Posted by Rich Bunce on November 12, 2005

Q: It was a 65 degree day here in north west Indiana,I think the sudden warmth is what brought these spiders out.I went to my back deck and there were hundreds of really small spiders crawling and spinning webs all over the place.These spiders were smaller than any I have seen as I am an avid outdoorsman.As I examined the situation closely I noticed the webs shimmering in the grass,on my truck,on the plants and small trees.There were little spiders everywhere,there had to be millions of them.The spiders were a little smaller than a tick ,their biggest part of their body was like a flat black the rest seemed to be a glossier black ,they spun a white colored web not in any certain pattern but I think just so they could get from place to place.Sometimes you would see them just riding on a web strand in the wind.They were real small as I said so I hope my description was enough.I think that this is rather unique in that there are hundreds of thousands in my yard.The neighbors yards had a few webs and spiders but not like mine, probably because they mow more.The spiders in the colder air have since gone away somewhat,you can still see a few here and there on my deck some dead some alive.I hope because this is so unique that an expert could help me identify these spiders and tell me a little more about them . Will they get in my house?

Habitat: field/meadow

State: Indiana

Habitat: field/meadow

A: You saw one of the marvels of the natural world! You saw ballooning spiders. Many species of spiders use their own silk to help them disperse from their point of hatching. When conditions are just "right", newly hatched baby spiders will release silk from their spinnerets and allow the wind to carry them skyward. This behavior is especially effective in dispersing young spiders into new territory. In fact, spiders are often one of the first animals to gain access to newly formed islands - they arrive by air! Of course, many ballooning spiders land in inappropriate places and die but enough make it to keep the species going. You just happened to be at the right place at the right time to see this phenonenon - lucky you!! By now there are probably very few, if any babies in your area. Will they get into your house? Probably not unless your windows are open and the wind carries them in.. Thanks for sharing.

John Wiessinger ( November 14, 2005)