Spider House

0:00:02 > 0:00:04OWL HOOTS

0:00:04 > 0:00:06SCARY MUSIC

0:00:12 > 0:00:15DOG BARKS

0:00:22 > 0:00:27I'm approaching this house with a real mixture of trepidation

0:00:27 > 0:00:29and curiosity.

0:00:29 > 0:00:34Within its walls, there's something extraordinary happening.

0:00:37 > 0:00:39But, at the same time,

0:00:39 > 0:00:42it feels like I'm stepping into a horror film,

0:00:42 > 0:00:45because this house has been filmed

0:00:45 > 0:00:49with hundreds and hundreds

0:00:49 > 0:00:52of spiders!

0:01:01 > 0:01:04Now, I have to admit, like a lot of people,

0:01:04 > 0:01:07I am a bit scared of spiders,

0:01:07 > 0:01:11but I'm also genuinely looking forward to finding out more

0:01:11 > 0:01:14about these fascinating creatures.

0:01:18 > 0:01:21- Hello, Alice.- Look at him!

0:01:21 > 0:01:22- Hello.- Welcome! Come on in.

0:01:22 > 0:01:24- So, this is the Spider House? - It certainly is.

0:01:24 > 0:01:27SHE GASPS

0:01:33 > 0:01:38Inside this house, entomologist Tim Cockerill, with the help of

0:01:38 > 0:01:43spider breeders and experts, has been conducting a unique study

0:01:43 > 0:01:47of what spiders really get up to in our homes.

0:01:49 > 0:01:51Even though they rid our houses of flies

0:01:51 > 0:01:54and other disease-carrying pests,

0:01:54 > 0:01:57we tend to despise and fear them.

0:02:00 > 0:02:02'Now, for the first time,

0:02:02 > 0:02:08'cameras in every room will reveal a hidden world of drama...'

0:02:08 > 0:02:10Oh, he tumbled down!

0:02:10 > 0:02:12'..romance...'

0:02:12 > 0:02:13- He was very gung-ho.- Absolutely.

0:02:13 > 0:02:17I think he's going to have to do a better job of courtship than that.

0:02:17 > 0:02:18'..bloodshed...'

0:02:18 > 0:02:21Oh my goodness! Gosh, that was quick!

0:02:21 > 0:02:24'..and exquisite beauty.'

0:02:26 > 0:02:31'You'll never look at spiders in quite the same way again.

0:02:31 > 0:02:34'You may even welcome them into your home.'

0:02:34 > 0:02:38- I feel quite maternal towards him, Graham.- So you should.

0:02:38 > 0:02:42'To begin, I'm going to meet one of the most common species

0:02:42 > 0:02:45'found in our houses.'

0:02:46 > 0:02:50- What's in here?- This is our spider lab. This is the central hub.- Urgh!

0:02:50 > 0:02:53- The nerve centre of Spider House. - Fantastic.

0:02:53 > 0:02:56This is one of the house spiders, and it's, as the name suggests,

0:02:56 > 0:03:00it's one of the most common species that lives in your house.

0:03:02 > 0:03:05I thought this was going to be a gentle introduction, Tim,

0:03:05 > 0:03:08and he's quite a big spider to start with? He's facing towards me!

0:03:11 > 0:03:14He's coming straight towards... He just knows, doesn't he?

0:03:14 > 0:03:15He really does know.

0:03:17 > 0:03:19Tim, what's he doing now? It looks like he's chewing his leg.

0:03:19 > 0:03:21No, he's cleaning himself.

0:03:21 > 0:03:23So they're very, very sensitive pads on the end of the feet,

0:03:23 > 0:03:28so it's absolutely imperative that they keep them really, really clean.

0:03:28 > 0:03:30So, this is quite sweet.

0:03:30 > 0:03:32- This reminds me of a cat, licking its paws.- Yeah.

0:03:36 > 0:03:38So, why are they in our houses?

0:03:38 > 0:03:41Yeah, in many, many ways, a house is perfectly designed to hold spiders,

0:03:41 > 0:03:44especially the ones that are particularly associated with us,

0:03:44 > 0:03:47like the house spider, or like the daddy-longlegs spider.

0:03:47 > 0:03:50They're nice and warm in the winter, and full of pests,

0:03:50 > 0:03:53full of flies and moths and all sorts of things for them to eat.

0:03:54 > 0:03:56Ooh!

0:03:56 > 0:03:59It suddenly got very active indeed.

0:03:59 > 0:04:01Goodness me! Right, yeah.

0:04:01 > 0:04:05I mean, this is what, I think, what I find difficult about spiders,

0:04:05 > 0:04:07and I'm sure a lot of other people do as well,

0:04:07 > 0:04:10is that they can look completely still and completely calm,

0:04:10 > 0:04:13and then they suddenly spring into action.

0:04:13 > 0:04:16I think those kind of responses can either go down the phobia route,

0:04:16 > 0:04:19or fear route, or fascination and intrigue route.

0:04:19 > 0:04:23So, I'm hoping that I'm going to replace some of that anxiety

0:04:23 > 0:04:24about spiders with fascination,

0:04:24 > 0:04:27and I think even just this, you know, introduction to

0:04:27 > 0:04:31an ordinary house spider, has already got me really intrigued.

0:04:31 > 0:04:33We'll see how we get on.

0:04:36 > 0:04:40To investigate how spiders turn OUR homes into THEIR homes,

0:04:40 > 0:04:44we transformed each room of this house into a spider laboratory.

0:04:46 > 0:04:50To do this, we needed a lot of spiders, so we turned to

0:04:50 > 0:04:54insect and arachnid breeder, Graham Smith, for help.

0:04:54 > 0:04:56So, these are the new ones coming in,

0:04:56 > 0:04:58- the beginnings of the collection. - Yeah.

0:04:58 > 0:05:02I love your labels, as well. We've got "daddy", "tangle", "orb".

0:05:02 > 0:05:06We collected spiders from other houses, nearby woods, gardens

0:05:06 > 0:05:11and fields, bringing them to the Spider House, where we gave

0:05:11 > 0:05:14each spider a temporary new home.

0:05:15 > 0:05:18We installed special cameras,

0:05:18 > 0:05:22and turned the living room into our control centre,

0:05:22 > 0:05:25allowing us to record what spiders get up to

0:05:25 > 0:05:27when we're not looking.

0:05:35 > 0:05:39One place where you're almost guaranteed to bump into spiders

0:05:39 > 0:05:41is the bathroom.

0:05:42 > 0:05:45- Welcome to the bathroom.- Argh!

0:05:45 > 0:05:49Oh, Tim, just as I got used to one of them!

0:05:49 > 0:05:51There must be about 20 in that bath.

0:05:52 > 0:05:56'My journey through the house begins with a question.

0:05:56 > 0:06:01'Why do we always find spiders at the bottom of the bath?'

0:06:03 > 0:06:06- Most people are familiar with spiders in the bath...- Yeah.

0:06:06 > 0:06:08..and it's not just fluke, you know?

0:06:08 > 0:06:10There is an actual reason why

0:06:10 > 0:06:13a bath is a place where spiders accumulate.

0:06:13 > 0:06:16We've been looking into this for the past few weeks, and we've filmed

0:06:16 > 0:06:19some really interesting things, so we've got some clips to show you.

0:06:19 > 0:06:22Look at this. This is some film that we took earlier on in the week,

0:06:22 > 0:06:25and this is a spider drinking.

0:06:39 > 0:06:41That's amazing!

0:06:44 > 0:06:47Don't think I'd ever really thought about spiders drinking?

