Small red spiders
Posted by Kimberly Shaelo on April 4, 2006
Q: I saw the post of Chrissy Despins Jan 9, 2006 and the response. I have the same thing on my back patio. They are small but not as small as a apider mite. They look like red ants but they are on threading like a spider. Yes they jump like a springtail but they can suspend themselves from a silk thread like a spider. What are they???
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: Oklahoma
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: Sounds to me that you've been seeing some of the jumping spiders that look like ants. Yes, some actually look like ants and if you don't look closely, you'll assume they're insects when they're really spiders. If you can count their legs (probably not an easy task) you'll have a better idea what they are. But, if they're jumping and have a silk thread it sounds to me that you have a bunch of baby jumping spiders. I found a site that has lots of photos of spiders so maybe you can find your guys here. tolweb.org I hope this helps.
John Wiessinger ( April 5, 2006)