How Do Spiders Spin Webs?

All spiders produce silk threads which are used to construct their webs. The silk is produced in the spider's silk glands with the help of organs called spinnerets.

By using different spinnerets, the spider can decide whether the thread will be thick or thin, dry or sticky, beaded or smooth. When the silk is first produced, it is a liquid, but it dries quickly in the air.

Spiders instinctively know how to construct webs. They are born knowing how to do it. To build a web, the spider releases a silk thread, which attaches itself to some object. This anchors the web. The thread is then reinforced as the spider crosses back and forth, constructing a web in a pattern which it knows but never has learned.

The threads, or lines, that go from the center to the supports are called radial lines, and the lines that go around and around the web are called orb lines. Although spider webs are delicate-looking, they are extremely strong and can stand a great amount of stress.

A spider can build a beautiful, elaborate orb web in only an hour!