0:06:47 > 0:06:49It's a very delicate thing, isn't it?

0:06:51 > 0:06:53So, it's just moving its mouth parts together?

0:06:53 > 0:06:55Yeah, well, they also have a sucking stomach,

0:06:55 > 0:06:57so they can create pressure to suck in liquids

0:06:57 > 0:06:59- through the mouth parts. - Right, right.

0:07:05 > 0:07:09So, the first reason, why do we find spiders in the bathroom,

0:07:09 > 0:07:12spiders need to drink, just like the rest of us, and the most

0:07:12 > 0:07:15humid room in the house, of course, is going to be the bathroom.

0:07:16 > 0:07:20'Our houses are incredibly dry environments, thanks to

0:07:20 > 0:07:23'central heating and damp proofing,

0:07:23 > 0:07:28'so, for spiders, bathrooms make perfect watering holes.

0:07:28 > 0:07:32'But water's not the only reason we find so many lurking in our baths.'

0:07:33 > 0:07:37- If I was to design a house spider trap, a spider catching trap...- Yeah?

0:07:37 > 0:07:40..it would probably end up looking pretty much like a bath.

0:07:40 > 0:07:41Look at these house spiders here.

0:07:41 > 0:07:45You can see they can get up the sides kind of slightly,

0:07:45 > 0:07:47but as soon as they get onto the flat side,

0:07:47 > 0:07:49none of them are able to climb out of the bath.

0:07:49 > 0:07:51Let's just watch this one.

0:07:58 > 0:08:01So, she's trying her best to climb up this smooth surface.

0:08:03 > 0:08:05She can't quite make it.

0:08:08 > 0:08:10Oh, he tumbled down!

0:08:10 > 0:08:13So, they're coming in, they're attracted by the idea

0:08:13 > 0:08:15that there could be water in there, there's moisture around,

0:08:15 > 0:08:18but once they've fallen in, they find it very difficult to climb out.

0:08:18 > 0:08:21That's right. Now, there's actually a really interesting reason why

0:08:21 > 0:08:23the house spider can't make it out of the bath,

0:08:23 > 0:08:27and if we look in really close detail at the ends of the toes,

0:08:27 > 0:08:30the ends of the tarsi of the house spider, and you can see,

0:08:30 > 0:08:33right at the very tip of the toes, are these two big claws.

0:08:33 > 0:08:36- They're like big, curved combs, aren't they?- Mmm.

0:08:36 > 0:08:39And these are perfectly well designed for walking on a web,

0:08:39 > 0:08:43- by hooking on with these claws at the end of the toes.- Yeah.

0:08:43 > 0:08:46Now, because that's the only way of walking around they've got,

0:08:46 > 0:08:50they can't climb up smooth surfaces, they can't get out of the bath.

0:08:50 > 0:08:56'So, when thirsty spiders are lured into the bath, they are trapped,

0:08:56 > 0:08:59'and often face an even worse fate...'

0:09:04 > 0:09:06'..because many people get rid of them

0:09:06 > 0:09:09'by washing them down the drain.'

0:09:18 > 0:09:22'But how does this affect the poor spider?'

0:09:26 > 0:09:29This way, then. To me, to me.

0:09:29 > 0:09:33Out in the garden, Tim and Graham are going to find out, using

0:09:33 > 0:09:37a sink with a specially constructed transparent u-bend.

0:09:37 > 0:09:40I know you said we brought everything but the kitchen sink,

0:09:40 > 0:09:43but this is really taking the biscuit.

0:09:43 > 0:09:46So, Graham, we are trying to find the answer to the question,

0:09:46 > 0:09:48what happens when a spider gets flushed down the sink,

0:09:48 > 0:09:51- because that's what most people do, isn't it?- Yeah.

0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Or lots of people, obviously, not us included.- No, no, no. Bad thing.

0:09:57 > 0:09:59Do you want to say when?

0:09:59 > 0:10:02- That'll do it.- Right.

0:10:03 > 0:10:06So, we'll try this one, shall we? This is a house spider.

0:10:06 > 0:10:10- So, this is dinner escaping there, those flies flying away.- Excess.

0:10:10 > 0:10:14- So, this is a house spider, inside it's nice, tubey web there.- Yeah.

0:10:14 > 0:10:17I'll just coax him out. Oh, that's an adult male.

0:10:17 > 0:10:20Adult male, yeah. Nice one.

0:10:20 > 0:10:24So, first question, what's going to be his response as he hits the water?

0:10:24 > 0:10:27Sink or swim? There he goes. Oh, wow! Look at that!

0:10:27 > 0:10:30It doesn't notice the water.

0:10:36 > 0:10:41Most spiders here in the UK can accomplish this minor miracle

0:10:41 > 0:10:44by spreading their weight over their eight legs.

0:10:44 > 0:10:48They simply don't break the surface tension of the water.

0:10:48 > 0:10:53On top of that, their bodies are covered in water-repellent hairs.

0:10:53 > 0:10:57When submerged, these hairs trap a layer of air around the spider,

0:10:57 > 0:11:00which means it never really gets wet.

0:11:07 > 0:11:09So, maybe if I go and watch for the response,

0:11:09 > 0:11:13- and then are you all right to man the plug?- You tell me when.- Great.

0:11:13 > 0:11:16Three, two, one, pull the plug.

0:11:20 > 0:11:22- Oh!- One spider.

0:11:22 > 0:11:24There he goes! Oh! Oh, God!

0:11:29 > 0:11:33This might look like a terrible ordeal for our house spider,

0:11:33 > 0:11:38but even when fully submerged, he can still breathe, using the

0:11:38 > 0:11:42bubble of air trapped in the hairs around his body.

0:11:43 > 0:11:45Using this spidery scuba gear,

0:11:45 > 0:11:50some species can survive underwater for several hours.

0:11:55 > 0:11:57It looks as if this spider has survived the experience

0:11:57 > 0:11:58perfectly well.

0:11:58 > 0:12:00It whooshed through the u-bend, and, in fact,

0:12:00 > 0:12:02I can't even see a single drop of water on it.

0:12:02 > 0:12:04Now, this is what's happened in our experiment,

0:12:04 > 0:12:07but, in real life, do you think it would be the same situation?

0:12:07 > 0:12:11No, no. A spider really being washed down the sink, bad idea.

0:12:11 > 0:12:16And that's because the water in our drains is never just water.

0:12:16 > 0:12:21It contains soaps and detergents that weaken the surface tension,

0:12:21 > 0:12:25and it doesn't take much to sink our poor spider.

0:12:25 > 0:12:27There we go. Straight in.

0:12:27 > 0:12:31Without surface tension, the spider can't walk on water, or trap

0:12:31 > 0:12:33the air he needs around his body.

0:12:33 > 0:12:37Now, I think we should rescue him really, really quickly.

0:12:41 > 0:12:42So, that's perfectly fine for us

0:12:42 > 0:12:45to flush our spider down this sink, with nice clean water,

0:12:45 > 0:12:48but when people do it at home, it's not just water.

0:12:48 > 0:12:52It's shampoo, it's shower gel, it's soap, washing up liquid.

0:12:52 > 0:12:55If you flush a spider down the sink in your house, well,

0:12:55 > 0:12:58- you're probably going to kill it. - You're going to kill it.

0:12:58 > 0:13:00Yeah, it's not a nice thing to do.

0:13:03 > 0:13:06So, the kindest thing to do, if you find a spider in your bath,

0:13:06 > 0:13:10is to find a suitable container and take it outside.

0:13:16 > 0:13:21Many spiders cope surprisingly well with water,

0:13:21 > 0:13:27but there's one that's adapted so well, it's gone one step further.

