My Neighbor is a Real Spider
My neighbor is a real spider but scary as she is, not harmful to humans! My son and I noticed her web the other day while on a ne
ighborhood walk. I'm not a big spider fan and have the tendency to want to kill any and all I see. Luckily I identified this one first or hopefully I did! The most obvious thing about her was the big yellow back so started my Google search with that. Immediately Black and Yellow Argiope or Argiope aurantia came up and it seemed to fit this spider to a T right down to the description of it's legs. I found most of my information on a study done by Fairfax County Public Schools in Northern Virginia.
ighborhood walk. I'm not a big spider fan and have the tendency to want to kill any and all I see. Luckily I identified this one first or hopefully I did! The most obvious thing about her was the big yellow back so started my Google search with that. Immediately Black and Yellow Argiope or Argiope aurantia came up and it seemed to fit this spider to a T right down to the description of it's legs. I found most of my information on a study done by Fairfax County Public Schools in Northern Virginia.
It is a common orb web spider meaning it spins it's web in a circular fashion. The male Black and Yellow Argiope is much smaller than the female so we were assuming this is a female as it is about an 1 1/2 inches long including the legs. But an article I read about them says that the female builds a large web (which this was) and the male builds a smaller one on the outer part of her web and is a thick zig-zag of white silk which we could also see.After mating the female lays eggs to one side of the web and then covers them with a paper sac. These sacs can be up to an inch long with over a thousand eggs inside. The female dies 
after she lays the eggs. The babies will hatch in the fall but still stay inside the sac until the spring.
after she lays the eggs. The babies will hatch in the fall but still stay inside the sac until the spring. Black and Yellow Argiopes are considered beneficial as they eat large amounts of flying and pest insects that get caught in the sticky web, most commonly aphids, flies, grasshoppers, bees, and wasps. This spider should have lots to eat in my yard as I've seen plenty of these things around! Not sure that I want thousands of babies around but for now, I'm OK that this neighbor is a real spider!
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I am a REALTOR® in El Dorado Hills with Lyon Real Estate. I love living in El Dorado Hills, where homes with views have become my passion. Working with both buyers and sellers, my concentration on homes for sale includes not only El Dorado Hills, but also Folsom and the Cameron Park vicinity. For more information on me or our wonderful area visit my website at www.DeeDeeRiley.com or email me at driley@golyon.com. When you're ready to sell or buy a home – I would love to help! To read what my clients have to say about me and my service, visit my Client Testimonial page.
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By DeeDee Riley 2012 *All Rights Reserved*My Neighbor is a Real Spider
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