Why can spider web trap the insects?

Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley (USA) have discovered spider webs that trap flying insects (such as butterflies, dragonflies, etc.) with electrostatic attraction - created when insects flap their wings.

Photo: michaelqpowell.wordpress.com

Previously, scientists were surprised by the outstanding features of spider webs with super-strong silk threads that were used to trap prey, but recent findings also suggest that spider webs are also a powerful weapon of the species. spider. Specifically, the research team learned how spider webs can change shape to catch insects.

They used the garden spider's net and put some objects on it - including honey bees, green berries, fruit flies, aphids and water drops - to observe the reaction of spider silk threads.

The observed results show that spider nets and charged objects seem to be able to 'attract' each other. For example, honey bees can generate electricity up to 200 volts (helping them separate pollen from flowers), so the spider web may have taken advantage of this to catch prey - the team explained.

So when the bee flies across the spider web, it is the flaps that create the electrical charge that draws on the fibers, causing it to get entangled in the silk membrane.