0:13:27 > 0:13:29Some spiders live next to the water.

0:13:29 > 0:13:31Some spiders live on the water,

0:13:31 > 0:13:34but this guy lives under the water.

0:13:34 > 0:13:37This is a diving bell spider.

0:13:41 > 0:13:44It can swim around, as agile as a fish.

0:13:44 > 0:13:47It eats, sleeps and even breeds under the surface of the water.

0:13:49 > 0:13:52The diving bell spider carries its own air supply,

0:13:52 > 0:13:55trapped in the hairs on its abdomen.

0:13:55 > 0:13:57It almost never needs to leave the water.

0:13:57 > 0:14:01When the oxygen in its bubble is exhausted, it simply flicks

0:14:01 > 0:14:05its abdomen above the surface, capturing a new batch of fresh air.

0:14:06 > 0:14:09It can last for hours, even days underwater,

0:14:09 > 0:14:10without coming to the surface.

0:14:10 > 0:14:14It's so successful that it's found halfway across the world,

0:14:14 > 0:14:17including in ponds and streams all around Britain.

0:14:17 > 0:14:20It's a unique spider in the animal kingdom.

0:14:29 > 0:14:32We've seen how spiders find water in our homes...

0:14:34 > 0:14:38..but in order to survive, they also need to eat.

0:14:41 > 0:14:44And they're not interested in our food.

0:14:46 > 0:14:50Here, in the dining room, Tim and Graham have arranged a very

0:14:50 > 0:14:54special dinner party, where only guests with eight legs are invited.

0:14:57 > 0:15:01For spiders, supper usually begins with one of the most beautiful

0:15:01 > 0:15:05and mysterious pieces of engineering in the natural world.

0:15:07 > 0:15:09The web!

0:15:09 > 0:15:10Welcome to the dining room.

0:15:10 > 0:15:14- This looks suitably spooky, Tim. - That's the idea.

0:15:19 > 0:15:20So, this is the room

0:15:20 > 0:15:23where we're going to have a really close look at spider webs.

0:15:23 > 0:15:26So, we've let all sorts of different species of spider really explore the

0:15:26 > 0:15:30place, and make webs in different nooks and crannies of the room.

0:15:30 > 0:15:33On the dining table here, we've got a grand tour of web design,

0:15:33 > 0:15:37and spiders hidden in amongst the cutlery and crockery.

0:15:40 > 0:15:44'Spider webs come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes,

0:15:44 > 0:15:48'from simple tubes to sheets and tangles.'

0:15:50 > 0:15:53- I can see why it's called a tube web. It is, isn't it?- Yeah.

0:15:53 > 0:15:56So, this has built trip lines from the opening of that mouth,

0:15:56 > 0:15:58- so those very thin threads. - Oh, yeah, yeah.

0:15:58 > 0:16:00- Right out almost to the edge of the glass.- Yeah.

0:16:02 > 0:16:06'You can find all of these different webs in and around your house.'

0:16:09 > 0:16:13'But the familiar orb web is the most complex and advanced.'

0:16:15 > 0:16:17'The spiders responsible

0:16:17 > 0:16:22'are the most industrious engineers in the house, the orb weavers.'

0:16:30 > 0:16:34They can find their way in from the garden by hitching a ride on

0:16:34 > 0:16:38shopping bags, coats or boots.

0:16:40 > 0:16:44These spiders are the best builders you'll ever have in.

0:16:46 > 0:16:49They can weave an entire new home in less than an hour.

0:16:52 > 0:16:55So, Tim, you've got a common or garden orb spider,

0:16:55 > 0:16:58and we're going to see if it's going to actually make a web for us.

0:16:58 > 0:17:00That's right.

0:17:04 > 0:17:08I do like these spiders. I think she's quite pretty.

0:17:08 > 0:17:10They've got lovely stripy legs.

0:17:10 > 0:17:12And she's a very intricately patterned thing.

0:17:15 > 0:17:19'We're giving this orb weaver a new home, one of our picture frames,

0:17:19 > 0:17:24'so that our cameras can record her web building in minute detail.'

0:17:24 > 0:17:28He's certainly spinning silk. Quite a lot of silk.

0:17:28 > 0:17:30Drifting in the air here.

0:17:30 > 0:17:33These are experts in insect behaviour, because they've

0:17:33 > 0:17:37got to put their web in just the right place to capture flying insects

0:17:37 > 0:17:40and so anywhere where they can feel exactly the right kind of draught,

0:17:40 > 0:17:43just the right kind of air movement, where insects might be likely to be

0:17:43 > 0:17:46flying, well, that's exactly where they'll put their web.

0:17:46 > 0:17:49And as she walks around the picture frame there, well,

0:17:49 > 0:17:51she's doing what she would do in the wild.

0:17:51 > 0:17:54She'll kind of survey her territory and look for those attachment points,

0:17:54 > 0:17:58to put that first layer of scaffolding down, almost.

0:17:58 > 0:18:00Come on, little orb spider.

0:18:07 > 0:18:12We waited all night, but, sadly, the carefully positioned frame

0:18:12 > 0:18:15didn't take our orb weaver's fancy.

0:18:15 > 0:18:18But, the plants by the window did.

0:18:20 > 0:18:23And it was here she built her home.

0:18:26 > 0:18:31By first releasing a lone strand of silk,

0:18:31 > 0:18:34which catches on a nearby leaf.

0:18:35 > 0:18:38This is the moment a new web begins.

0:18:40 > 0:18:43From this main line, the spider drops downwards,

0:18:43 > 0:18:46to form a Y-shaped core structure.

0:18:51 > 0:18:56Next, she attaches stiff threads, like the spokes of a bicycle wheel,

0:18:56 > 0:19:00over which she weaves a loose, temporary spiral.

0:19:03 > 0:19:07Finally, the most crucial part.

0:19:08 > 0:19:11Using this first spiral as a guide,

0:19:11 > 0:19:14she weaves a tighter spiral of sticky silk.

0:19:16 > 0:19:19In just under an hour, in mid-air,

0:19:19 > 0:19:23this tiny spider constructs a natural marvel.

0:19:26 > 0:19:29A perfect orb web.

0:19:31 > 0:19:35But no matter what they look like, these remarkable structures

0:19:35 > 0:19:39are usually built for one thing, and that's catching dinner.

0:19:40 > 0:19:41To see this in action,

0:19:41 > 0:19:45Tim's introducing me to the largest spiders here in the dining room.

0:19:48 > 0:19:50Tim, are these actually alive?

0:19:50 > 0:19:52They are. They look like big, plastic spiders, don't they?

0:19:52 > 0:19:56- But, no, these are tropical orb weaving spiders.- They're huge!- Yeah.

0:19:56 > 0:19:58There a kind of giant version of the kind of things that we get

0:19:58 > 0:20:00in our own back gardens.

0:20:00 > 0:20:02So, she's sitting right in the middle of the web,

0:20:02 > 0:20:04and each one of those legs is attached to a different

0:20:04 > 0:20:08strand of the web, so what I'd like to do is to see this web in action.

0:20:08 > 0:20:12- OK, let's see what happens then. - You'll have to hope my aim's good.

0:20:14 > 0:20:17- Oh!- Oh, and there we are. - Straightaway. Straight in.

0:20:26 > 0:20:27She knew exactly where.

0:20:27 > 0:20:30And, remember, the eye sight's not all that good on these spiders,

0:20:30 > 0:20:32so she was using the vibration in the web to really

0:20:32 > 0:20:34pinpoint where the fly was.

