Tarantula Webbing?

[tarantulawebbingplease]

Hello! I'm a college student currently doing a research project on tarantula webbing and it's possibilities as a textile. While i'm trying to study this, I am in need of larger amounts of webbing, and while I would love to have a T I could study up close and actually learn from through direct observation, I cannot currently because of my living situation. As such, I am hoping that there might be some individuals on here that could possibly help me. I am mainly looking at N Incei as a source due to their massive web production and lack of urticating hairs, though I am really looking for anything I can get my hands on at this point!
Additionally, I feel the need to add that I am aware of the differences between T webbing and other protein based fibers. This is why I am studying it and trying to find a means of practical usage for it in regards to it being treated as a textile. This has been brought up to me as a challenge due to it not being composed as a single filament such as with silk, which I am aware of.
If anyone would be willing to help me in this, I would be incredibly grateful. Sustainable textiles are something very important to me, and finding any amount of alternatives that are less damaging to the earth than what is currently on the table is something that I am very passionate about, regardless of if it could be scaled up (which I am actually quite against as the system currently stands).
Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. I am hopeful that I might get some response on here.

 

[Greasylake]

I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you asking people to send you webbing, or are you asking people for recommendations for a heavy webbing species?

 

[tarantulawebbingplease]

I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you asking people to send you webbing, or are you asking people for recommendations for a heavy webbing species?

Sorry if I wasn't clear, I am looking for people to send me webbing or recommend me another viable means of getting it without purchasing a T myself as I previously mentioned, my living situation won't allow for that. I am also located in the NYC area, so I am also quite open to working with individuals also in the area over a period of time on this.

 

[CJJon]

Let me guess, liberal arts college?

Let's assume the silk is perfect for your needs. Would that mean you would then plan to keep live tarantulas and collect silk they naturally produce?

How much do you need? We generally don't disturb webbing and would only be able to offer any after doing an enclosure rehousing. Urticating hairs aside, used webbing is also usually quite dirty and full of feces.

 

[Minty]

Won’t the webbing end up being scrunched up in transit?

Will that render it unusable.

 

[Ellenantula]

First, I would think of using orb-webbers instead -- cleaner.
Secondly, spiders often recycle their silk
Thirdly, I thought bamboo was the new sustainable fiber.

[T silk can be quite dirty, and sticky -- would probably arrive as a wad of trash]

 

[Nightstalker47]

Tarantula webbing is actually extremely durable, I would send you some but you're all the way in the states.

You may be onto something with this. I wish you luck with the project, and I hope you can find someone nearby willing to help...it is a bit of a weird request though lol.

 

[CJJon]

Thirdly, I thought bamboo was the new sustainable fiber.

No, it's industrial hemp.

 

[tarantulawebbingplease]

Let me guess, liberal arts college?

Let's assume the silk is perfect for your needs. Would that mean you would then plan to keep live tarantulas and collect silk they naturally produce?

How much do you need? We generally don't disturb webbing and would only be able to offer any after doing an enclosure rehousing. Urticating hairs aside, used webbing is also usually quite dirty and full of feces.

As this is something that I have yet found to have been studied or explored, I have no way of knowing concretely the exact specifications for how much I would need; this is why I am trying to collect as much as I can in order to quantify what would be needed for production (whether that be production of a double ply thread up to something more like conventional warp thread) on a small scale. Ideally, were this to be a viable option, I would invest in a space that would make it possible for me to own Ts and indeed produce silk naturally; I have no desire to go about sedating Ts and collecting the silk this way, as is currently being done with orb weavers.
As for the cleanliness of the webbing, this again goes back to the lack of experiments having been done already along this subject matter. As with cotton and it's copious amount of seeds that must be hand removed from deep in the blossom or the lanolin coating found on fleece, I am looking to explore various cleaning methods, but I must first have webbing in order to explore this accurately.

 

[Ellenantula]

I know I watched a spider documentary some years ago where they explored using spider silk, (couldn't find it) anyway, all I could find was this interesting story where fabric was made from spider silk. Pretty cool.

 

[tarantulawebbingplease]

Won’t the webbing end up being scrunched up in transit?

Will that render it unusable.

