"Like in a science fiction movie": Sorek Stream covered in a "web blanket"
Millions of spiders gathered along the banks of the stream and created huge webs, following an outbreak of billions of non-biting midges that provided them with an unimaginable abundance of food. The Nature and Parks Authority explained how this rare phenomenon was created.
A surreal sight at the Sorek Stream: a huge blanket of webs covers the vegetation after millions of spiders of the Tetragnatha species gathered and created massive webs along the banks. This rare phenomenon was triggered by an outbreak of billions of non-biting midges, which provided the spiders with an abundance of food.
Nature and Parks Authority volunteer Yehiam Dahan, who documented the spectacular sight, said:
"The feeling there is simply amazing! It looks like a scene from a science fiction movie. Vast areas are covered in a giant web blanket. It gives the feeling as if no one has been here and everything has been covered in webs."
Behind the phenomenon is an ecological dynamic of the reproduction of millions of local spiders that feed on a "buffet" of billions of non-biting midges. The cause of the spider outbreak is the flow of treated wastewater and excess organic matter in the stream, which created an ideal habitat for the reproduction of these insects.
The Nature and Parks Authority explains that the massive abundance of food attracted huge quantities of spiders to the area, which spun millions of webs adjacent to each other. Over time, the individual webs intertwined into a uniform and huge blanket that covers everything in its path. Tetragnatha spiders, characterized by their elongated bodies and long legs, are utilizing the vegetation along the water to hunt with maximum efficiency, providing a unique and rare nature show.
