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Tent caterpillars, the bane of the pacific northwest.
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Jun 10, 2019 21:12
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 07:56 |
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That's not a spider web and I don't think the ones above are either. It's where caterpillars gestate. I see those in the mountains all of the time in the spring. Imo they are actually kind of fun to look at.
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Jun 10, 2019 21:13
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Busket Posket posted:No no no no no It chapter 2 looking good
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Jun 10, 2019 21:38
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The fact those two guys in the last picture aren't dressed as if they were about to go into Chernobyls reactor distresses me to no end.
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Jun 10, 2019 22:40
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veni veni veni posted:That's not a spider web and I don't think the ones above are either. It's where caterpillars gestate. I see those in the mountains all of the time in the spring. Imo they are actually kind of fun to look at. Re: the ones from Dallas: “‘At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland,’ said Donna Garde, superintendent of the park about 45 miles east of Dallas. ‘Now it's filled with so many mosquitoes that it's turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs.’ As creepy as it is, it's not the work of one giant spider, but a community of thousands. No one knows exactly why the spiders joined forces, but it's a surprising level of cooperation among the eight-legged engineers that has even insect experts scratching their heads...”
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Jun 10, 2019 22:47
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I like how humans are always banging on about being the dominant species on the planet, meanwhile there are literally trillions of bugs who don't give a gently caress about us one way or the other. The entire Order Mammalia might as well be rocks for all they care.
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Jun 10, 2019 23:52
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Well, if they were intelligent enough they probably would give a gently caress about the amount of habitat reduction+pesticide use which have both drastically reduced insect populations in the last few decades, especially for flying insects(which is bad because they pollinate) not to be a downer but we absolutely have a huge impact on insects
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Jun 11, 2019 22:25
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 Now that the thread it back up open, have a savory cool down treat!
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Jun 11, 2019 22:42
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 I've always loved this picture. As a child I would spend a lot of time in the occult section the library (before the internet!  ) perusing books on ghosts, cramming my brain with images that would keep me awake at night. I don't believe in ghosts anymore, and it's obvious someone just walked up the stairs during a long exposure, but something about this picture still makes my skin crawl, even though I find it beautiful. The way the arm is invisible and way too long, the black emptiness under the translucent hood, the bent posture, the Escher-esque angle of the staircase, it's all wonderful. It reminds me a lot of a Beksinski pencil drawn piece. I wish I could find a huge print of it to frame and hang.
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Jun 12, 2019 02:10
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veni veni veni posted:That's not a spider web and I don't think the ones above are either. It's where caterpillars gestate. I see those in the mountains all of the time in the spring. Imo they are actually kind of fun to look at. quote:We'd also get massive swarms of gypsy moth caterpillars. They spin big communal web sacks in the crotches of trees and venture out to eat all the drat leaves they can find. My neighborhood had a lot of trees around and if the city wasn't on top of spraying there'd be hundreds of them wobbling around in the street or grass, getting run over by cars or eaten by birds and dogs. The nests would look like thick sheets of cobweb with a mass of dark, squirming worms inside. If you were in the woods, every now and then one would fall onto your head.
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Jun 12, 2019 15:00
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Busket Posket posted:Re: the ones from Dallas: Imagine hating spiders after they do you such a solid.
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Jun 12, 2019 15:07
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https://www.entsoc.org/PDF/2010/Orb-weaving-spiders.pdf E: PYF creepy research punlications
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Jun 12, 2019 21:50
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Busket Posket posted:Ick at flying bitey ants. We also get “love bugs”, so named because they mate and stay stuck together until they die, 2-3 days later. They don’t bite, but they do swarm over buildings, cars, and people, and their guts eat away at paint. Local car washes will offer special heated bug gut cleaner when it’s love bug season. Also they're sexually attracted to the smell of hot asphalt and weren't described scientifically until the 40s somehow. Very weird things. I guess they were introduced, but from where?
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Jun 12, 2019 22:44
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ReidRansom posted:Also they're sexually attracted to the smell of hot asphalt oh man, who isn't
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Jun 12, 2019 22:51
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https://i.imgur.com/4umsYzy.gifv
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Jun 13, 2019 02:47
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Yeah, we get it, goons like bidets. 