This would not render it unusable. I have experience spinning fibers, which often times involves spinning roving that has balled nearing the state of being felted. That would not be an issue.

First, I would think of using orb-webbers instead -- cleaner.
Secondly, spiders often recycle their silk
Thirdly, I thought bamboo was the new sustainable fiber.

[T silk can be quite dirty, and sticky -- would probably arrive as a wad of trash]

While I would love for orb weavers to be more of a viable option, the silk they produce is too fragile and in order for it to be used substantially the spiders generally are sedated and the webbing is extracted through this means; almost a vampiristic means of production. It is quite sad. I am therefor quite opposed to this, as it doesn't allow the spiders to live even semi-active or natural lives.

Bamboo is also not a sustainable fiber; it is incredibly invasive and harmful in regards to water usage through how it is produced. It is also processed in a way that releases a terrible amount of contaminants into the water supply. If you are thinking of hemp, yes it is quite sustainable, however it is only legal to grow/produce on an industrial level that continues to be very difficult to obtain a license for.

 

[Ellenantula]

T silk doesn't sound viable to me but the topic is certainly interesting anyway. Wish I could find the documentary I watched re: harvesting spider silk.
Good luck!
[And no, I don't have any spare T silk -- mine is all in use and I'd hate to steal it from my guys. For me to have any extra silk would mean I experienced a T tragedy. ]

 

[CJJon]

While I would love for orb weavers to be more of a viable option, the silk they produce is too fragile and in order for it to be used substantially the spiders generally are sedated and the webbing is extracted through this means; almost a vampiristic means of production. It is quite sad.

Hmm, not sure destroying a tarantula's web is any better.

 

[Greasylake]

I think maybe and old world species' webbing would be better. Chilobrachys web like crazy and they don't have urticating hair, which would remove that problem.

 

[CJJon]

T silk doesn't sound viable to me but the topic is certainly interesting anyway. Wish I could find the documentary I watched re: harvesting spider silk.
Good luck!
[And no, I don't have any spare T silk -- mine is all in use and I'd hate to steal it from my guys. For me to have any extra silk would mean I experienced a T tragedy. ]

 

[Ellenantula]

That looks like what I saw!!! So glad you found it (or something similar, anyway -- haven't watched your vid yet!)

 

[tarantulawebbingplease]

Hmm, not sure destroying a tarantula's web is any better.

I'm not looking to completely destroy a web; as previously mentioned, excess webbing from rehousing or possible excess webbing is more that I am looking into currently. Again, I am not an owner of a tarantula and while I have tried my best to research them, it is not a subject I consider myself an expert on by any means. I have been under the impression that it would not be as damaging as to remove SOME of the webbing with breeds that tend to web excessively, after speaking with various local exotic pet stores.

 

[Minty]

I'm not looking to completely destroy a web; as previously mentioned, excess webbing from rehousing or possible excess webbing is more that I am looking into currently. Again, I am not an owner of a tarantula and while I have tried my best to research them, it is not a subject I consider myself an expert on by any means. I have been under the impression that it would not be as damaging as to remove SOME of the webbing with breeds that tend to web excessively, after speaking with various local exotic pet stores.

You’re right, it wouldn’t be damaging, they’d just web again. I’d send you some web but I’m in the UK.

 

[CJJon]

I'm not looking to completely destroy a web; as previously mentioned, excess webbing from rehousing or possible excess webbing is more that I am looking into currently. Again, I am not an owner of a tarantula and while I have tried my best to research them, it is not a subject I consider myself an expert on by any means. I have been under the impression that it would not be as damaging as to remove SOME of the webbing with breeds that tend to web excessively, after speaking with various local exotic pet stores.

Huh? You said this: "I have no way of knowing concretely the exact specifications for how much I would need; this is why I am trying to collect as much as I can..."

 

[tarantulawebbingplease]

Huh? You said this: "I have no way of knowing concretely the exact specifications for how much I would need; this is why I am trying to collect as much as I can..."

Apologies, I did not mean all from the same source; My intentions with posting here was in the hopes that I could get smaller amounts or rehousing webs from a larger pool of varying sources, leading to a larger amount in the long run. I did not mean to make it sound like I wanted an entire structure from one spider! Again, I apologize and didn't mean for this to be interpreted as such.