Awesome Animal Fact - Black and Yellow Garden Spider

A black and yellow garden spider has made a long-term home at the top of our garage door. It has been hanging out there on its web for several weeks, and it's getting rather fat from eating the bugs it catches in its web.

Black and yellow garden spiders typically live in grasslands, but they adapt well to living in gardens and on the sides of human-made structures. Although these large spiders produce venom to subdue their insect prey, the venom has almost no effect on humans, so they are considered harmless. Gardeners like having them around, as they consume a variety insect pests.

When an insect gets caught in the web, the garden spider will shake the web with its long legs, further entangling the insect. The spider injects its venom, paralyzing the prey, and wraps it in webbing, then leisurely sucks up all the juices, leaving only a dry husk. The spider, being a fastidious homemaker, will repair the damage to its web before settling in to consume the insect. These spiders usually create a web and then stay in that same spot for the entire season.