Hi everyone! 
I´m new here so forgive me if I am repeating something someone else already posted (even though I searched through the forums and didn't find needed info).
So, the issue I´m dealing with is that I am wondering if my spidey is overwintering or has died(
I have moved to Iceland few months ago but I have spent a few summers here previously and I can let you know that Araneus Diadematus is extremely abundant in the Reykjavik area in the summer, they are everywhere! Also, I am almost 100% sure that I´m right about the species since I´ve always been a big spider enthusiasts and diadematus is one of the species I had most dealings with.
Now, on to the issue. When I moved into this flat some 3 months ago she was already in my room, next to the roof window with a beautiful big web. She's a very young spider which actually makes me a bit unsure concerning her gender :S But it looks like a young female to me. So she has been living in our room for some time, moving around but would always come back to her preferred place next to the window. A month in she molted and that went really well (I was so happy for her) But ever since then she hasn't grown almost at all :S I´m used to spiders gaining in size quite a bit after molting, so I started trying to get her some flies, to fatten her up. And easy as this sounds, in Iceland, in late autumn, it's almost Impossible! And I´m not exaggerating, in all those 2 months I found 2 very small flies. Thankfully she ate them and I was happy
But two weeks ago or so, day or two after she had her second fly she went to the upper part of her web (as opposed to the middle where she was) and started curling up :S I got really scared because apart from eating the flies she hasn't been very active after moulting and this seemed to me like she was preparing to die. Eventually she curled up almost completely and seemed dead for two, three days or so. Then I decided to blow at her and surprisingly, after a few hard blows, she moved!! Later that day she went up in between the window frame and the wall and she's still there which means I can't see the exact position she's in (I can just see she's there), and I have no idea if she's dead
I would have thought so, but after seeming dead for a few days and it turned out that she wasn't I got some hope.
I also know that adult diadematus females die in the winter after they've laid eggs, but mine is too young for that and has just molted (2 months back if i remember correctly). Is there any chance that she is just hibernating or is she done for? I hope she lives :S i even got my cat to learn to leave her alone (and that's an achievement).
So there you go
Any comments and experiences would help!
I´m new here so forgive me if I am repeating something someone else already posted (even though I searched through the forums and didn't find needed info).So, the issue I´m dealing with is that I am wondering if my spidey is overwintering or has died
(I have moved to Iceland few months ago but I have spent a few summers here previously and I can let you know that Araneus Diadematus is extremely abundant in the Reykjavik area in the summer, they are everywhere! Also, I am almost 100% sure that I´m right about the species since I´ve always been a big spider enthusiasts and diadematus is one of the species I had most dealings with.
Now, on to the issue. When I moved into this flat some 3 months ago she was already in my room, next to the roof window with a beautiful big web. She's a very young spider which actually makes me a bit unsure concerning her gender :S But it looks like a young female to me. So she has been living in our room for some time, moving around but would always come back to her preferred place next to the window. A month in she molted and that went really well (I was so happy for her)
But ever since then she hasn't grown almost at all :S I´m used to spiders gaining in size quite a bit after molting, so I started trying to get her some flies, to fatten her up. And easy as this sounds, in Iceland, in late autumn, it's almost Impossible! And I´m not exaggerating, in all those 2 months I found 2 very small flies. Thankfully she ate them and I was happy But two weeks ago or so, day or two after she had her second fly she went to the upper part of her web (as opposed to the middle where she was) and started curling up :S I got really scared because apart from eating the flies she hasn't been very active after moulting and this seemed to me like she was preparing to die. Eventually she curled up almost completely and seemed dead for two, three days or so. Then I decided to blow at her and surprisingly, after a few hard blows, she moved!! Later that day she went up in between the window frame and the wall and she's still there which means I can't see the exact position she's in (I can just see she's there), and I have no idea if she's dead
I would have thought so, but after seeming dead for a few days and it turned out that she wasn't I got some hope.
I also know that adult diadematus females die in the winter after they've laid eggs, but mine is too young for that and has just molted (2 months back if i remember correctly). Is there any chance that she is just hibernating or is she done for? I hope she lives :S i even got my cat to learn to leave her alone (and that's an achievement).
So there you go
Any comments and experiences would help!
