Garden Orb Weaving Spider
Eriophora biapicata
Garden Orb Weaving Spider
These spiders received their name from the wheel-web snares they make. The females build these snares relatively high to minimise damage. The male does not help with building the snares and spends most of its time on the outside of the web.
Orb Spiders do not abandon their webs but instead continuously rebuild and fix them when needed. They eat insects that mistakenly fly into the web. They have even been seen eating small birds and microbats that get trapped in their webs.
Interesting Facts
The females are approx. 30mm long, whereas the males can measure a tiny 6mm, sometimes having the appearance of a meal stuck in the web or a baby spider rather than the females mate.
These spiders are not harmful to humans. Their fangs are not designed for biting large mammals and would need to be handled roughly before biting.
They like to keep to themselves with their webs high.
Sometimes their webs can be 2 metres or more across.
Distribution
They are found throughout Australia. At AWWP these spiders can be seen high above head height on our guided tours.
