On a 1,000 foot stretch of shoreline in Aitoliko, Greece, spiders have created a nightmare-inducing web that blankets the area. So, for those that are terrified of spiders, you might want to hold off booking a vacation to Greece at the moment.
According to Euro News , the massive spiderweb in Aitoliko has been caused by warmer conditions in western Greece. The web structure has been constructed by Tetragnatha spiders, which have been known to build extremely large nests during their mating season.
Scientists believe that ideal climate conditions that include warmer-than-usual temperatures and sufficient humidity, as well as an abundance of food, has led to the spiders hunkering down in Aitoliko for the mating season.
That’s right, not only is there a massive spiderweb, it contains a multitude of spiders ready to procreate and produce many more spiders.
Daily Hellas , who originally reported on the giant spiderweb, states that the massive web was first seen when locals awoke on Monday morning. It was reported that the blanket of spiderwebs covered the eastern side of a lagoon in Aitoliko, near a bridge. Locals had previously reported an increase in mosquitos — a favorite food source for Tetragnatha spiders — in the days leading up to the spider invasion.
Giant spider-web cloaks land in Aitoliko, Greece – BBC News https://t.co/xUJdDV3rFy
— Greece news feed (@HellasNewsFeed) September 19, 2018
According to BBC News , Maria Chatzaki, a professor of molecular biology and genetics at the Democritus University of Thrace, revealed that while the spiderwebs may be enormous at the moment, locals should not be alarmed that the spiders will remain in the area for long.
“It’s as if the spiders are taking advantage of these conditions and are having a kind of a party. They mate, they reproduce and provide a whole new generation,” Chatzaki explained.
“These spiders are not dangerous for humans and will not cause any damage to the area’s flora. The spiders will have their party and will soon die.”
The warmer climate conditions in western #Greece have led to a spectacular 300-metre-long spiderweb covering an entire shoreline in Aitoliko built by Tetragnatha #spiders for #mating pic.twitter.com/WMeHLm3U5N
— Noorani Tejani (@NooraniTejani) September 19, 2018
So, while the Tetragnatha spiders have erected quite a fearsome nest structure, they are not considered a dangerous breed of spider.
According to Find a Spider , Tetragnatha spiders are known as stretch spiders since these arachnids like to stretch out and appear bigger than they really are when disturbed. In addition, it is known that these spiders can run across the surface of the water. So, if you are already vacationing in Greece and were planning to escape their clutches by swimming away from them, you might want to plan another escape route.
