Hummingbirds, Beware the Yellow and Black Argiope Spiders!

By Gardenbees
November 5, 2015

There was an attempted murder off our porch this afternoon. A hummingbird became caught in the web of a large yellow and black Argiope spider!

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Nov 6, 2015 11:44 AM CST
Name: charles
Anderson, S.C (Zone 8b)
Great save
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Nov 6, 2015 5:43 PM CST
Name: Sheridragonfly/Sheri
Alabama (Zone 8b)
Salvias Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Dear Gardenbees
I let the garden spider live in Sheri's healing flower garden this summer for months
I am so sorry I did now..From now on they will be transferred to the woods
as I have done in the past..
I am surprised the spider had not stung the hummingbird to death before it encased
it..in the web material..do they sting all their prey first before encasing them
or not normally ?

I gave you an acorn.

Thank you for your quick action and that you were able to save the little hummingbird
My last one that I know of left on my birthday oct 10th this year
however we may have broken a record for temperature today
they said it might reach 85 degrees on november 6th , today
I remember many days it would be in the 50s or 60s today
and 30s and 40s at night this time of year..in southeast alabama.
Sheridragonfly
Thumb of 2015-11-06/Sheridragonfly/d6212a
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Nov 7, 2015 10:22 PM CST
(Zone 8a)
Garden Ideas: Level 2
Deebie, It did take a bit of courage -- and I am sure you'd have been brave, too!! You'd have known you were the little bird's only hope!!! Amazing what we can do when we have to!!
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
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Nov 8, 2015 12:06 AM CST
(Zone 8a)
Garden Ideas: Level 2
Thanks, everyone, for all the kind comments!
Chillybean, I had no idea Dragonflies would bite! thanks for the info!
Tarev, this was a young male. I suspect he just wasn't experienced enough to see and know to avoid the web. Thanks for the reminder that the hummers can use spider threads for nest-building. This incident was during the peak of the southern migration so I doubt any birds were still collecting for nests
DavidLMo, I heard from one person that the large spiders can eat the little birds, or at least a portion of them. Too terrible to think about, isn't it?
Sheridragonfly, thank you for the acorn! I, too, wondered whether the spider had bitten the bird.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

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