What do Spiders Eat?

-by Abhrajita Mondal

–Reading Time – 7 min Approx

Do you like spiders? The chances of you hating them may be quite high. These are creepy-crawly creatures which do not make life good. Before we proceed to explain their eating habits, you should know about them. Spiders are arthropods. They have eight legs. Moreover, they do not move around in the same manner as other insects. They fall under the class arachnids. However, all arachnids are not spiders. You will be amazed to know that there are around 40,000 species of spiders. Spiders spin webs to catch their prey. However, some wait in ambush for their prey.

You ought to know about the body of a spider. They have exoskeletons. The body is made up of a cephalothorax and abdomen. Most of them have four pairs of eyes on their cephalothorax. The largest spiders are the Tarantulas and the smallest one is the Patu Marplesi. It was found in Samoa. Now, we come to, ‘what do spiders eat’? They eat a variety of foods. We will start with the house spiders. You should also know that they are responsible for keeping insects away. They eat a variety of flies, cockroaches, mosquitos and moths. So, you should think before attempting to kill one. They might be beneficial for you.

Some of you might think that they are dangerous to humans and might bite but humans are not a part of their diet. So, you can live happily with them if you want. You would encounter a few types of house spiders. The most common ones are Black House Spider, Brown House, Domestic, Hobo, Common Cellar Spider, Common House Spider, Yellow Sac, Black Widow, Brown Recluse and Wolf Spider. Most of these spiders stay high up on the walls and avoid human interaction. So, by now you got the partial answer to the question, ‘what do spiders eat’?

What do spiders eat?

Let us find out the answer in more detail. Firstly, you should know about what the house spiders eat. Every spider is a predator. They commonly feed upon other insects. However, there are some larger varieties that eat crickets, mosquitoes, grasshoppers and frogs too. Moreover, some of the exotic varieties also feed on rodents and birds. You seem to be surprised? Don’t be! There are more.

The spiders you would encounter on a daily basis are the insect-eaters. They help with pest control. They eat millions of insects throughout the year. There are cobwebs in and around the house, right? Well, the spiders build them to catch insects. The ones inside the home use this method. But there are others as well. They are the hunters of the spider world. House spiders have adjusted to the ecosystem inside the house. So, now you must be wondering, how many times they need food? House spiders can go without food for weeks.

However, if they find insects they eat often. You will find them eating four times a day. They need both food and water for survival. They spend much of time near water, as that’s where the prey resides. Would you like to know how they eat? They have two appendages called pedipalps. They catch the prey with the pedipalps, and hold it in place. Then they bite with their fangs. The spiders inject a digestive enzyme into the insect. The enzyme dissolves the internal parts of the prey. The spider sucks in the food in liquid form. The exterior of the insect remains intact. However, there is nothing inside.

Another facet that you should take note of is that spiders love our food. So, you ought to discard stale food as fast as you can. Storing it in all the wrong places will attract spiders. Most spiders are exclusively carnivorous. However, a few jumping spiders eat plants as well. They gorge on plant sap, nectar, and pollen grains. However, they are obligate carnivores. That means, they need animal proteins anyhow. If they feed on plants, they may become unhealthy. You should know about the only herbivore spider called Bagheera Kiplingi. They feed on the sugars in the acacia plants. Now, you have a fair idea of what do spiders eat? So, do you think you are getting closer to knowing them better? Yes, you definitely are.

Now, we need to answer one more question. Do spiders eat worms? Yes, some of them do. Spiders from at least 14 families eat earthworms. Wandering spiders are one of them. You will find them in places like Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Costa Rica and Singapore.

What do garden spiders eat?

Now, you will ask next what do garden spiders eat? Garden spiders are cannibals and they eat insects, wasps, moths and flies. Females often eat males during courtship. Garden spiders also eat lizards, smaller rodents, birds and bats. There are pollen-eating spiders, lizard-eating spiders and many more. After having learned about the food of spiders, you might be interested in knowing the feeding mechanism of spiders.

Apart from building webs, spiders catch their prey by adopting other tactics. However, you should know about the different webs that spiders build. The various types of webs include spiral orbs, tangle webs, funnels and sheet webs. Now, isn’t that interesting? There is one net-casting spider which weaves a small web and attaches it to the front legs. The spider spends less energy chasing its prey. The moment the spider sees a prey, it just lunges forward with the net.

The Bolas spiders use a blob of sticky silk to catch flying insects like moths. They are also quite famous as fishing spiders. Jumping spiders and wolf spiders pounce on unsuspecting prey like small birds. Dolomedes spiders can hunt in water. They hold on to the banks of the water body with their hind legs and float with forearms stretched forward. When they see ripples, they catch the prey and inject venom to kill them. You might come across such spiders killing small fish. Like humans, some spiders hunt with the help of deception. Take the example of the Australian Crab Spider, which changes the UV signals to catch bees.

The Jumping Spider Portia catches the prey of other spiders. There are amazing creatures around us. Spiders are just one of those. Now, you must be really overwhelmed to know about such techniques that spiders utilize to catch their prey.

Spider behavior decoded:

There is another feature that distinguishes spiders from other creatures. You can call it Cannibalism. As already discussed, female spiders often eat the males after mating. Some males water spiders kill smaller females after mating. There are spider mothers who are eaten by their offspring. Isn’t that amazing? Then, there are others who prey on their own kind when food is scarce. Now, you have a fair idea of what do spiders eat and drink? Read on to know more.

Where do spiders live?

Except in Antarctica, spiders are found all over the globe. They date back to over 318 million years. You will find them in tropical as well as temperate zones. They are found in swamps, marshes and bogs. Additionally, you will find them in the savannahs and the deserts.

Moreover, you will be amazed to know that spiders are travellers and love to relocate. They depict a behavior called ballooning. Young and old spiders put out silk threads with the help of which they are carried by the wind. Some land close but others land elsewhere across miles. The house spiders live in the dirty corners of your home. So, that is the reason why you should clean all the corners daily.

Do spiders eat human food?

By now, you have come to know about how spiders eat and catch prey. But you need to have some clarity on whether they can have human food. Humans are omnivores. That means, they can eat any kind of food and digest them as well. Few humans believe that their pets can do that as well. However, that is completely wrong information.

You should know that spiders do not have the teeth or digestive system to chew and process the food. They can eat grasshoppers and crickets. Many humans eat them too. Studies have shown that some spiders eat marmalade, butter and eggs. You would also find them in the chicken coop. They love to feed on the rotten poop and bugs. You should not force them to eat human food as such. They do not handle large quantities. However, they do eat some of the human food lying around the house.

Today, they are considered a delicacy. Humans can eat just about anything, even spiders. Cambodia has a flourishing market that keeps spiders are delicacy. And, why not? They are rich in proteins, zinc and folic acids. So, do you want to keep a spider as a pet? You should not. They can be venomous. If you cannot handle them, don’t keep them. Their bite may be poisonous. Humans and spiders closely interact with one another. So, you can say that they are a part of the micro- ecosystem and co-exist with us.

-by Abhrajita Mondal

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