Depending on what kind of spiders you have in your area or, worse, in your house, you are likely familiar with the little white sac of spider babies that man spider mothers spin. The gossamer bundle typically attaches to the mother or part of the web, and later hundreds of tiny spiders crawl out in a chaotic sprint. Interestingly, the person viewing the sac break open usually takes off in a chaotic sprint as the baby spiders do. Find out more about how most spiders mate and who to call for residential pest control in Halifax if you require spider removal.
Male Spiders Have One Thing Only on the Brain During Life
When male spiders hit the ground, they are dedicated to finding a female. They will lay in wait for the female’s final molt (a loss of skin) to take place and then attempt to enact mating rites with her. Since single females are often scarce, sometimes male spiders will even stake out female spiders that have yet to reach sexual maturity.
How Female Spiders Advertise Interest and Consent
When females reach sexual maturity, there is no shortage of eligible males attempting to come and shake the web. Females advertise their sexual readiness by attaching pheromones to a strand of the web that drags behind, leaving a trail to her location. This strand is called a dragline, and male spiders can sniff it out and follow it to find an eligible female mate.
What Happens When Star-Crossed Spider Lovers Meet
Once the male spider reaches the female spider that has expressed her interest and pheromones, he has to overcome additional challenges. He also has to deal with other males who have arrived before him. If they have not already mated with the female, he can attempt to fight them for dominance to mate with the female spider.
If he completes his fight for the female spider over other suitors, he must then face the female spider. If her vision is poor, he will have to engage in methods of courtship to reassure her that he is neither a threat nor lunch.
Spiders Are Reminders of Analog Courtship in a Digital Age
Spiders do things the old-fashioned way when it comes to courtship. There is a long series of wooing, song and dance, and pheromones that typically prove to be effective after some time.
Web Builders
A few unique and gentle strums on the web of a female spider let her know that the male is there to court her. This communication shows his interests and helps her identify him as a mate rather than prey or a predator.
Non-Web
Other spiders have significantly better eyesight than web-builders since they hunt their prey instead. They do not need to rely on web signalling to get the message across. Instead, a dance party ensues. Both jumping and wolf spiders will begin making a series of controlled movements that convey the intent to mate as part of the courtship ritual.
The Final Deed Is Less Like Coupling and More Making a Deposit
If the female is adequately wooed, she will position herself for mating. If she is not interested, she will either shake her web, leave the courtship ritual, or eat her potential suitor.
The act is very procedural. The male will place sperm on his pedipalps and deposit it into the female’s genital opening before leaving. She stores the sperm until she is ready to lay eggs, weeks or months in the future. The eggs, in many cases, are stored in the familiar white sac that any homeowners find in corners, nooks, and crannies throughout the house.
If you require a professional assessment for a spider infestation in or around your home in Halifax, contact the professionals at Truly Nolen for expert pest control services. Not only will Truly Nolen quickly and quietly deal with the problem at hand, but they provide a four-seasons approach to pest control to help prevent it from ever happening again.