Nature Features

As the Entomology Secretary at the Société Guernesiaise, Charles David has a keen interest in Guernsey's insect population. He believes we may see more spiders in the future, but said it is too early to say for certain at the moment.

Charles said we may see more spiders

Although the increase may only be speculation, staff at BBC Guernsey could not help noticing a number of expansive spiders' webs around the island.

Charles explained that autumn is the time of year when you see the most spiders' webs because it is the season when spiders "grow up".

He said: "The spiders hatch in the spring from eggs, grow up through the summer [and] in the autumn they get very big indeed. They produce egg masses...and then they die."

Garden cross spiders are very common

We followed Charles out to a field near Rocquaine Bay and found a web three feet long, spreading from bush to bush. In the centre was a rather large spider.

"It's a female spider, a really big one," said Charles. "If you were to look at the back of her she'd have a cross on her back, so it's the Garden cross spider - about the commonest."

Spiders spin their silk webs from their abdomen. Charles said it is a "fantastic" sight to watch. They begin by spinning a rough outline and then they create the radii. From here they go round in a circle from the inside out, and then repeat the process the other way.

The webs are used to catch food. According to Charles, "if it wasn't for them there would be an awful lot of other insects around".

The silk itself is rather unique: "Spiders' silk is absolutely amazing stuff! It's so strong - stronger than steel I think...but it's very difficult to get it out of the spider, so it isn't of much use."