0:20:34 > 0:20:38The split second that fly hit the web, she was ready to pounce on it.

0:20:41 > 0:20:46'Most species of web weaving spider are virtually blind.'

0:20:49 > 0:20:53'Even when prey is nearby, they often won't sense it...

0:20:56 > 0:20:59'..until it moves.'

0:21:04 > 0:21:08Spider silk is particularly good at transmitting even tiny vibrations.

0:21:11 > 0:21:14Sensitive hairs on the spider's legs

0:21:14 > 0:21:17detect the silk's slightest movement.

0:21:23 > 0:21:28Using each of her eight legs like an ear, she pinpoints exactly

0:21:28 > 0:21:31which part of the web the movement's coming from...

0:21:33 > 0:21:36..and strikes!

0:21:38 > 0:21:42The web is a finely tuned listening device.

0:21:45 > 0:21:50A physical extension of the spider's sensory world.

0:21:55 > 0:21:59But detecting prey is just the first stage of spider supper.

0:22:02 > 0:22:06Next, they have to battle insects that are nearly as big as them.

0:22:09 > 0:22:11Over the course of several weeks,

0:22:11 > 0:22:15our cameras captured many of these life and death struggles.

0:22:18 > 0:22:21So, you've had cameras in every room, filming?

0:22:21 > 0:22:23We've seen some incredible behaviour

0:22:23 > 0:22:26and these are the things that are going on in your houses

0:22:26 > 0:22:29and in gardens all the way round the country.

0:22:30 > 0:22:35'The house spider uses strength and speed to immobilise its prey.'

0:22:40 > 0:22:43It simply charges out and bites its victim.

0:22:50 > 0:22:53But orb weavers use a different technique.

0:22:58 > 0:23:01It's called "attack wrapping."

0:23:09 > 0:23:11This spider hasn't bitten the fly yet.

0:23:11 > 0:23:13- It hasn't injected its venom. - Oh, really?

0:23:13 > 0:23:15So that first stage is just using that multi-stranded silk.

0:23:15 > 0:23:17There you go. Look at that.

0:23:17 > 0:23:19You can see how it's not just one line of silk.

0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's like a sheet of silk that's coming straight out from abdomen.

0:23:22 > 0:23:25Oh, he's wrapping the fly up like a mummy.

0:23:29 > 0:23:32Because, of course, it could be anything in the web.

0:23:32 > 0:23:34It could be something nasty, like a wasp,

0:23:34 > 0:23:37with a really nasty sting on the back, so it needs to immobilise it

0:23:37 > 0:23:40before it feels safe enough to get close to inject that venom.

0:23:40 > 0:23:42It's quite extraordinary.

0:23:42 > 0:23:45That sheet of silk that comes out is almost like clingfilm, isn't it?

0:23:45 > 0:23:48- Wrapping its food up in clingfilm? - Exactly, yeah.

0:23:50 > 0:23:54'With the prey immobilised, finally it's dinner time.

0:23:56 > 0:23:59'And, if you're eating dinner yourself, a word of warning.

0:23:59 > 0:24:03'Spiders have truly terrible table manners.'

0:24:04 > 0:24:08- Oh, is it actually eating the fly now?- Mmm.

0:24:08 > 0:24:11So, this is the external digestion of the prey.

0:24:11 > 0:24:13So, the spider's stomach,

0:24:13 > 0:24:16and its gut and its oesophagus are adapted to accept liquids only.

0:24:16 > 0:24:20In fact, there are filters inside to filter out any solid food, so all

0:24:20 > 0:24:23of that food needs to be liquefied, before it goes into the body.

0:24:23 > 0:24:25Wow! That's amazing!

0:24:32 > 0:24:36First, the orb weaver uses special teeth on her jaws

0:24:36 > 0:24:39to pull the fly apart.

0:24:42 > 0:24:46Then she releases her own digestive juices all over it.

0:24:49 > 0:24:54These enzymes break down and liquefy the insides of the fly, allowing

0:24:54 > 0:24:58the spider to simply drink her meal by sucking through her mouth.

0:25:01 > 0:25:05Every year, spiders around the world eat the equivalent weight of

0:25:05 > 0:25:10the human population of Britain in flies and other insects.

0:25:11 > 0:25:14By ridding our houses of disease-carrying pests,

0:25:14 > 0:25:20spiders do us a huge favour, whether we like them or not.

0:25:24 > 0:25:29But a spider's dinner isn't just handed to her on a plate.

0:25:29 > 0:25:32A web might look like a passive trap,

0:25:32 > 0:25:34just waiting for flies to slam into it.

0:25:36 > 0:25:41But it actually plays a much more active role, harnessing the power

0:25:41 > 0:25:45of static electricity to reach out for prey.

0:25:51 > 0:25:57The man who made this remarkable discovery, Professor Fritz Vollrath,

0:25:57 > 0:25:59is going to show us how this works.

0:26:03 > 0:26:06Now, we've got this interesting contraption here,

0:26:06 > 0:26:08and we're expecting that if I attach myself to this,

0:26:08 > 0:26:10get charged up with static electricity,

0:26:10 > 0:26:13and then approach this spider web, we might see something interesting?

0:26:13 > 0:26:16- Something very interesting, hopefully.- Something interesting.

0:26:16 > 0:26:17Something dangerous, maybe!

0:26:17 > 0:26:20It's a dangerous piece of kit, by the looks of it.

0:26:20 > 0:26:21- So, I'm going to stand on here. - Right.

0:26:21 > 0:26:25I'll insulate myself from the ground, so I'll get charged up with static.

0:26:25 > 0:26:27Yeah, and I'm ready to rush off(!)

0:26:27 > 0:26:31Yeah, you might get zapped at that distance. Right, let's try it.

0:26:32 > 0:26:35This Van De Graaff generator produces large amounts of

0:26:35 > 0:26:37static electricity.

0:26:37 > 0:26:38- Yeah.- Yeah, it's coming up.

0:26:38 > 0:26:41- We're just seeing very slight movements in the web.- Yeah.

0:26:41 > 0:26:45Anything in contact with the metal sphere becomes charged.

0:26:45 > 0:26:48Tim included.

0:26:49 > 0:26:50- Very cool.- Incredible.

0:26:50 > 0:26:52That really is cool now.

0:26:54 > 0:26:58And you can see the web's pulling out to catch me.

0:26:58 > 0:27:00It really is incredible.

0:27:02 > 0:27:05- So, if I was a fly, I'd be tangled up in that web by now?- Yep.

0:27:05 > 0:27:10The way it works, of course, is that an insect flying through the air,

0:27:10 > 0:27:13because of all the friction, basically, charges the insect up.

0:27:13 > 0:27:15It's a bit like when you're walking across a carpet

0:27:15 > 0:27:18and you charge yourself up, and you touch a door handle,

0:27:18 > 0:27:21- and you get an electric shock. - Yeah, yeah.

0:27:21 > 0:27:24All flying insects generate static electricity

0:27:24 > 0:27:26as their wings beat the air.

0:27:26 > 0:27:30This gives them a small electric charge.

0:27:30 > 0:27:34The sticky strands of spider silk are charged, too, which makes

0:27:34 > 0:27:37them attracted to the insect.

0:27:38 > 0:27:44So, by the time the insect is close enough to say, "Oops, here's a web!"

0:27:44 > 0:27:46the web licks out at it and captures it.

0:27:46 > 0:27:50So, when a fly, for example, approaches this web, well, it's not

0:27:50 > 0:27:53just the fly getting caught in the web, it's the web catching the fly?

0:27:53 > 0:27:55- Yes.- So, the web reaches out and grabs hold of it?

