had already photographed them last time they gathered but since some folks here are new to the group, I thought you new folks might like to see the critters....Mel Approaching the half pipe. The gray line along the middle of the wall is a wide vein of Edwards Blue Flint the Amerinds mined for knapping. Three spider aggregations on the ceiling.  Looks like a set of bear rugs on the ceiling and if you wave your arms, the millions of spiders bounce up and down giving the rug the appearance of rippling or waving. Very strance effect!  One clump about six feet long, all spiders.  One foot diameter rock beard.  Closer shot. The light dots are the bodies in some instances or their elbows that each have a white knuckle joint.  Ball in upper center is beginning to form up. If you touch the group they form like a giant spider teardrop that droops down and falls to the floor of the pipe. When it hits bottom, it explodes into a crawling hoard of thousands of spiders that all dash back up the wall in a wave to rejoin their buddies.  |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jul 28, 2014 19:21:24 GMT -5
That is a big spider party. What could they be up to ?
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Thunder69
Cave Dweller
Thunder 2000-2015
Member since January 2009
Posts: 3,105
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Post by Thunder69 on Jul 28, 2014 19:30:54 GMT -5
World domination James, world domination indeed...John
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jul 28, 2014 19:54:50 GMT -5
Ewwwww, definitely freaky! Mel, you and your weird critters, I swear. Cali may have its bad points, but at least I've never seen those here...
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,497
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 28, 2014 20:11:18 GMT -5
*L* As you've probably guessed, I love weird.
James: Popular theory has it that the spiders aggregate to avoid predation. I would have guessed it had something to do with temperature but it's always when it's hot so that makes no sense to me unless the slightly cooler temps in the half pipe are what they seek out....Mel
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stephent
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2014
Posts: 213 
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Post by stephent on Jul 28, 2014 20:55:21 GMT -5
Family reunion..everybody does it in the summer.
Daddy long legs are one of the most poisonous spiders...they just have very very short fangs.
But one large spray can of RealKill will work wonders on reducing next years "Daddy Reunion" attendance ..this years too.
They are attracted to the damp places in the ceiling that have water available..and possibly the minerals coming with the water? It doesn't have to be wet.. just barely damp looking..for them to "drink" it. I notice them on my front porch drinking from cat watering slobbers/drips and even her watering pan in hot dry weather.
They stink too. More so when squished.
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transcendental
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 459 
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Post by transcendental on Jul 28, 2014 21:28:16 GMT -5
Intrigued and grossed out at the same time... it's like when you want to look away but just can't lol
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Post by Pat on Jul 28, 2014 21:36:37 GMT -5
That is so neat !
We have Daddy Long Legs, but they are only just a few at a time. They have never bothered me because they are almost cute, but I still don't want any crawling on me.
I would be interested in why they cuddle together like that.
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Post by phil on Jul 28, 2014 21:45:44 GMT -5
That is so neat ! We have Daddy Long Legs, but they are only just a few at a time. They have never bothered me because they are almost cute, but I still don't want any crawling on me. I would be interested in why they cuddle together like that. Sex. They're making future daddy long legs. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2014 21:46:16 GMT -5
SPIDER ORGY!!!!!! Lol.sorry couldnt help myself.
Dave
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Post by phil on Jul 28, 2014 21:47:20 GMT -5
Family reunion..everybody does it in the summer. Daddy long legs are one of the most poisonous spiders...they just have very very short fangs. But one large spray can of RealKill will work wonders on reducing next years "Daddy Reunion" attendance ..this years too. They are attracted to the damp places in the ceiling that have water available..and possibly the minerals coming with the water? It doesn't have to be wet.. just barely damp looking..for them to "drink" it. I notice them on my front porch drinking from cat watering slobbers/drips and even her watering pan in hot dry weather. They stink too. More so when squished. FYI, daddy long legs prey on all the other spiders. Especially the ones that bite humans! I like having them around..... |
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,497
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 28, 2014 21:54:10 GMT -5
Transcendental: Somehow, I just can't resist the urge to stick my hand into the spiders when I see them. I find them fascinating. My wife even has another aggregation in a stapeliad on the front porch. Every night they crawl all over the house foraging and every morning, back into a ball in the plant.
