Spiders are an incredible species of animals. They are hardworking, resilient, and they really do love to eat insects. But what do spiders eat in the winter?
The truth is that spiders will often find something to eat during this time of year no matter what. It is true that most spiders will eat less in the winter. Most of the time they will go hunting for smaller insects, they may also eat small flies, and they will go for small bugs, etc. They will also use their silk to make a spider web to catch prey when they are in the area.
What do Spiders Eat in the Winter?
Flies:
Really small flies are common targets during the winter. Spiders will catch them by making a web that they have built along their path. They are able to catch many of these insects by simply waiting for them to fly into their web. These insects are usually easy to catch, so there is no need for much hunting effort.
Mosquitoes:
Mosquitoes and other flying insects are another common food source. They have a similar taste to flies, although they can be a bit more on the crunchier side and spiders do love their mosquitoes, however, mosquitoes are much less common in winter.
Lady Bugs:
Ladybugs are a favorite of spiders during the winter months. They are not as common as insects, but they make for excellent food for these critters. They can also eat their shells if there is no other source of food available. The shell is very nutritious and there is a lot of protein inside of it.
Small Spiders
If there are no mosquitoes around, the spiders will go after the smaller spider’s. Spiders love to eat other spiders; they will even do it if it is not for food. The smaller spider’s bodies may be able to provide some nutrients as well as moisture for the spiders to use as well as further prevent their deaths.
Cockroaches:
Cockroaches are very similar to ladybugs. They can eat their shells as well if there is no other food available to them. Cockroaches are also very high in protein, so they are a great source of nutrients for these spiders.
Moths:
Moth’s are another commonly eaten food source by the spiders. Moths are very small insects, so it is very difficult for them to go after them. Surprisingly, they do go after moths even if they are not their biggest targets. They will just go out hunting their own food, so they will also go for any chances that they can get.
Crickets:
Crickets usually make up the majority of spiders’ prey during the winter months because they are plentiful and relatively easy to catch. They are not very difficult to catch, either.
Termites:
Termites are very similar to crickets in terms of being a great food source for these spiders. They are easy to catch and can provide more nutrition than some other food sources because they are so high in protein.
Earwigs:
Earwigs are another very common target for winter spiders. They are cheap to feed, they are easy to catch, and they are high in protein. Because of this, it is very common for spiders to find them in the winter months.
Ants:
Ants are another great source of food for spiders in the winter months. Ants are almost everywhere making it easier for spiders to get a quick lunch.
Worms:
Worms are another great source of food for spiders during the winter months. They are usually an easy target for the spiders and there is usually plenty of them around, and they can provide a lot of nutrition while being relatively easy to catch.
How do spiders survive the winter?
- In the cold winter months, the spiders will look for warmer places to live. They will go inside of buildings or homes if they can find an open door or window that has been left open and they will move around inside of it until they get too cold and then they will leave and look for another place to live.
- If there is enough food around, the spiders may build a web in a warmer area to stay in until their bodies warm up again. They will also wait until their prey is close enough to the web and then they will ambush it.
- If there is no food available for them or they need to migrate, then their bodies will prepare for this, and then they will get on the ground and find a way to move to a warmer place. They will do this by making webs that they can use to catch wind currents with and use them as sails until they reach a warmer area of the world.
Conclusion on what spiders eat during the winter
Spiders love to eat at all times of the year. It is not just during the summer when they are eating insects that they love to eat. They will go out and find food no matter what time of the year it is, and they will even go after many insects that they shouldn’t eat to keep their bodies working properly.
Lydia King is a huge animal lover and has always been fascinated with learning about the animal kingdom. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture.
