Questions for the Knowledge Pool
 

Tonight as I was walking, I noticed a spiderweb. A single strand that ran from just below the lamp on a street light, across the street, and into a tree. Does anyone know how a spider does this, or why? It didn't seem to be floating on a breeze or anything. In fact, the wind was blowing gently accross it.

Do the spiders hitch a ride on a bird's back and reel out web as the bird flies across to the tree? why is it pulled tight? I realize that I've always wondered about it, but never bothered trying to find out.

They ride the wind if they can.
If not, they walk, trailing out a non-sticky line, to pull up from the other end.

but why?

To get to the other side?

Too easy for the flying insects to evolve the tendency not to fly through smaller or enclosed places.

Here is a site that will tell you more about spider webs than I bet you ever wanted to know:

http://www.brantacan.co.uk/spider_webs.htm

Why ask why? ;)

Spiders first run a couple of anchor lines before spinning the actual "catching stuff" part of the web. They can often be quite long, like bridge cables.

well, then this must have been a pretty optimistic spider.......apparently he had set out to catch himself some cars.

Reminds me of that old Far Side comic with the frog stuck by it's tongue to the bottom of a jet because it optimistically tried to catch the jet like a fly.

http://images.google.com/images?q=tb...itgas/far_side

I noticed a spiderweb
 

You didn't sell any cars today did you?

:blunt: I'd say somebody knocked off early...

The length and location of the anchor cable doesn't have anything to do with the ultimate size of the web itself. It is just an anchor point. Hey, it is miraculous that they can do it all. Let's not expect them to architects AND engineers! :p

Re: I noticed a spiderweb
 

Thursday night to me is like Friday night to you normal people. In my business, you work Saturday, so everyone takes another day of the week off. I've had Friday for about 2 years now. I prefer it to having saturday off. In fact, we rotate one manager off on each saturday except the last of the month. You have to work your normal off day, though. This was my weekend, but I'd rather be off and able to do all of my errands when the idiots are at work ( not you idiots, the idiots that congest my local area). Also, Saturdays are my most lucrative days, so I work them.

Today I went driving back and forth to home depot 3 times. And got sunburned from having the top down in the Wrangler. It was hazy, so you didnt feel the sun........sneaky bastard that it is......I have not bought this years bottle of sunscreen yet.

On my first trip, I filled the Jeep up with Peat moss. 11 yards of it. Then I went back and rented a rototiller. FUN. I only had it for 4 hours, so I had to go back yet again to return it. I got a new pushmower for Jinx while I was there. And some more solder so I could attach a new hose bib ....because this fucking old ass cute, quaint historic, house did not have A FUCKING OUTSIDE SPIGOT!!!.....boy, the things you miss when you look at a new house. And I was trying to be careful, having missed a bunch of stupid shit the first time I bought a house.......*breathing now* ......

the home depot is like 25 minutes from my house. That's 150 minutes driving back and forth. 2 1/2 hours in the Sun plus the time I was Rototillering. Yeah, I'm pretty red. dumbass.

Re: Re: I noticed a spiderweb
 

Can't you just have the boy haul the bucket up from the well?