Stephen. Harvestmen are "not" poisonous and do not even have poison glands. That's just an old wives tale and pure fiction. Keeps popping up probably because so many folks are arachnophobes and use it as an excuse to kill the spiders. Primarily opportunistic feeders and though they can take live prey such as injured insects, they feed mainly on decomposing insect and plant matter. As some of nature's clean up crew members, they are useful. There is a Daddy Longlegs true spider that is not a Harvestman and is a different group that has fangs and venom but that too has an undeserved reputation and is not dangerous to humans...Mel
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,497
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 28, 2014 22:06:29 GMT -5
The Daddy Longlegs Spider, more properly the Cellar Spider, uses a web to trap prey and could eat other spiders. Has tiny fangs and not dangerous to humans.
Harvestmen, do not have fangs or web spinning apparatus. Do not actively hunt poisonous spiders and in fact are sometimes eaten by them. The stink is a chemical defense mechanism that makes them less attractive as prey. No reason to kill them unless you have to large an aggregation so they become annoying. Our big groups are out in the boonies. Groups around the house are only a few hundred and are good critters. They clean up the dead bugs on the porch.....Mel
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jul 28, 2014 22:06:35 GMT -5
Ewwwww, definitely freaky! Mel, you and your weird critters, I swear. Cali may have its bad points, but at least I've never seen those here... Spider jelly Jean. |
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bhiatt
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2012
Posts: 1,532
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Post by bhiatt on Jul 28, 2014 22:12:33 GMT -5
Pretty cool looking area. Spider group is wild.
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Deleted
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Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2014 22:12:48 GMT -5
Mel, that is amazing!! wow. Thanks for sharing this rather bizarre natural occurrence. Ain't nature grand!!?!?!?!?!?  |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jul 29, 2014 0:23:44 GMT -5
Ewwwww, definitely freaky! Mel, you and your weird critters, I swear. Cali may have its bad points, but at least I've never seen those here... Spider jelly Jean. James, are you saying you want some spiders added to the next batch of jalapeno jelly? I can accommodate you, lol. I do not have any of those gruesome, grouping harvestmen, but I have the real-deal daddy long legs all over, everywhere. In the house, on the patio... Must have a dozen different kinds of arachnids here on my little patch of Eden. The only ones I will actively kill are the black- and brown-widows. I do this by hand with a stick, no poisons. Everything else I leave alone to do their job as nature intended. You're okay, Mel, it's just those masses of fur balls just send a chill up my spine every time I look at them. So long as they weren't near my house, I'd leave them be as well, allow then to carry on. |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jul 29, 2014 6:30:45 GMT -5
I had heard that about the poison too. i.e., super poisonous and unable to deliver because of short fangs.
Never verified it, but now I know the truth.
I like that 'half pipe' as Mel described it. It took me a while to figure it out.
I am guessing that is a turn in the water flow that was gouged out by storm water. Looked appealing
to camp under excluding the spiders and any rain storms.
Jean, those widows sure like to nest in nursery pots that are sitting on the ground up side down.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,497
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 29, 2014 8:23:32 GMT -5
James, The half pipe looks like it may have at one time been a tube/cave through the limestone where the top eventually caved in. Lots of caves here locally. They had a bulldozer drop into one when the airstrip was built here on the ranch.
*L* Man we had black widows at our Commiefornia house too. I still remember when Lowell came over to go through my rock bins before my Texas move. We took the top off a big crate of Woodward stuff and man it was acrawl with widows and Lowell about freaked out. What's life without a little risk huh? *L*. He still got into the agate pretty good.
We have Black Widows here but not abundant. Recuse Spiders are common though and of course my Striped Bark Scorpion count for the summer so far is at 76. Only stung twice this year so far. Had one in a T-shirt that stung me in the back and while I was jumpin around trying to shake it off, it dropped down into the back of my shorts and stung me again in the ass *L*......Mel
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723
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Post by Fossilman on Jul 29, 2014 9:02:03 GMT -5
Now that is something different...
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