We’ve been on a roll here lately with spiders and Nightjar has sent us one more. This incredible set of photos showcases a spider preparing a meal. Photos are below the fold. Thanks for sharing, Nightjar.
I feel slightly guilty about what’s going on in these photos. I had seen a honeybee on our goldenrod and approached carefully with the camera. When I got there the bee flew away… and straight into an orb weaver’s web! The spider was very quick to wrap up the bee (1st picture) and to carry it along a thin strand of silk (2nd picture) into its hiding place among some dried chayote leaves (3rd picture). Fascinating to watch, but I couldn’t help feeling bad for the poor honeybee, it looked so pretty on the goldenrod… Oh well.
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
©Nightjar, all rights reserved
That’d be a fun cosplay for halloween -- act normal except for when you wrap your food up in thread-cloth, and punch a straw through it. Without commenting or acting as if anything is out of the ordinary.
One has to feel bad for the bee, but the situation might have been hazardous for both. But the spider got a meal, though it might be a bit sour-tasting.
Right now, every bee is precious, with the collapse of so many hives. even non-commercial hives are being affected. But nature rules, and that one fed a spider. That spider will go on to catch many more mosquitoes and flys, to more than make up the difference.
This is an incredible set of photos! What a satisfied spider going home from the day’s shopping (picture 2). I bet she’s just humming a cheerful tune, too.