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Jun 13, 2019 02:55
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I loving loved the Ghostbusters toys
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Jun 13, 2019 02:57
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ArcMage posted:https://www.entsoc.org/PDF/2010/Orb-weaving-spiders.pdf I think my favorite part of this is the concluding paragraphs where they explained putting together an informational package for the plant managers that could have effectively been described as 'getting to know and enjoy your world-wonder of arachnid environments', and included such handy suggestions as 'remove webs and breed fewer flies to reduce the issue' and 'orb weavers aren't particularly dangerous' and 'for the love of God please don't listen to the MULTIPLE pest control companies trying to tell you to hose down your WATER TREATMENT FACILITY with pesticides'.
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Jun 13, 2019 04:50
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oh dope posted:
I liked that one too. My favorite is this one:  As a kid, I also checked out everything on the paranormal I could get my hands on in the library and snap up any book on hauntings or ghosts at the school book sales to the degree it really wouldn't surprise me if my teachers were expecting me to grow up to be a necromancer or something. This picture I've seen claimed to be from multiple locations including Borley Rectory, and I'd love to know something more definitive as to where it's supposed to be from. Back when Fox was airing all the various paranormal real or not shows, this picture popped up as the one they claimed had to be real since the experts were able to debunk all the rest they showed.
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Jun 13, 2019 04:53
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ReidRansom posted:Also they're sexually attracted to the smell of hot asphalt and weren't described scientifically until the 40s somehow. Very weird things. I guess they were introduced, but from where? Nah, not introduced, per se. They're native to the Gulf Coast, but they've been expanding their range from everybody mowing nowadays. (their larvae live in grass clippings)
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Jun 13, 2019 11:21
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Randaconda posted:Nah, not introduced, per se. They're native to the Gulf Coast, but they've been expanding their range from everybody mowing nowadays. (their larvae live in grass clippings) Ahh, I see. Makes sense. I'd always just assumed they were introduced because of their rapid expansion since the 50s, but yeah I guess mowing, especially along highways and such would explain it.
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Jun 13, 2019 12:36
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Randaconda posted:Nah, not introduced, per se. They're native to the Gulf Coast, but they've been expanding their range from everybody mowing nowadays. (their larvae live in grass clippings) The real question is where did they live before grass clippings happened?
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Jun 13, 2019 13:12
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Randaconda posted:Nah, not introduced, per se. They're native to the Gulf Coast, but they've been expanding their range from everybody mowing nowadays. (their larvae live in grass clippings) I haven't seen them in years tbh
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Jun 13, 2019 16:51
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Iron Crowned posted:The real question is where did they live before grass clippings happened? Possibly some highly specific leaf litter conditions. This sort of thing happens a lot; as stated in the giant communal web study above, 'bridge' orb weavers are almost never seen in any other environment, having probably lived on overhanging ledges over rivers that have mostly been worn down by human activity and replaced with bridges. Cellar spiders, likewise, are mostly known for living in out-of-the-way spots in human dwellings, but originally inhabited narrow, specific environments like the mouths of caves and abandoned burrows. Both inhabited very specific environmental spaces and are now ubiquitous due to having been coincidentally highly adapted for human presence. E: Cellar spiders are these chummy buds:  And bridge orb weavers are these handsome fellows:  Cellar spiders are kind of awesome to have around, as they do an excellent job of pest control, including discouraging other spiders, and aren't very visible...though occasionally they get FUCKOFF HUGE toward the end of their life with a legspan that's probably in the ballpark of six inches, so there's that. Not as fun having something like that drop in while you're showering because they're old and clumsy and were trundling around your bathroom ceiling. Shady Amish Terror has a new favorite as of 17:52 on Jun 13, 2019 |
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Jun 13, 2019 17:42
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Shady Amish Terror posted:Not as fun having something like that drop in while you're showering because they're old and clumsy and were trundling around your bathroom ceiling.  In my head I saw it as Hans Moleman going "Oh no, down I go!" as it dive bombs you
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Jun 13, 2019 22:25
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Shady Amish Terror posted:E: I saw that guy and wondered what the difference between a Cellar Spider and a Daddy Long Legs is, and turns out they're the same species. Those guys are bros, and I've always had a soft spot for them. My dad used to straight up eat them off the walls/ceiling/floor though (seriously, he'd just grab them and pop them into his mouth) and he used to love doing it to scare my friends. He'd show them the guts on his tongue and everything, it was disgusting and hilarious.
