Bee paralyses spider?
Victoria Sponge
Posts: 3,485
I saw a bumblebee fly into a garden spider web in front of the kitchen window and I went outside to observe.
The bee and the spider had a scuffle and the spider managed to get web around half the bees body. The bee was struggling to free itself when I realised the spider wasn't moving at all.
The bee got the web off its body and was sorting out its legs and the spider just hung there the whole time. I tried to intervene at this point (I wasn't going to) as I thought the spider must be dead. The bee freed itself and buzzed away and then the spider slowly crawled away under the gutter.
I've been peering at the pics I took but still can't work out what exactly happened. I didn't take a photo of the scuffle. I also wonder if it was a young queen bee as apparently all bumbles don't sting?
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Spiders usually know when prey are too much for them to handle, it's all to do with ratio's. I saw it om a wildlife programme some years ago. The initial reaction is instinctive but when sufficient resistance is shown or the spider is unable to inject it's venom due to size, shape or body design they back off. Spiders are smart!
That's interesting- maybe it thought freezing was as good as backing off as it was right next to the bee, just motionless. I thought it must have been stung or something.
It's been out fixing its web just before dusk, no doubt to trap an unwary moth
Yes, I was out cleaning them at dawn
A little anthropomorphism there, Dave?