{"id":26572,"date":"2023-03-06T09:30:55","date_gmt":"2023-03-05T23:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/?p=26572"},"modified":"2026-01-09T13:04:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T02:04:45","slug":"spider-eggs-and-egg-sacs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/pest-control-spiders\/spider-eggs-and-egg-sacs\/","title":{"rendered":"Spider Eggs and Egg Sacs"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p><em>Many people can identify the common spiders in New Zealand, but do you know what the different species do with their eggs? They generally build an egg sac, which they either carry or hide.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"hr-thick\"><\/div>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Spider Eggs and Egg Sacs<br \/><\/strong><\/h1>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>The shape, size, colour and placement of a spider&#8217;s egg sac depends on the species that laid it. Some spiders can control the colour of the silk that surrounds the eggs, to better camouflage them from predators and parasites. However, in many species the mother is more personally involved in their safety, either carrying the egg case or standing on guard nearby.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-26572 gallery-columns-4 gallery-size-medium'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/pest-control-spiders\/spider-eggs-and-egg-sacs\/attachment\/redback-spider-and-eggs-of-australia\/'><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/redback-spider-egg-caseiStock-641531990-300x200.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"redback spider egg sac\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-26577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/redback-spider-egg-caseiStock-641531990-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/redback-spider-egg-caseiStock-641531990-285x190.jpg 285w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/redback-spider-egg-caseiStock-641531990-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/redback-spider-egg-caseiStock-641531990.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-26577'>\n\t\t\t\tRedback spider and eggs sac\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/pest-control-spiders\/spider-eggs-and-egg-sacs\/attachment\/huntsman-spider-2\/'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Huntsman-egg-case-300x200.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"huntsman spider egg sac\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-26575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Huntsman-egg-case-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Huntsman-egg-case-285x190.jpg 285w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Huntsman-egg-case-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Huntsman-egg-case.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-26575'>\n\t\t\t\tHuntsman spider guarding egg sac\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/pest-control-spiders\/spider-eggs-and-egg-sacs\/attachment\/macrophotographyofdaddylonglegsspiderwitheggsisolated\/'><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"211\" src=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/daddy-long-legs-eggs-shutterstock_1269499990-300x211.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"daddy long legs spider eggs\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-26576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/daddy-long-legs-eggs-shutterstock_1269499990-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/daddy-long-legs-eggs-shutterstock_1269499990-284x200.jpg 284w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/daddy-long-legs-eggs-shutterstock_1269499990-270x190.jpg 270w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/daddy-long-legs-eggs-shutterstock_1269499990-150x105.jpg 150w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/daddy-long-legs-eggs-shutterstock_1269499990.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-26576'>\n\t\t\t\tDaddy-long-legs spider with eggs\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/pest-control-spiders\/spider-eggs-and-egg-sacs\/attachment\/wolfspideroneggsac\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/wolf-spider-egg-case-shutterstock_201981031-300x200.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Wolf spider egg sac\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-26578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/wolf-spider-egg-case-shutterstock_201981031-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/wolf-spider-egg-case-shutterstock_201981031-286x190.jpg 286w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/wolf-spider-egg-case-shutterstock_201981031-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/wolf-spider-egg-case-shutterstock_201981031.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-26578'>\n\t\t\t\tWolf spider carrying egg sac\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\r\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n<h2>Egg sacs of some common New Zealand spiders<\/h2>\r\n<h3>Redback spiders (<em>Latrodectus hasselti<\/em>)<\/h3>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/spiders\/redback-spider\/\">Redbacks<\/a> lay four to ten smooth round egg sacs that resemble polystyrene beads, suspended in the web. They are white or sometimes yellowish, and each can contain 250 eggs.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h3>Cupboard spiders (<em>Steatoda grossa<\/em>)<\/h3>\r\n<p>Like the redback, <a href=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/pest-control-spiders\/false-katipo\/\">cupboard spiders<\/a> also lay round egg sacs, but the outer layer of silk is fuzzy rather than smooth. Well-fed females lay three or four sacs a year, with 40 to 100 eggs in each.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h3>Daddy-long-legs (<em>Pholcus phalangioides<\/em>)<\/h3>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/spiders\/daddy-long-legs-spider\/\">Daddy-long-legs<\/a> only produce 13-60 eggs, bundled in very thin silk, and resemble a pinkish-white blackberry held in the spider\u2019s jaws.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h3>Huntsman spiders (Family Sparassidae)<\/h3>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/spiders\/huntsman-spider\/\">Huntsman<\/a> spin a flat, oval egg sac of white papery silk, containing up to 200 eggs. She will then place it under bark or somewhere with similar concealment,\u00a0 and stand guard over it until they hatch.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h3>White tail spiders (<em>Lampona<\/em> spp.)<\/h3>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/spiders\/white-tailed-spider\/\">White tails<\/a> spin a silk retreat with an oval egg sac inside it, containing 80-100 pink eggs, and like huntsmen spiders, the female will stand guard over it.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h3>Wolf spiders (Lycosidae)<\/h3>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/spiders\/wolf-spider\/\">Wolf spiders<\/a> carry their white, oval egg sac in their jaws, and become very agitated if separated from it.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>The largest spider egg sacs you are likely to encounter are those of the magnificent spider (<em>Ordgarius<\/em> spp.). These garden spiders spin up to seven spindle-shaped brown silk egg sacs, each 8cm long, containing 600 eggs, hung from branches like Christmas ornaments. They are easily mistaken for the cocoons of a large moth.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>How long do spider eggs take to hatch?<\/h2>\r\n<p>If they avoid predators or parasites, the eggs hatch in weeks to months, depending on species.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Spiderlings<\/h2>\r\n<p>The young spiders which hatch are called spiderlings. Often they will disperse immediately after hatching. The spiderlings of many species disperse by &#8216;ballooning&#8217; &#8211; they spin a long strand of silk from a vantage point above the ground and use the wind to carry them away. In some species such as the wolf spider, the spiderlings will stay with their mother, riding on her back until after the first moult.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<h2><strong>Getting rid of spider egg sacs<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>A spider spray to take care of the adults won&#8217;t always kill eggs inside the sac due to the waterproof nature of the silk. However, the spiderlings will generally die on hatching. But to be sure, if you see a spider egg sac, it is best to physically destroy the egg sac (stamping on it works well!).\u00a0 However, make sure the mother is dead, as she will often be very aggressive in protecting her eggs.<\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>More information on <a href=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/spiders\/\">spiders<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/pest-control-spiders\/\">spider treatments<\/a>.<br \/><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>Daniel Heald<\/strong>, technician and entomologist<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many people can identify the common spiders in New Zealand, but do you know what the different species do with their eggs? They generally build an egg sac, which they either carry or hide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":26577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Do you know what the common spider species in Australian do with their eggs? They generally build a egg sac which they either carry or hide. Learn more...","_seopress_robots_index":"","_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[321],"tags":[],"company":[],"pest":[151],"pesticide":[],"product-service":[],"class_list":["post-26572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pest-control-spiders","pest-spiders","wpbf-post"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26572"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41257,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26572\/revisions\/41257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26572"},{"taxonomy":"company","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/company?post=26572"},{"taxonomy":"pest","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pest?post=26572"},{"taxonomy":"pesticide","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pesticide?post=26572"},{"taxonomy":"product-service","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/professionalpestmanager.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-service?post=26572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}