What is the difference between a banana spider and a garden spider?

Unlike the garden spider, their abdomen is shaped closer to a square or oval than a circle, a key difference in identificiation. Found all over the United States, the banana spider is hallmarked by its large and boisterous webs, sometimes spanning over three feet in total length.

Why are they called banana spider?

What are banana spiders? Banana spiders are large spiders found throughout the southeastern United States. Banana spiders receive their name because of the yellow/golden-colored silk they create to make their very large webs which they use to catch flying insects, their main food source.

Is there such a thing as a banana spider?

A few species commonly called “banana spider” are, in fact, harmless. The yellow and black Argiope spiders that can be found all over the contiguous United States (they’re the one that puts a signature zig-zag in the middle of their webs) are often called a banana spider or garden spider.

Why are banana spiders more durable than Kevlar?

The banana silk is stronger and more durable as compared to Kevlar fiber. The silk is therefore useful in making bulletproof vests. Female banana spiders usually generate an egg sac around the web that serves to protect the eggs they lay.

How big is a banana spider’s silk web?

A golden robe made out of the rare spider silk was exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History. Banana spiders are avid weavers, so they tend to spin webs that are quite large in size. The orb-like portion of its web can reach more than three feet wide, with support strands measuring another several feet.

How does a banana spider reduce the risk of mating?

Male banana spiders reduce the risk of being eaten by mating whenever females are immobile, this is after molting or whenever they are inactive after they have fed. The moles also approach their female counterparts from the side to increase their chances of survival and increase their mating success.