Silk of Gold

If you visit Ubizane you will realise that there are many interesting different creatures crawling and flying around in the lush bush.  One of our treasured critters is the beautiful Golden Orb Spiders.  Across the reserve you will notice big golden spider webs in the bush with big colourful spiders hanging from them.  Even the arachnophobias could not ignore the interesting features of this spider. 

The beautiful big golden webs are usually spun across a large area to entrap insects such as moths, butterflies, wasps and bees.  The silk created by the Golden Orb spider is so strong and unique that scientists are currently trying to synthesize the material.  Scientists have discovered that the silk is suitable for nerve re-growth.  This is not the only uses we humans have for the silk! Some fishermen use the silk, folded in a ball, to catch fish.  The silk has also been used on several occasions as a fashion garment material. 

These Golden Orb spiders, or Nephile, females can reach body sizes of 5.1cm and males only 2.1cm.  At Ubizane we certainly have a few big ones hiding in trees and in some old store rooms! 

                                A golden orb spider that was found at the top of a roof at Tree Lodge

 They usually have red and yellow stripes and patches on their abdominal side, whilst the top can be a yellow and white mix.  The colours make them easy recognizable but their claim to fame is definitively the sparkling golden orb that they weave. 

The spiders are not harmful to humans so don’t worry about these peaceful critters hanging around! On your next trip to Ubizane, look out for these beautiful big Golden Orb spiders! 

New Residents at Tree Lodge:

New residents have moved in to Tree Lodge, and for once we are not talking about the many guests that pass through our doors.  This time it is in fact a far more interesting guest, with its long slender legs and intricate spinning skills. It is in fact a Golden Orb Web Spider.

A cluster of large female Orb Web Spiders and their rather minuscule male counter parts have taken up residence above the fish pond at Tree Lodge Reception. Named amply after the golden sheen their web emits, these spiders are well known for their intricate web spinning skills. The orb web spider may not be the largest spider, but it does make the largest and strongest web. Spanning an impressive 6m high and up to 2m wide, their webs often span from one tree or shrub to another. The webs intricate design is spun to entrap large flying insects; the silk is so strong that it can trap small birds which the spiders do not eat. 

 The female Orb Spider really dwarfs the male, he is somewhat 1000 times smaller the females, which makes reproduction a tricky affair as the female often eats the male during copulation. For this reason the male often mates with female while she’s feeding and is otherwise occupied. However the male’s small size does provide a few perks in that he is able to live on the outskirts of her web, and share her meals without her even noticing. After the risky business of procreation has been completed the female then spins a sac for her eggs, digs a pit in the ground and buries her eggs under debris and soil. After a short period of time the spiderlings hatch with their eggs still attaché to them, and make a hasty retreat before they cannibalize each other.  

Both the spider and the web are fascinating to watch, and both play an important role in not only the ecosystem, but to man as well. Like any other predator, the orb web spider plays an important role in population control, their bite is rather harmless and they will sooner run at the sight of humans than try to bite them. The orb web spiders silk is utilized across the world and has various uses. In the South Pacific, the web silk is used to make fishing lures, traps and nets, where in the Solomon Islands, the spider web is collected by winding it around sticks to make large sticky balls which are suspended just above the water. Studies have shown that if man could manufacture spider silk, it would have a million uses from parachutes, bullet-proof vests, lightweight clothing, seatbelts, light but strong ropes, as sutures in operations, artificial tendons and ligaments. That kind of makes you think twice the next time you might go thrashing through a delicately spun Web.