Image
Jul 13, 2015 9:24 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sheridragonfly/Sheri
Alabama (Zone 8b)
Salvias Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I remove all garden spiders/ the big ones that are striped/ and take them to the woods but some come back to the same place and rebuild
I have one today that is in the flower garden , my question is
can they bite and harm a hummingbird or kill it?

Sheri/sheridragonfly
Image
Jul 14, 2015 11:40 AM CST
Name: Christine
North East Texas (Zone 7b)
Shine Your Light!
Heirlooms Native Plants and Wildflowers Organic Gardener Hummingbirder Bee Lover Herbs
Butterflies Dragonflies Birds Cat Lover Dog Lover Garden Photography
Hi Sheridragonfly, I think you're talking about the Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia). They can get pretty big, can't they? But, I don't think they are interested in hummingbirds. Maybe the spiders see the feeder as a good nectar source, making it a good spot to catch insects in its web.

This year I also had an argiope that made its web right next to one of my hummingbird feeders, part of the web was actually attached to the hanger for the feeder! Like you, I kept knocking it down but the spider just kept rebuilding in the very same spot! It has never bothered the hummingbirds or hindered them from going to the feeder. I think the spider will only take whatever gets trapped in its' web.

Anyway, a couple of days ago my dh put the sprinkler on to water his fruit trees, which also hit the spider and it's web for about two hours. It hasn't been back since, I just looked its not there.

Here's the spider I'm talking about:

Thumb of 2015-07-14/wildflowers/06fd75

**Now if you see a Praying Mantis hanging out near your hummingbirds - BEWARE! The will definitely take a hummingbird for food!! Thumbs down
May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day --Native American Proverb

Image
Jul 14, 2015 11:54 AM CST
Name: tarev
San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b)
Give PEACE a chance!
Adeniums Cat Lover Garden Photography Region: California Houseplants Plays in the sandbox
Orchids Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Composter Cactus and Succulents Dragonflies Hummingbirder
It is the other way around I think..the hummingbirds are also interested in the little crawlies, as with any other birds around. They quickly swoop and dive. Unless it is the web of a black widow spider, their web is much more taut and stronger than that of the other spiders. That one might easily trap a young hummingbird.

I have lots of mantids here, for what its worth, there are lots of other food sources for it, than to deliberately attack a hummingbird. Typically it is the hummingbird that provokes the mantid, coming way too near within the mantid's reach. Mantids just stay so stationary, and will not purposely hound a very quick moving hummingbird. So I do not remove mantids, they are still useful in the garden.
Last edited by tarev Jul 14, 2015 5:46 PM Icon for preview
Image
Jul 14, 2015 12:00 PM CST
Name: Christine
North East Texas (Zone 7b)
Shine Your Light!
Heirlooms Native Plants and Wildflowers Organic Gardener Hummingbirder Bee Lover Herbs
Butterflies Dragonflies Birds Cat Lover Dog Lover Garden Photography
Yes, hummingbirds also like to eat small insects, although this particular spider was much too large so I guess it wasn't worried about the hummingbirds. Hilarious!
May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day --Native American Proverb

Image
Jul 14, 2015 5:39 PM CST
Name: Cinda
Indiana Zone 5b
Dances with Dirt
Beekeeper Bee Lover Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Cottage Gardener Herbs Wild Plant Hunter
Hummingbirder Butterflies Birds Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Organic Gardener Vegetable Grower
Hummingbirds are known to use spiderwebs to weave their nests, so it may be the spider that is in danger.
..a balanced life is worth pursuit.
Image
Jul 14, 2015 7:18 PM CST
Name: Lyn
Weaverville, California (Zone 8a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Level 1
gardengus said:Hummingbirds are known to use spiderwebs to weave their nests, so it may be the spider that is in danger.


I can believe it after what happened to me today. I've heard that hummingbirds are very territorial about their feeders and will run other hummingbirds off. I don't have feeders here, but today I was working under a rose that has blooms the same color as most hummingbird feeders and was dive-bombed by two hummers to the point where I had to leave off working on that rose and move on to another one.

Lyn
I'd rather weed than dust ... the weeds stay gone longer.
Image
Jul 14, 2015 8:01 PM CST
Name: Cinda
Indiana Zone 5b
Dances with Dirt
Beekeeper Bee Lover Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Cottage Gardener Herbs Wild Plant Hunter
Hummingbirder Butterflies Birds Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Organic Gardener Vegetable Grower
They can be quite aggressive . I have had them hover just inches away from my face as to say ''lets have a stare down''
..a balanced life is worth pursuit.
Image
Jul 14, 2015 8:10 PM CST
Name: tarev
San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b)
Give PEACE a chance!
Adeniums Cat Lover Garden Photography Region: California Houseplants Plays in the sandbox
Orchids Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Composter Cactus and Succulents Dragonflies Hummingbirder
So true Cinda nodding Sometimes when I am at the garden and I hear a buzzing sound..I try not to look up fast, oftentimes it is a hummingbird trying to drive me away since I am near their drinking area. It is like they are ready to peck your eyes if you happen to look directly at them. But I am glad they are really agile and fast, we have some birds here that are hovering around trying to get a chance at them.
Image
Jul 15, 2015 7:02 AM CST
Name: Jennifer
48036 MI (Zone 6b)
Cottage Gardener Houseplants Spiders! Heucheras Frogs and Toads Dahlias
Hummingbirder Sedums Winter Sowing Peonies Region: Michigan Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Awe, I always imagine them saying "Thank you for the wonderful buffet!" when they are hovering in front of me.
Image
Jul 15, 2015 8:02 AM CST
Name: Lyn
Weaverville, California (Zone 8a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Level 1
Good grief ... they were so aggressive, that I had visions of driving myself to the emergency room with an eye injury and having to explain that I was injured in a hummingbird attack.

