4-ACRE spider web found in Baltimore teeming with 107 MILLION arachnids
The web was discovered at the Baltimore Wastewater Treatment Plant
- It covered four acres and was said to have 107 million spiders living in it
- This was the equivalent to 35,176 spiders per cubic square metre of space
- Web was made by a species of orb-weavers known as Tetragnathidae
- Researchers predicted that 95% of the plant was covered in webbing
Published:11:37 EST, 3 November 2014
Updated:
11:51 EST, 3 November 2014
11:51 EST, 3 November 2014
The warmer weather is said to have caused thousands of spiders to flood homes, but if you’re concerned about the invasion, spare a thought for the owners of a waste treatment plant in the US. The Baltimore property was so riddled with arachnids that webbing covered approximately 95 per cent of the entire building. This was the equivalent to four acres – or three American football fields – and was said to house more than 107 million of the eight-legged critters. The web was discovered at the Baltimore Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2009 (pictured) and experts predicted there were approximately 35,176 spiders per cubic metre of space Experts estimated there were around 35,176 spiders per cubic square metre of space. Each spider measured around half an inch, including legs. These spiders included a species known as a Long-jawed orb weaver, or Tetragnathidae, typically found in damp or swamp habitats. They have long slim bodies with shiny abdomens.
