What do tiny spiders eat?

I just found a tiny spider in my bathroom (it kinda looks like a baby daddy long-legs?) and I’m now wondering what spiders that small can eat? It’s smaller than almost all other insects I’ve seen, so does it just wait till it grows a bit before hunting, or mites in the air maybe?
Was it @Moonbow who’s the resident insect expert of tsr?

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Reply 1

gtty123

22

@Moonbow - here's a thread that tried tagging you.

Reply 2

Surnia

20

Humans.

Don't be deceived by the size. You'll wake up tomorrow wrapped in a silk cocoon to be saved for snacking.

Come on, you've seen the films and know how it goes... :spider:

Reply 3

Moonbow

20

Original post by gtty123

@Moonbow - here's a thread that tried tagging you.

Thanks @gtty123!! 😊😊

Original post by Elena :)

I just found a tiny spider in my bathroom (it kinda looks like a baby daddy long-legs?) and I’m now wondering what spiders that small can eat? It’s smaller than almost all other insects I’ve seen, so does it just wait till it grows a bit before hunting, or mites in the air maybe?
Was it @Moonbow who’s the resident insect expert of tsr?

Hello there!
I wouldn’t say expert, but that’s very kind of you :colondollar:

Thank you for including a picture!! That’s absolutely wonderful for helping me know which specific spider your asking for 😊 My best guess would be this is a cellar spider! These guys are known for their super long legs and fast agility (only second in the common U.K. house spiders for speed I think!).
That specific one is a baby! Spiders tend to have a lot of offspring so please don’t be alarmed if you see a couple more!
These spiders are actually great for your home! No, they don’t eat humans :rolleyes:

Instead, their diet is primarily fruit flies at this age. Most spiders leave their young to fend for themselves so they will eat absolutely any tiny bug they can get their tiny hands on. I’m not sure they’d go for mites though, but let me get back to you on that 😊
If your curious, there is an amazing series by David Attenborough (roughly 6 episodes of 30 minutes each) about all things bugs and I remember episode 2 is predators (primarily spiders, with an odd assassin bug sprinkled in). I absolutely loved them and they are so eye opening to the their interactions to one another, so if you’d like to see more about these amazing guys most certainly check them out!
I think I’ve covered everything, but if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask! Lapis would personally like to thank you for not shying away from these misunderstood creatures too 😊

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 4

Surnia

20

Great minds think alike :five:

David Attenborough documentaries, pffft. What about 'Arachnophobia'? :woo:

Reply 5

Moonbow

20

Original post by Surnia

Great minds think alike :five:

David Attenborough documentaries, pffft. What about 'Arachnophobia'? :woo:

Considering your house would likely have thrice the amount of flies without them, and it would probably lead to catastrophic consequences with crop infestations, threatening the food industry as we know it and allowing an absurd amount of invasive insects to destroy our local ecosystem. Mind you, that’s not even taking into account food chains in nearly all biomes being completely toppled to the ground.
So in short, I think you’d want to keep them around :h:

Spoiler

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 6

Surnia

20

Original post by Moonbow

Considering your house would likely have thrice the amount of flies without them, and it would probably lead to catastrophic consequences with crop infestations, threatening the food industry as we know it and allowing an absurd amount of invasive insects to destroy our local ecosystem. Mind you, that’s not even taking into account food chains in nearly all biomes being completely toppled to the ground.
So in short, I think you’d want to keep them around :h:

Spoiler

I live in an older house with wooden floorboards and empty knotholes, which I quite happily share with a clutter of spiders...

Reply 7

Moonbow

20

Original post by Surnia

I live in an older house with wooden floorboards and empty knotholes, which I quite happily share with a clutter of spiders...

See? They aren’t that bad! :yep:

Reply 8

username4986690

19

Original post by Surnia

Humans.

Don't be deceived by the size. You'll wake up tomorrow wrapped in a silk cocoon to be saved for snacking.

Come on, you've seen the films and know how it goes... :spider:

Reply 9

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

21

They eat small mites and other tiny insects (also if it's a recently born spider, I believe they will opportunistically cannibalize other young from the same brood too). Also even a very small spider can ensnare and then feed off of a larger insect caught in it's web (I've seen very small spiders eating quite large flies). Also as above it's probably a juvenile spider and will become bigger pretty quickly.

Reply 10

kekedoyouloveme?

21

This girl be preparing a whole three course meal for a spider, and my boyfriend doesn't even take me out to have a 99p mcflurry.

Spoiler

Reply 11

Moonbow

20

Original post by kekedoyouloveme?

This girl be preparing a whole three course meal for a spider, and my boyfriend doesn't even take me out to have a 99p mcflurry.

Spoiler

I seriously can’t stop laughing :laugh:

Reply 12

username4986690

19

The tiny spiders in my flat eat the tiny moths. I have a few spiders that I live with symbiotically that reside near my constantly open windows that eat any insects trying to gain entry. We have good deal going as long as they don't venture into my space.

What do tiny spiders eat?

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