Up here, it's common for people to have wildlife injuries, but no one would believe a hummingbird did it Hilarious! Hilarious!

Smiles,
Lyn
I'd rather weed than dust ... the weeds stay gone longer.
Image
Jul 15, 2015 8:33 AM CST
Name: tarev
San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b)
Give PEACE a chance!
Adeniums Cat Lover Garden Photography Region: California Houseplants Plays in the sandbox
Orchids Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Composter Cactus and Succulents Dragonflies Hummingbirder
That would be something to explain indeed Lyn Hilarious!
Image
Aug 2, 2015 11:15 AM CST
Name: Jim D
East Central Indiana (Zone 5b)
Annuals Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Garden Procrastinator Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Native Plants and Wildflowers Region: Indiana
Hummingbirder Frogs and Toads Dragonflies Cottage Gardener Butterflies Birds
Green Grin! Well they were sure to show up sooner or later ,


Thumb of 2015-08-02/jimard8/3fd2c1 yep , another Yellow Garden Spider
In the Butterfly garden if a plant is not chewed up I feel like a failure
Image
Aug 3, 2015 8:15 AM CST
Name: Beverly
Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico (Zone 11a)
Butterflies Native Plants and Wildflowers Organic Gardener Seed Starter Tropicals
Praying Mantis will also happily gobble up all your caterpillars and if you are hoping for butterflies, this can be a problem.

I have also seen a hummingbird attack a large Monarch butterfly in my garden...not to eat, but to establish territory. The Monarch was sitting on a leaf. Both the Monarch and i watched in wonder as the hummingbird flew at top speed from the other side of the garden and knocked the Monarch right off the leaf. The hummer turned its head so the beak did not puncture the wing of the Monarch. I found the Monarch a bit stunned on the ground but it was okay and was flying in a couple of minutes. The hummingbirds used to sit on a clothes line i had strung across the garden and survey and protect their territory. I removed the clothes line. Now i have 6 red shrimp plants and 1 yellow one. I call these my hummingbird feeders. There are always hummers at those plants 365 days a year and they do not exhibit territorial tendencies within the walls of my garden anymore.
Last edited by vitrsna Aug 3, 2015 2:18 PM Icon for preview
Image
Aug 3, 2015 1:50 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sheridragonfly/Sheri
Alabama (Zone 8b)
Salvias Celebrating Gardening: 2015
thank you for you replies!!
that huge garden spider was there for a week and something got it...
I have lots of hummingbirds now babies off nest and hanging 2 feeders
changing out sugar water I make twice a week..so it will not sour
as it is 98 here today and has been in that range for weeks and high
humidity and heat index in lower zone 8.
I enjoyed reading all your post..
Sheri
Thumb of 2015-08-03/Sheridragonfly/1bcaa4
Last edited by Sheridragonfly Aug 3, 2015 1:50 PM Icon for preview
Image
Aug 6, 2015 6:36 PM CST
Name: Heath
sevierville TN (Zone 7a)
Beekeeper Bee Lover Composter Frugal Gardener Houseplants Region: Tennessee
Vermiculture Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
In one of the greenhouses that I work in we have a large colony of those garden spiders over 100 of them and some of them a really big. one day last week I went in there and saw that one of the big ones had caught something it already had it wrapped up so I couldn't see what it was but it was way too big to be a grasshopper I think it might have been a hummingbird. I went back in there the next day to take a picture of it it was already gone. When a hummingbird gets stuck in the greenhouse of tires itself out trying to get out. I think it might have got tired and fell into one of the webs
Image
Nov 5, 2015 8:41 AM CST
Name: Christine
North East Texas (Zone 7b)
Shine Your Light!
Heirlooms Native Plants and Wildflowers Organic Gardener Hummingbirder Bee Lover Herbs
Butterflies Dragonflies Birds Cat Lover Dog Lover Garden Photography
Thought I would add today's article here. Blinking

Now we know for sure!

http://garden.org/ideas/view/G...
May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day --Native American Proverb

Only the members of the Members group may reply to this thread.
Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by Zoia and is called "Volunteer"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.