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Jun 13, 2019 23:48
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Soysaucebeast posted:I saw that guy and wondered what the difference between a Cellar Spider and a Daddy Long Legs is, and turns out they're the same species. Those guys are bros, and I've always had a soft spot for them. My dad used to straight up eat them off the walls/ceiling/floor though (seriously, he'd just grab them and pop them into his mouth) and he used to love doing it to scare my friends. He'd show them the guts on his tongue and everything, it was disgusting and hilarious.  So how was being raised by Renfield?
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Jun 13, 2019 23:59
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oh dope posted:
When I first saw this picture as a kid I never saw the ghost, I just saw the glowing thing with three eyes and screaming
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Jun 14, 2019 00:24
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Jun 14, 2019 01:50
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Soysaucebeast posted:I saw that guy and wondered what the difference between a Cellar Spider and a Daddy Long Legs is, and turns out they're the same species. Those guys are bros, and I've always had a soft spot for them. My dad used to straight up eat them off the walls/ceiling/floor though (seriously, he'd just grab them and pop them into his mouth) and he used to love doing it to scare my friends. He'd show them the guts on his tongue and everything, it was disgusting and hilarious. Ha. And, yeah; they're one of at least three bugs that sometimes gets called Daddy Long Legs in some places. The other two I know of are Harvestmen:  And crane flies:  What's amusing is that all three tend to inspire some incredibly severe fear responses out of a lot of people, and yet...all three are essentially harmless. Harvestmen make frequent appearances in this thread for unsurprising reasons, but they're really just cool little chelicerates that are neat for many of the same reasons cellar spiders are. Technically harvestmen and cellar spiders CAN bite you, but it's almost unheard of even when pestering them. Their mouthparts just really aren't designed to do damage to larger creatures, and the venom of cellar spiders is incredibly weak and doesn't appear to elicit much reaction from people.
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Jun 14, 2019 02:03
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Soysaucebeast posted:I saw that guy and wondered what the difference between a Cellar Spider and a Daddy Long Legs is, and turns out they're the same species. Those guys are bros, and I've always had a soft spot for them. My dad used to straight up eat them off the walls/ceiling/floor though (seriously, he'd just grab them and pop them into his mouth) and he used to love doing it to scare my friends. He'd show them the guts on his tongue and everything, it was disgusting and hilarious. That's madness. That is madness.
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Jun 14, 2019 02:04
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Soysaucebeast posted:I saw that guy and wondered what the difference between a Cellar Spider and a Daddy Long Legs is, and turns out they're the same species. Those guys are bros, and I've always had a soft spot for them. My dad used to straight up eat them off the walls/ceiling/floor though (seriously, he'd just grab them and pop them into his mouth) and he used to love doing it to scare my friends. He'd show them the guts on his tongue and everything, it was disgusting and hilarious. what the gently caress
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Jun 14, 2019 02:12
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Speaking of more or less harmless horror bugs may I present to you the dobsonfly, otherwise know as the hellgrammite? The adult form of it is rarely seen. They spend most of their lives as big, gross larva that live under rocks in the river and eat other creepy crawlies so most people never encounter them at all. This makes sightings of adults uncommon even where they live in large numbers as they don't stray far from the river. They don't live long as adults; while their larval lifespan is in the years adults don't even eat. They only live a week or two as that's just long enough to gently caress and die. Needless to say when they come out you occasionally get somebody posting a WHAT THE gently caress IS THIS THING? OH MY GOD IT'S AWFUL post on bug and/or image forums. Why? These things are huge. They're often as long as your hand. This one is a male; you can tell because of its huge mandibles. It uses those to latch on to the female when they mate. They're too big to actually be useful in hurting things. Females have more functional mandibles that can potentially deliver a nasty bite but even then adults are generally pretty docile. Once they've done their business they're just waiting to die so they don't tend to cause actual problems other than scaring the crap out of people.
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Jun 14, 2019 02:18
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Soysaucebeast posted:I saw that guy and wondered what the difference between a Cellar Spider and a Daddy Long Legs is, and turns out they're the same species. Those guys are bros, and I've always had a soft spot for them. My dad used to straight up eat them off the walls/ceiling/floor though (seriously, he'd just grab them and pop them into his mouth) and he used to love doing it to scare my friends. He'd show them the guts on his tongue and everything, it was disgusting and hilarious. This is honestly disturbing.