0:27:55 > 0:27:57Reaches out and then sticking to it,

0:27:57 > 0:27:59because it comes out and then it transfers the charge.

0:27:59 > 0:28:01Now, in a real life situation,

0:28:01 > 0:28:04this would be a fly that's flying through the air, getting charged up.

0:28:04 > 0:28:08So, we've got a dead fly here, and we're going to charge it up,

0:28:08 > 0:28:11through the machine, via me, and see how that affects the system.

0:28:17 > 0:28:19And there it goes!

0:28:19 > 0:28:21Jumps straight in!

0:28:21 > 0:28:24So, this is a really surprising system.

0:28:24 > 0:28:26How on earth did you discover this?

0:28:26 > 0:28:29It was partly deduction, and partly luck, actually.

0:28:29 > 0:28:32Just, let's do it. You know, like, sometimes you have an idea,

0:28:32 > 0:28:36and then you go and you actually try it out, and it really works.

0:28:36 > 0:28:39- It's amazing.- So, it was a surprise when it worked?- Oh, yeah, totally.

0:28:39 > 0:28:43- What an amazing system. - Yeah. It's really cool.

0:28:43 > 0:28:47- Physics, together with biology, makes things happen.- Yeah.

0:28:50 > 0:28:55Spider webs are truly remarkable structures, and that's largely

0:28:55 > 0:28:59because they're made from one of the most extraordinary materials

0:28:59 > 0:29:00in the natural world.

0:29:00 > 0:29:02Spider silk.

0:29:02 > 0:29:05But what is this gossamer-like substance

0:29:05 > 0:29:08and where does it come from?

0:29:08 > 0:29:12To find out, we need to look inside a spider's body.

0:29:12 > 0:29:16As an anatomist, I've dissected many things, but never anything

0:29:16 > 0:29:21quite this small, so we've brought in a specialist, Dr David Knight.

0:29:24 > 0:29:26So, David, I know much more about vertebrate anatomy than

0:29:26 > 0:29:29I know about, actually, any invertebrate anatomy.

0:29:29 > 0:29:32And I especially don't know much about spider anatomy,

0:29:32 > 0:29:34because I tend to keep at a safe distance from them.

0:29:34 > 0:29:36- So, can we get inside this thing? - Yes.

0:29:36 > 0:29:42So, we need to see if we can gently open up the skin.

0:29:44 > 0:29:49'First, David has to remove the tough skin that covers the abdomen.'

0:29:50 > 0:29:52Right, if we open up here...

0:29:54 > 0:29:56let's see what we've got.

0:29:56 > 0:29:59So, what is this speckly stuff here?

0:29:59 > 0:30:02That's branches of the gut,

0:30:02 > 0:30:05or it's connected to the gut.

0:30:05 > 0:30:07This is a completely different anatomy.

0:30:07 > 0:30:10It's a completely different way of doing it.

0:30:10 > 0:30:13'What we're looking for lies deeper inside.'

0:30:14 > 0:30:16Right.

0:30:16 > 0:30:18So, if we open up here.

0:30:22 > 0:30:23Let's see what we have there.

0:30:23 > 0:30:26Carefully peel back the gut diverticula.

0:30:29 > 0:30:31Yeah, we're getting close.

0:30:31 > 0:30:35- Right, there's a couple of silk glands.- Those are?- Yep.

0:30:35 > 0:30:37These things here? Like two little pink sausages?

0:30:37 > 0:30:40Two pink sausages are the silk glands.

0:30:42 > 0:30:46So, they're almost enveloped by all of these branches of the gut?

0:30:46 > 0:30:50They are, indeed. It makes quite a lot of silk, the house spider.

0:30:52 > 0:30:55'These structures may not look remarkable, but they produce

0:30:55 > 0:30:59'and store a true wonder material.

0:30:59 > 0:31:03'But at this stage, silk is nothing like the tough fibres that

0:31:03 > 0:31:05'make up a spider's web.'

0:31:05 > 0:31:09I presume when it secretes the silk to begin with, is it a fluid?

0:31:09 > 0:31:10It's a fluid, yes.

0:31:10 > 0:31:15So, how does a fluid become a strand of silk, a fibre of silk,

0:31:15 > 0:31:16as it leaves the spider's body?

0:31:16 > 0:31:20Well, it's stretched by the spider walking away,

0:31:20 > 0:31:25or dropping from the ceiling, and that stretching pulls all

0:31:25 > 0:31:29the molecules into line and squeezes them together.

0:31:29 > 0:31:32They then lock solid, into a solid thread. It's amazing.

0:31:32 > 0:31:34Just amazing.

0:31:35 > 0:31:40'A spider has several types of silk gland within its abdomen,

0:31:40 > 0:31:43'each producing a different kind of silk.

0:31:43 > 0:31:48'These vary from strong and tough drag line silk,

0:31:48 > 0:31:50'used as a safety line,

0:31:50 > 0:31:54'to fluffy egg case silk used to protect its eggs.'

0:31:55 > 0:31:58There's even a silk glue

0:31:58 > 0:32:01that anchors threads to their surroundings.

0:32:01 > 0:32:05This is a remarkably versatile material, highly elastic,

0:32:05 > 0:32:09tougher than Kevlar, and five times as strong as steel,

0:32:09 > 0:32:13which makes it potentially useful for humans, too.

0:32:15 > 0:32:21Unravelling the secrets of spider silk is what drives biologist

0:32:21 > 0:32:24and material scientist, Chris Holland.

0:32:26 > 0:32:30He uses this strange contraption to harvest silk.

0:32:30 > 0:32:33This is an incredible set-up. What's going on?

0:32:33 > 0:32:35In order to get some silk out of the spider, we have to very,

0:32:35 > 0:32:38very carefully pull it from its spinnerets.

0:32:38 > 0:32:40Although it looks unnatural,

0:32:40 > 0:32:44this entire process is completely harmless for the spider.

0:32:44 > 0:32:47You can see the really fine line of silk just

0:32:47 > 0:32:49coming from the end of the spider.

0:32:49 > 0:32:50Absolutely beautiful.

0:32:50 > 0:32:54It's a very delicate material when handling it,

0:32:54 > 0:33:00but it just goes to show that, for its size, it's incredibly strong.

0:33:00 > 0:33:04And what I'm just doing now is, I'm just going to attach a little

0:33:04 > 0:33:09bit on to this motor to do the job of pulling it away for me...

0:33:09 > 0:33:12- And there it goes. - ..and there we go.

0:33:15 > 0:33:18It's a real factory at the end of the spider there, isn't it?

0:33:18 > 0:33:21It's the world's most remarkable polymer extrusion factory.

0:33:21 > 0:33:23Definitely.

0:33:28 > 0:33:29With this set-up,

0:33:29 > 0:33:32it's possible to obtain about 30 metres of silk an hour.

0:33:34 > 0:33:39It's not practical on a commercial scale, but if scientists like Chris

0:33:39 > 0:33:43can fully understand how spiders spin silk, then perhaps they'll

0:33:43 > 0:33:48be able to produce artificial silk that's as good as the real thing.

0:33:48 > 0:33:51Something that's proved elusive for decades.

0:33:51 > 0:33:54It's amazing, the potential that it's got into the future,

0:33:54 > 0:33:57looking at all the different things you could do with this,

0:33:57 > 0:33:58nature's wonder material.

0:33:58 > 0:34:01Absolutely. Potential uses of spider silk can range from medicine,

0:34:01 > 0:34:04some people have tried to grow nerves along a spider silk,

0:34:04 > 0:34:07but they've also tried to produce it for different types of more

0:34:07 > 0:34:09structural applications.

