Argiope aurantia Lucas, 1833 Discussion

Comments on August 8, 2007 Observation

Natalie K. Beacom
36.6295, -93.1965
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Submitted: October 3, 2007 at 4:11:11 PM MST

Location: Hollister Missouri.. On my front porch... Her name is Tudy Fruity.. I've been putting wild cought crickets in her web.. She has now produced a HUGE egg sack for me. Never seen the male tho. She's close to 2 1/2 3 inch leg span.

 

9-22-2007

Tudy has now layed her 2nd egg sack!!!

 

9-30-2007

Well I have some sad news and some good news.. Some of my husbands friends came over I guess they'd been drinking before they got here, well anyways I met them on the front porch and they were talking about how they were going to kill tudy because they didn't like spiders I told them if they dare touch her I was going to really hurt them only in words I cant say on here.. Well they went in and then one guy nick named fatback left and went to talk on his phone.. Then they left and I walked them to the door.. I didn't check on her then but as we were leaving to go out in town Aaron told me tudy isn't there.. I told him he was lieing to me... Well I looked and sure enough her web was destroyed right in the middle where she was.. Like someone came up and just grabbed her off her web and took her web with her as well.. Now I'm sooo P@^%$# that I don't even have words to explain what I feel.. I mean I'll miss her and everything but its more of a disrespect issue then anything because they know I've been taking care of her now for 2 months or more..

Plus I also help plan there wedding and helped them find a house.. And then they go and do that to her and to me.. Some friends they turned out to be .. What's this world coming to anymore? Sorry for the rant had to get it off my chest..

Well the good news is her egg sacs are still there and doing fine.. I just hope she didn't suffer what ever happened to her... I mean I knew I'd lose her in the end but not this way tho.. I'll for ever miss that little bugger..

 

10-03-2007

Her egg sacs are doing just fine.. I gard them with my life now.. I still go out there and check to see if by some slim chance she's came back but as always no.. I'll keep you all update..

Natalie,

My belated condolencences on the demise of your spider mother. As in Charlotte's Web, I'm sure you'll enjoy her off-spring; they may have dispersed for now, but I imagine that one or two will turn up again.

Best,

-Kevin Pfeiffer 

Quoting David P. Shorthouse: Have any spiderlings hatched yet? A. aurantia (like a lot of other spiders) will occasionally produce unfertilized eggs. Hope that's not the case with Tudy Fruity because it looks like you'd have prime viewing. Quote End

yeah they have both sacs have hatched.. i would have goeen pics but it was like there were in the sac one minune then gone the next..  

Quoting David P. Shorthouse: Have any spiderlings hatched yet? A. aurantia (like a lot of other spiders) will occasionally produce unfertilized eggs. Hope that's not the case with Tudy Fruity because it looks like you'd have prime viewing. Quote End

yeah they have both sacs have hatched.. i would have goeen pics but it was like there were in the sac one minune then gone the next..  

Quoting David P. Shorthouse: Have any spiderlings hatched yet? A. aurantia (like a lot of other spiders) will occasionally produce unfertilized eggs. Hope that's not the case with Tudy Fruity because it looks like you'd have prime viewing. Quote End

yeah they have.. both sacs have hatched.. i would have goten pics but it was like they was in the sac one min then gone the next.. happend so fast

Quoting Mary Boyce: Quoting Natalie K. Beacom: Quoting David P. Shorthouse: Yikes! Just came across your most recent updates, Natalie. Sounds like you have you hands full keeping marauders at bay. But, it sounds like there may be at least one successfully produced egg sac so fingers cross that there will be a swarm of babies come mid-spring. Quote End  Yeah I hope.. There's another female that has put up her webb behind our house.. She about 3 times bigger then tudy fruity was.. I name her Fruit Loop.. I hope she perduces egg sacs for me as well.. :) Quote End  Natalie,I just found this site. I am sorry this happened to your spider. As you say, disrepectfull. I have observed my "Queenie" in my garden in my tomato plants most of the summer.Usually I am terrified of spiders, but I let her stay and I would check on her everyday after work.Today, she is gone, I looked all over for her. But luckily what I did find was an egg sac. So I carefully removed it an put it in some vines under some hay for winter protection.  I am justlearing about these spiders, and am looking forward to "Queenie II" next summer!I hope your egg sac's survive as well.Mary  Quote End

Well I found a HUGE I mean huge female behind my house here a week ago named her Fruit Loop... well I checked on her the night before last and she very bigg with babies.. It was also very cold here and she was hanging by one stran of webbing and one foot about frozen to death.. so I know this might not be the best thing but I  bottled  her up and  took her inside.. I thought she was dead.. I left her alone and came back 10 mins later and there she was happly weaving her web inside the container I had her in .. Now all I do is thow a cricket or 2 in and she happly munchs away on them.. Still waiting for her to lay that egg sac.. I coudn't watch her die.. Not after what happend to Tudy Fruity.. 

Quoting Mary Boyce: I have observed my "Queenie" in my garden in my tomato plants most of the summer. Quote End

Do you have any submissions, Mary? Even if these are sometime in the past & you happen to have a picture, these are still work submitting if you can take your best guess. If not, we look forward to your observations and comments when the babis hatch!

Quoting Natalie K. Beacom: Quoting David P. Shorthouse: Yikes! Just came across your most recent updates, Natalie. Sounds like you have you hands full keeping marauders at bay. But, it sounds like there may be at least one successfully produced egg sac so fingers cross that there will be a swarm of babies come mid-spring. Quote End  Yeah I hope.. There's another female that has put up her webb behind our house.. She about 3 times bigger then tudy fruity was.. I name her Fruit Loop.. I hope she perduces egg sacs for me as well.. :) Quote End

Natalie,

I just found this site. I am sorry this happened to your spider. As you say, disrepectfull.

I have observed my "Queenie" in my garden in my tomato plants most of the summer.

Usually I am terrified of spiders, but I let her stay and I would check on her everyday after work.

Today, she is gone, I looked all over for her. But luckily what I did find was an egg sac. So I

carefully removed it an put it in some vines under some hay for winter protection.  I am just

learing about these spiders, and am looking forward to "Queenie II" next summer!

I hope your egg sac's survive as well.

Mary 

Quoting David P. Shorthouse: Yikes! Just came across your most recent updates, Natalie. Sounds like you have you hands full keeping marauders at bay. But, it sounds like there may be at least one successfully produced egg sac so fingers cross that there will be a swarm of babies come mid-spring. Quote End

Yeah I hope.. There's another female that has put up her webb behind our house.. She about 3 times bigger then tudy fruity was.. I name her Fruit Loop.. I hope she perduces egg sacs for me as well.. :)