Silk production using giant spiders

[jgbrowning]

It may be possible to harvest spider silk without them eating each other or the handlers at least from communal spiders from South America. Here's a link to info about them.

http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc99/5_8_99/bob2.htm

from the article...

"The longest continuous colony that has been observed was built of orbs knitted together by hundreds of thousands of 1-centimeter-long spiders. It measured 4 m across and 2 m high and stretched nearly two football fields long."


now that just makes my skin crawl. nature is utterly nuts.

joe b.

 

[Lola]

Considering that scientists were trying to produce synthetic spider silk for something better than Kevlar... I think going for "silk" is not quite right. How about using it for rope and cloth armor? And it's very sticky, you could use the "glue" from it for other applications too.... just a thought.

 

[Bloodsparrow]

And it's very sticky, you could use the "glue" from it for other applications too.... just a thought.

http://www.sciam.com/askexpert_question.cfm?articleID=0009D48E-6DB7-1D2C-97CA809EC588EEDF

Not all spidersilk is sticky. According to the article above, some spiders have up to 7 different glands for producing different types of silk...

I do like the idea of using sticky capture silk for other things though.

 

[Lola]

Not all spidersilk is sticky. According to the article above, some spiders have up to 7 different glands for producing different types of silk...

Well, that opens up all sorts of new possibilities, dunnit? Gee, all the spider "silk" I walk into at work (cleaning out storage units) always sticks to me like... well...