0:34:09 > 0:34:12One day we may actually be running around with different types of,

0:34:12 > 0:34:15sort of, artificial parts of our body inspired by spider silk

0:34:15 > 0:34:17and how it's formed.

0:34:21 > 0:34:24There's plenty to admire in the humble spider.

0:34:28 > 0:34:31So why are so many of us afraid of them?

0:34:34 > 0:34:37To find out, I've invited psychologist, Jon May,

0:34:37 > 0:34:39over to watch a movie.

0:34:43 > 0:34:47- VOICEOVER:- In a small Wisconsin town, something was about to happen

0:34:47 > 0:34:50that would send shock waves around the world.

0:34:53 > 0:34:56I'm supposed to be spending the night in the Spider House

0:34:56 > 0:35:00later in the week, and I certainly don't want to end up like this.

0:35:02 > 0:35:05SHE SCREAMS

0:35:12 > 0:35:16So, these sorts of horror films really are playing on a fear

0:35:16 > 0:35:19of spiders, but how prevalent is arachnophobia?

0:35:19 > 0:35:22How prevalent is this fear of eight-legged creatures?

0:35:22 > 0:35:26Well, it's very common in western culture.

0:35:26 > 0:35:32Around 25% of people are afraid of spiders, to the point that,

0:35:32 > 0:35:35they will avoid them, they'll ask somebody else to deal with them.

0:35:35 > 0:35:40I mean, I'm aware that I'm nervous around spiders, and I try to cover

0:35:40 > 0:35:44that up in front of my children, cos I don't want to imbue them

0:35:44 > 0:35:48with that irrational fear, so I do try to be more interested

0:35:48 > 0:35:52than scared of spiders, but I'm sure my four-year-old daughter can

0:35:52 > 0:35:57pick up on the fact that I do have that kind of frisson of fear.

0:35:59 > 0:36:01I think it is learnt.

0:36:01 > 0:36:05It's something that it's very easy to acquire, which suggests

0:36:05 > 0:36:10there is something about a spider that makes it easy to dislike.

0:36:10 > 0:36:15And I think it's down to the fact that they have long,

0:36:15 > 0:36:18or tend to have long, angular legs,

0:36:18 > 0:36:23and we know that people tend to prefer curvy shapes, in general,

0:36:23 > 0:36:25to angular shapes.

0:36:25 > 0:36:30And, also, we don't like dark colours, compared to bright colours,

0:36:30 > 0:36:34and spiders are generally camouflaged with dark colours.

0:36:34 > 0:36:37So, they tick all the boxes of being disliked.

0:36:37 > 0:36:39And that's why I'm really nervous about sleeping

0:36:39 > 0:36:40overnight in this house.

0:36:40 > 0:36:43You're going to sleep here with the spiders?

0:36:43 > 0:36:46- We'll see. We'll see.- Good luck!

0:36:50 > 0:36:55According to Jon, my fear of spiders is a learned behaviour.

0:36:57 > 0:37:01So the question is can it be unlearned?

0:37:05 > 0:37:09Every year, London Zoo runs a special programme

0:37:09 > 0:37:11that claims to do just that.

0:37:13 > 0:37:16On a scale of one to ten, where one is mild and ten is extreme,

0:37:16 > 0:37:19where would you put your fear of spiders?

0:37:19 > 0:37:21Probably eight, I'd have to say.

0:37:22 > 0:37:26This afternoon is a particularly important one for Dan.

0:37:26 > 0:37:31Later this year, he's going on the trip of a lifetime to Montserrat,

0:37:31 > 0:37:34as videographer for a zoological expedition.

0:37:34 > 0:37:37But the thought of staying in a tent full of spiders

0:37:37 > 0:37:39is giving him sleepless nights.

0:37:40 > 0:37:43For me, spiders are wrong on a lot of different levels.

0:37:43 > 0:37:47If someone were to ask me to draw the embodiment of evil,

0:37:47 > 0:37:51and I'd never seen a spider before, I still genuinely think

0:37:51 > 0:37:55I would draw, like, a big, black dot with eight legs.

0:37:56 > 0:37:59Arachnophobia has a devastating impact

0:37:59 > 0:38:01on some of these people's lives,

0:38:01 > 0:38:05so what is it about spiders that triggers these fears?

0:38:06 > 0:38:11Everything about their shape and the way they look freaks me out, really.

0:38:11 > 0:38:14They just look menacing. They look cross with you.

0:38:14 > 0:38:16I don't know. It's the running.

0:38:16 > 0:38:18It's the way they move. Mmm.

0:38:18 > 0:38:21It's because they always surprise you out of nowhere.

0:38:21 > 0:38:24That's what gets me in a panic, every time.

0:38:24 > 0:38:26I'm John Clifford. I'm the hypnotherapist on the course.

0:38:26 > 0:38:30People really do not understand how a phobia works,

0:38:30 > 0:38:31how powerful it can be.

0:38:31 > 0:38:36The course has a remarkable 80% success rate, using a mixture

0:38:36 > 0:38:40of cognitive therapy, hypnotherapy,

0:38:40 > 0:38:43and, finally, exposure therapy.

0:38:44 > 0:38:46- Don't make it move. - I don't know if I can make him move.

0:38:46 > 0:38:51I'm still holding on. I'm not going to let go.

0:38:51 > 0:38:53Totally touched it! Sorry!

0:38:53 > 0:38:55- That's amazing! I want to do it again!- There you go.

0:38:55 > 0:38:58- Go on, spider. Run away from me. Oh, my gosh!- There you go.

0:38:58 > 0:39:00- That was so awesome!- Nice one.

0:39:02 > 0:39:05This is the bit that I've not been looking forward to really.

0:39:13 > 0:39:15There you go. Hmm.

0:39:16 > 0:39:18HE EXHALES DEEPLY

0:39:18 > 0:39:19Well done, man. Yeah.

0:39:19 > 0:39:22Did you want to try having him run across your fingers?

0:39:22 > 0:39:25- I don't see why not.- Yeah?- Yeah.

0:39:25 > 0:39:27OK.

0:39:30 > 0:39:32This is the sort of house spider I would see.

0:39:32 > 0:39:35It's exactly the sort of one that you'd see in your house.

0:39:35 > 0:39:37Ooh! Ooh!

0:39:39 > 0:39:41Really well done, man.

0:39:41 > 0:39:44- I felt that, just inside.- Yeah.

0:39:44 > 0:39:47You're lucky I didn't fling it at you.

0:39:47 > 0:39:49Could have caused a stampede.

0:39:51 > 0:39:54And if you thought that the British house spiders were maybe

0:39:54 > 0:39:56a bit small to see what was going on...

0:39:56 > 0:39:59As a final challenge, the participants are invited to

0:39:59 > 0:40:05have their picture taken with a Mexican tarantula named Agatha.

0:40:08 > 0:40:13Many here began the day terrified of even sharing a room with a spider...

0:40:15 > 0:40:17OK. That's all right. You OK?

0:40:17 > 0:40:21..so this is a huge achievement.

0:40:25 > 0:40:28Did you think you'd be able to do this?

0:40:28 > 0:40:29No. It's amazing.

0:40:32 > 0:40:36- Finally, it's Dan's turn to hold Agatha.- OK?

0:40:36 > 0:40:39So, I'm just going to bring her across into the palm of your hand.

0:40:39 > 0:40:40Ah!

0:40:43 > 0:40:46- There she is. You've got Agatha. - Oh!- How's that?