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Jun 14, 2019 02:24
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Soysaucebeast posted:I saw that guy and wondered what the difference between a Cellar Spider and a Daddy Long Legs is, and turns out they're the same species. Those guys are bros, and I've always had a soft spot for them. My dad used to straight up eat them off the walls/ceiling/floor though (seriously, he'd just grab them and pop them into his mouth) and he used to love doing it to scare my friends. He'd show them the guts on his tongue and everything, it was disgusting and hilarious. Was your dad a Battletoad?
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Jun 14, 2019 02:25
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Soysaucebeast posted:I saw that guy and wondered what the difference between a Cellar Spider and a Daddy Long Legs is, and turns out they're the same species. Those guys are bros, and I've always had a soft spot for them. My dad used to straight up eat them off the walls/ceiling/floor though (seriously, he'd just grab them and pop them into his mouth) and he used to love doing it to scare my friends. He'd show them the guts on his tongue and everything, it was disgusting and hilarious. I guess it is better than being an alcoholic?
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Jun 14, 2019 02:25
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Shady Amish Terror posted:the venom of cellar spiders is incredibly weak and doesn't appear to elicit much reaction from people. What I always heard, (and I am assuming it is an Urban Legend/playground wisdom), is that ounce for ounce, Daddy Long Leg spider venom was the most potent venom in the world. But they were harmless to humans due to 1)their mouths and fangs were too small to pierce human skin, and 2) coz they are so small, and we are so big comparatively the amount of venom they would inject wouldn't be enough to kill, or even irritate a human. Can any Spider scientists confirm or disprove?
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Jun 14, 2019 02:28
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Randaconda posted:triggered Buggered
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Jun 14, 2019 02:42
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BrigadierSensible posted:What I always heard, (and I am assuming it is an Urban Legend/playground wisdom), is that ounce for ounce, Daddy Long Leg spider venom was the most potent venom in the world. But they were harmless to humans due to 1)their mouths and fangs were too small to pierce human skin, and 2) coz they are so small, and we are so big comparatively the amount of venom they would inject wouldn't be enough to kill, or even irritate a human. Disproved by science, and common sense.
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Jun 14, 2019 03:00
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 07:56 |
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BrigadierSensible posted:What I always heard, (and I am assuming it is an Urban Legend/playground wisdom), is that ounce for ounce, Daddy Long Leg spider venom was the most potent venom in the world. But they were harmless to humans due to 1)their mouths and fangs were too small to pierce human skin, and 2) coz they are so small, and we are so big comparatively the amount of venom they would inject wouldn't be enough to kill, or even irritate a human. Pretty sure this is bullshit; what would be the evolutionary advantage of a species like the harvestman having such insanely powerful venom that it could only use in specific circumstances? It would take a ton of resources to produce venom, strong venom sacs, injection muscles/hydraulics, for little benefit to the animal. Speaking of spider bites, I remember reading something saying that doctors are pretty wont to identify almost anything small and itchy as a "spider bite" even though a) doctors are not etymologists/arachnologists, b) there are tons of different skin conditions that look almost exactly like a spider bite and c) you have to try pretty hard to get most spiders to bite you. Most species are pretty timid unless you're a yummy prey insect, or it's one of the very identifiable species of deadly spiders and they happen to have hidden out in your shoe or something. There are only a few spiders that even have venom dangerous to humans, and even then serious injury is rare and death is even more rare. Spider deaths are about 8x less common than deaths due to beestings in the US, for example, at about 7 per year. I can't remember where this discussion has gone already, but just in case, the myth about swallowing spiders while you're asleep is also likely just a thing people tell each other to gross them out. Spiders are clever predators and it's unlikely that they would approach something as very obviously Large And Smelly And Loud And Alive (and thus, potentially dangerous) as a sleeping human. What I'm saying is we in Euro-descended countries give spiders a very bad rap and have a bunch of weird myths to back it up, even though they're actually pretty cool and helpful. I'd be interested to know where that comes from, culturally. Just an association with filth or something?
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Jun 14, 2019 03:02
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