Nursery web spiders are common and widespread in Britain, and are found worldwide.

Nursery web spiders predominantly inhabit woodland, but they are also found in long grass and occasionally hedgerows.

 

On colder days these spiders will often come into houses to escape the harsh weather.

 

To make mating less hazardous, the male will catch an insect, wrap it up and carry it around until he finds a female. He then presents it to her and mates with the female while she is distracted by her meal.

 

The female will make an egg sac and carry it around with her in her jaws until the eggs are ready to hatch. She then constructs a tent-like protective nursery web and will stay to fend off predators from her young.

 

Nursery web spiders hunt small insects and occasionally other spiders. They do not use webs to trap their prey, instead they hunt by waiting on a leaf until a victim comes along.

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Reddish Vale Country Park