0:40:46 > 0:40:49- Yeah. - Isn't she cool?- She's amazing!

0:40:51 > 0:40:55The success of this course shows that we don't have to be afraid

0:40:55 > 0:40:58of spiders if we don't want to be.

0:40:58 > 0:41:02Almost everyone here today is now able to cope with spiders,

0:41:02 > 0:41:04including Dan.

0:41:04 > 0:41:07I feel if I see one now, with the understanding that I've got,

0:41:07 > 0:41:11I'm not going to be as freaked out as I was before, which is good,

0:41:11 > 0:41:14because that was a major stress for me.

0:41:18 > 0:41:21So far in the Spider House, we've been looking at spiders

0:41:21 > 0:41:24who sit and wait for their prey to come to them.

0:41:25 > 0:41:29But today, we're going to meet a true hunter.

0:41:36 > 0:41:41The zebra jumping spider normally lives on a sunny back wall,

0:41:41 > 0:41:46but will come in a window if he sees potential prey inside.

0:41:54 > 0:41:57Don't be fooled by his small size.

0:41:59 > 0:42:03This natural born killer has keen eyesight,

0:42:03 > 0:42:08and the ability to jump up to 25 times his own body length

0:42:08 > 0:42:10to catch his prey.

0:42:15 > 0:42:17- Hello, Graham.- Hi, Alice.

0:42:18 > 0:42:22'We're trying to capture this incredible behaviour on camera.'

0:42:23 > 0:42:25That's one of the English zebras.

0:42:25 > 0:42:27- It's tiny.- Yeah, it is tiny.

0:42:27 > 0:42:30I'm pretty sure I recognise this fellow.

0:42:30 > 0:42:33Yeah, must be a quite common visitor in the summer.

0:42:33 > 0:42:38I think with some spiders, you're not sure that they're aware of you,

0:42:38 > 0:42:40but he seems incredibly aware of his surroundings...

0:42:40 > 0:42:42- Oh, no, no, no, no. - ..visually.- Oh, yeah, yeah.

0:42:42 > 0:42:45When you see them in the wild, they'll see you approach

0:42:45 > 0:42:49and tuck out of sight, and just watch you, watch what you're doing.

0:42:49 > 0:42:51It's a real visual hunter,

0:42:51 > 0:42:54and he's got two special forward-facing eyes for that.

0:42:54 > 0:42:57- And how far can it see? - Oh, a good distance.

0:42:57 > 0:43:00It will certainly recognise if somebody walked through the door.

0:43:00 > 0:43:03- Really?- Oh, yeah. That good. - Gosh! Yeah.

0:43:04 > 0:43:09'Jumping spiders are renowned for stalking their prey like a cat.

0:43:11 > 0:43:15'But it's hard to see what's going on with such a tiny spider,

0:43:15 > 0:43:18'so we've drafted in a larger one.'

0:43:20 > 0:43:23- OK, you've seen the little one that lives in England?- Ooh!

0:43:23 > 0:43:26- Yeah. This is a big relative... - He's a bit bigger.- Oh, it's a beaut.

0:43:26 > 0:43:29It's a very, very similar, North American cousin.

0:43:29 > 0:43:31He's lovely.

0:43:31 > 0:43:35- Ooh, has he got green fangs? - Yeah, superb colours.

0:43:39 > 0:43:42So, we'll tease it with a green bottle or a blue bottle?

0:43:42 > 0:43:44Green bottle.

0:43:44 > 0:43:46And we'll just...

0:43:48 > 0:43:49..see what he'll do.

0:43:49 > 0:43:51Now, he noticed it. See the way he sat back?

0:43:51 > 0:43:53He was actually pressuring his legs up.

0:44:00 > 0:44:02I'll just pop a few more in,

0:44:02 > 0:44:06so we've got some more choices of food for him.

0:44:06 > 0:44:08Ooh, ooh!

0:44:08 > 0:44:09Huh! He's...

0:44:09 > 0:44:12- Ah, he's not sure. - Is he? What's he going to do?

0:44:12 > 0:44:15- He's actually working out what it is.- Is he?- Yeah.

0:44:15 > 0:44:18- He's just gone in there, so it's a bit alien.- Yeah.

0:44:18 > 0:44:21- They assess whether it's threat or food.- Mmm.

0:44:21 > 0:44:25He really kind of bunched up, didn't he as the fly went past?

0:44:25 > 0:44:28I can appreciate that he was very alert.

0:44:28 > 0:44:31- He's actually just seen you. - Ooh, has he?- Yeah.

0:44:31 > 0:44:34- He's looking right at me. - He's looking right at you.

0:44:34 > 0:44:37- Wow! I can see his two little beady black eyes.- Mmm.

0:44:39 > 0:44:41Now, I'm not your dinner!

0:44:49 > 0:44:53Lovely, working out what it is, working out size.

0:45:13 > 0:45:16- Oh!- See how fast that is?

0:45:16 > 0:45:19- Oh, my goodness! - Isn't that superb?

0:45:19 > 0:45:22Oh, gosh, that was quick!

0:45:22 > 0:45:24And it was interesting, cos he was poised and ready.

0:45:24 > 0:45:27- Yeah.- And then suddenly sprung into action.

0:45:29 > 0:45:32The jumping spider has made this catch look easy,

0:45:32 > 0:45:36but to finish the job, he must now kill the fly.

0:45:36 > 0:45:39He does this by injecting venom.

0:45:40 > 0:45:43A lethal cocktail that can kill in seconds.

0:45:46 > 0:45:50Most spiders kill their prey with venom.

0:45:51 > 0:45:54To look at how this deadly substance works,

0:45:54 > 0:45:56we need to extract some...

0:45:58 > 0:46:00..without getting bitten.

0:46:04 > 0:46:08This is a highly specialised job, best left to the experts.

0:46:10 > 0:46:15Steve Trim works with some of the most dangerous spiders on the planet

0:46:15 > 0:46:18in order to supply venom for medical research.

0:46:21 > 0:46:24What we're preparing here is our electrodes.

0:46:24 > 0:46:27The electrodes will touch either side of the chelicerae

0:46:27 > 0:46:31on the spider, which is where the venom glands are held.

0:46:32 > 0:46:36To obtain a sample, Steve must first gently sedate the spider.

0:46:39 > 0:46:41And the fangs are nicely relaxed.

0:46:43 > 0:46:47Next, he stimulates the venom glands with a tiny electric current,

0:46:47 > 0:46:51similar to the charge from a household battery.

0:46:51 > 0:46:53So, I'm delivering a first, tiny pulse.

0:46:59 > 0:47:02And there we see a small droplet of venom.

0:47:03 > 0:47:06The venom from this tarantula is powerful enough

0:47:06 > 0:47:10to kill a large mammal, but how does it do this?

0:47:16 > 0:47:21To find out, Tim is carrying out an experiment in the Spider House lab.

0:47:25 > 0:47:29We've had a donation of a drop of blood on a microscope slide

0:47:29 > 0:47:31from Graham, our spider expert,

0:47:31 > 0:47:34and we've mixed it with a drop of tarantula venom.

0:47:34 > 0:47:37There's a whole range of different spider venoms,

0:47:37 > 0:47:39all across the different families of spiders.

0:47:39 > 0:47:43Some of them are a mixture or a cocktail of potent neurotoxins

0:47:43 > 0:47:45that affect the nervous system, but this one is a cytotoxin,

0:47:45 > 0:47:47so this is something that affects the cells,

0:47:47 > 0:47:50and, particularly, the blood cells.

