
Community identification
Barn Spider
Araneus cavaticus
- Order & Family
- Araneae, Araneidae
- Size
- 15 to 25 millimeters for females; males are significantly smaller.
Natural Habitat
Found in barns, caves, mine shafts, and on the sides of buildings or under porch eaves.
Diet & Feeding
Carnivorous; feeds primarily on flying insects such as flies, moths, and mosquitoes caught in its orb web.
Behavior Patterns
Nocturnal; they build large orb webs every evening and often consume them at dawn to recycle the silk. They typically hide in a crevice during the day.
Risks & Benefits
Benefits the ecosystem by controlling insect populations. They are not aggressive and their venom is not medically significant to humans, similar to a bee sting.