Spider Webs
© Macedon Ranges Leader

Thousands of tiny threads floating on the winds across Sunbury prompted at least one call to the Australian UFO Research Network last week.

And while the explanation may not be from another world it still has a creepy crawly factor.

According to Melbourne Museum, an explosion in golden and garden orb weaver spider populations has led to an increase in hatchlings taking to the wind on silken threads.

Last week Sunbury resident Peter Tyrrell noticed the phenomenon while gardening.

"I happened to be in the back garden when I noticed thousands of spider webs in the sky," he said. "I'd never seen anything like it before."

About noon on Wednesday the sky was littered with the near-invisible strands that clung to trees and light poles carrying baby spiders.

Spider Webs_1
© Macedon Ranges Leader
According to Melbourne Museum live exhibit manager Patrick Honan, the young spiders have been taking to the wind across the western suburbs and western parts of the state for the past couple of weeks but were due to stop soon as cold weather set in.

"It's happening because the young spiders are leaving the sac. To do this they ply out a thread of silk and when the thread is caught the spiders take to the wind. That's the way they disperse," he said.

Australian UFO Research Network national director Diane Harrison said she had a call from a Craigieburn resident about the threads last Thursday. "They'd seen all these cobwebs falling from the sky that were sticky and wet," she said. "He'd accessed an article on angel hair on our website and called."

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