There was an issue with tracking down some Drosophila for the spiders to eat and so as an alternative I was recommended caster fly larvae – the spiders did not appreciate this! I hoped after a few days they’d give in and eat the larvae but turns out spiders are very stubborn! This was most likely due to the size of the larvae compared to the spiders and the fact that the larvae aren’t as active as flies. Luckily, spiders can last a few weeks without food and can eat their webs as they are made up of proteins – now that’s what you call a long-term survival plan.
Tanks
Catching
I collected my orb weavers from the bridge off the high street on the way to the campus (the “where are you going?” bridge to anyone in the Lincoln area).
The spiders were collected between 11pm on the 11th December and 12am on the 12th December after much panic that there would be none left – the species often die out in November due to the cold weather.
The spiders were moved to Minster House in the morning (safe to say my housemates weren’t to happy about their overnight stay) and this is where they will remain for the duration of my research. Sadly there was a mutiny in the night and one unfortunate spider didn’t make it!
Overview
My dissertation is researching the effects that certan “legal highs” have on the way orb weaver spiders build their webs, the patterns they incorporate into them, and how these differentiate from the ‘normal’ patterns usually seen.