Insect people -- I need your help.

[sweet angel]

This is a picture of a spider that was on my neighbor's deck. The same kind was in my backyard. We can't identify it...can anyone help?

 

[L107ANGEL]

 

[barrett7890]

Black-and-yellow Garden Spider

cami
x

 

[Laz]

We get those in NE Indiana. They always seem to catch alot of bugs. Very pretty and scary looking at the same time.

 

[SillyMe]

Aww, now I'm going to be itching all day thinking something's crawling on me. I hate spiders. I hate spiders. I hate spiders.

 

[sweet angel]

Black-and-yellow Garden Spider

cami
x

Maybe, but when I googled it, it said 3/4" for a male and 1-1/2" for female. This sucker was over 3". Of course, we are less than 2 miles from a power plant.......

 

[barrett7890]

was the body over 3 inches? or the total diameter?

cami
x

 

[SherryNC]

Could this be it??

The Black and Yellow Argiope is a common orb web spider. Orb web means it spins a web like a circle.

Female spiders are much larger than males, growing almost an inch and a half long. Males grow about 3/4 inch long. Both spiders have a cephalothorax (small front body section) with silver hairs on it. The abdomen (large back section) is egg-shaped with black and yellow coloring.

Legs of these spiders are black with red or yellow bands. Each leg has three claws on the end.

Black and Yellow Argiopes live in fields and gardens. They can be found on shrubs, tall plants, and flowers.

The web of this spider spirals out from the center and can be two feet across. The female builds the large web, and a male will build a smaller web on the outer part of her web. The male's web is a thick zig-zag of white silk.

 

[sweet angel]

was the body over 3 inches? or the total diameter?

cami
x

Good question. I'm thinking when my neighbor said 3", he meant TOTAL size. I guess the website shows body size?

 

[sweet angel]

Look! We found another one in our yard today. Raid garden spray and a size 14 flip flop, and he's no more.

 

[SherryNC]

That looks like the pic I posted.

 

[SillyMe]

Ewww, you got that close to take pictures?

 

[sweet angel]

Ewww, you got that close to take pictures?

Telephoto -- but I was about a foot away. I have a bad case of heebie jeebies now.

 

[TDC Nala]

Insect people -- I need your help.

heh heh...this should say "arachnid people"

 

[sweet angel]

Ahh, semantics....phooey.

He's dead now anyway...maybe I should change it to ugly dead buggy people.....

 

[perdidobay]

Now I HATE spiders, but I have several of these around the outside of my house. I let these fellows live, they catch alot of bugs and do no harm.
If you can watch them spin a web, it's amazing.
Don't get too close or they will shake back and forth on the web and give you a heart attack!

 

[SherryNC]

Now I HATE spiders, but I have several of these around the outside of my house. I let these fellows live, they catch alot of bugs and do no harm.
If you can watch them spin a web, it's amazing.
Don't get too close or they will shake back and forth on the web and give you a heart attack!

 

[sweet angel]

You know what? I've had a spider in my ear and I have 4 scars from spider bites on my leg. The suckers can die. I don't care how beneficial they are.

Up until about 6 years ago, I was "live and let live" where spidey was concerned. Not any more.