0:47:50 > 0:47:53So, if something was to be attacked by this spider, well,

0:47:53 > 0:47:56the venom would instantly start to work on the blood cells,

0:47:56 > 0:47:59the oxygen carriers of the body.

0:47:59 > 0:48:02Just seconds after the tarantula venom is mixed with the blood,

0:48:02 > 0:48:05the cells begin to change.

0:48:05 > 0:48:09And so you can see here, we've got perfectly normal red blood cells.

0:48:09 > 0:48:13This really characteristic round, smooth, doughnut shape.

0:48:13 > 0:48:17And then if I just pan across towards the venom,

0:48:17 > 0:48:20we start to see these strange looking globules.

0:48:20 > 0:48:24You can see just in the space of about a minute or two, well,

0:48:24 > 0:48:27the venom has really, really attacked these blood cells

0:48:27 > 0:48:29and degraded them completely.

0:48:29 > 0:48:31They've gone from this very smooth doughnut shapes

0:48:31 > 0:48:35to just kind of round, fuzzy balls, so there's no way that these blood

0:48:35 > 0:48:39cells could fulfil their function of carrying oxygen around the body.

0:48:39 > 0:48:42Spiders eat prey often many times larger than themselves,

0:48:42 > 0:48:46so spiders risk being injured as soon as they attack but, also,

0:48:46 > 0:48:49they have prey that can escape very quickly, so it's massively important

0:48:49 > 0:48:53for a spider to really knock out the prey as soon as possible.

0:48:57 > 0:49:02Spider venom is both powerful and fast acting but, thankfully,

0:49:02 > 0:49:05it isn't something we should be worried about here in the UK.

0:49:07 > 0:49:11British spiders aren't particularly venomous,

0:49:11 > 0:49:15and most of our native species can't even penetrate human skin.

0:49:18 > 0:49:22Even the much-feared false widow has a bite that should feel

0:49:22 > 0:49:25no worse than a bee sting.

0:49:33 > 0:49:37Up to now, we've been looking at spider species that naturally

0:49:37 > 0:49:39find their way into our homes.

0:49:48 > 0:49:51But there is one exotic favourite that some people choose

0:49:51 > 0:49:53to bring home as a pet.

0:49:56 > 0:49:58The tarantula.

0:50:01 > 0:50:05Hello, Graham. Well, thank you for assembling some tarantulas for me.

0:50:05 > 0:50:07I am learning to love spiders,

0:50:07 > 0:50:10but I'm still a bit nervous about ones of this size, I must admit.

0:50:10 > 0:50:13Yeah, they're quite a big beast, but quite gentle.

0:50:13 > 0:50:15Think of it as an eight-legged hamster.

0:50:15 > 0:50:18- With fangs.- Yeah, with fangs.

0:50:18 > 0:50:21Tarantulas are really widespread throughout the world,

0:50:21 > 0:50:24so why don't we get them in Britain?

0:50:24 > 0:50:26Really, our weather doesn't suit them.

0:50:26 > 0:50:30Our winters kind of pulse a little, so we have long, damp spells,

0:50:30 > 0:50:33where they couldn't be active.

0:50:33 > 0:50:36They would be sitting in burrows, where mice will get them.

0:50:36 > 0:50:38Mould or fungus would get them.

0:50:38 > 0:50:40And you can see that some of them,

0:50:40 > 0:50:43they really show off their colours in sunlight.

0:50:44 > 0:50:47Oh, she is actually quite pretty. I have to admit it.

0:50:47 > 0:50:50Yeah, she's a very pretty spider.

0:50:50 > 0:50:54- So, she's got orange hairs on her opisthosoma, her abdomen.- Yeah.

0:50:54 > 0:51:00She's got stripy knees and she's got silver hairs on her front legs.

0:51:00 > 0:51:04They may have their charms, but I wouldn't want such a big,

0:51:04 > 0:51:08hairy, venomous creature in my house.

0:51:08 > 0:51:10But there are thousands in Britain who do.

0:51:15 > 0:51:19Tim went to the British Tarantula Show to find out just what it is

0:51:19 > 0:51:22that makes tarantulas such popular pets.

0:51:28 > 0:51:30So, what have you got in your box? What have you brought?

0:51:30 > 0:51:33I've got a few spiderlings

0:51:33 > 0:51:36and then this is sort of what my main purchase was today.

0:51:36 > 0:51:39- Yeah? And what is this one? - It's a heteroscodra maculata.

0:51:39 > 0:51:43I just think it's one of the most beautiful species you could get.

0:51:45 > 0:51:47ALL: Tarantula!

0:51:52 > 0:51:55- You've just bought this one? - Yeah.- How many have you got?

0:51:55 > 0:52:00We've got Ruby, Scarlet, Rosy, Bandit, Velvet and Pizza.

0:52:00 > 0:52:02But why's it called Pizza?

0:52:02 > 0:52:05Well, the common name for the species is Chile red flame

0:52:05 > 0:52:08and my mum thought that sounded like a pizza.

0:52:11 > 0:52:14- You look a bit nervous to me. - Very nervous.

0:52:14 > 0:52:16- Why is that?- Petrified! - Terrified of spiders.

0:52:16 > 0:52:19You're scared of spiders but you've ended up at a spider convention.

0:52:19 > 0:52:22- This must be the worst place... - Well, I just think it's to...

0:52:22 > 0:52:26- To try and help us.- Uh-huh. And has it done the job?- No!

0:52:28 > 0:52:31But the serious arachnophiles are really here for one thing,

0:52:31 > 0:52:35and one thing only - the tarantula competition...

0:52:35 > 0:52:40Really nice fringing on the femurs. Lovely black, velvety, dark legs.

0:52:40 > 0:52:42It's a first class specimen.

0:52:42 > 0:52:45..sometimes nicknamed the Crufts of the spider world.

0:52:45 > 0:52:47Peter, you're judging the spider competition.

0:52:47 > 0:52:50It's not like with dogs where there's a gold standard golden retriever?

0:52:50 > 0:52:52When you look at the spider, what's the first thing?

0:52:52 > 0:52:55First thing we do is a leg count. We make sure they've got eight legs.

0:52:55 > 0:52:58- Sometimes they've got legs missing? - Absolutely.

0:52:58 > 0:53:01But the good thing about spiders is they'll grow them back.

0:53:01 > 0:53:04What we're really looking for is something that displays

0:53:04 > 0:53:08the known colours of that particular species as vividly as possible.

0:53:08 > 0:53:12And one of the most important things is that the abdomen

0:53:12 > 0:53:14is in proportion to the size of the spider.

0:53:14 > 0:53:17We don't want to see a spider that's too overfed.

0:53:17 > 0:53:19Well, I think we'd better let you get back to your judging.

0:53:19 > 0:53:22- You've got your work cut out, haven't you?- OK. Thank you very much.

0:53:22 > 0:53:25I'm lucky enough to meet some of the top competitors.

0:53:25 > 0:53:29- Now, are these special spiders? - Yes, it's a special spider.

0:53:29 > 0:53:32It's a rare spider but it's a small spider,

0:53:32 > 0:53:35so I don't know if I will be the winner or not.

0:53:35 > 0:53:37Because they are small but they are very beautiful.

0:53:37 > 0:53:41- And have you won a prize yet? - I have a prize regularly.

0:53:41 > 0:53:44- Really?- Normally, yes. I hope this year, too!

0:53:44 > 0:53:47These ones come from trees. They live in trees.

0:53:47 > 0:53:50This one's a highland species, so it's one that you don't often see.

0:53:50 > 0:53:53I'm not very good at pronouncing this one.

0:53:53 > 0:53:55It's cyriopagopus schioedtei.

0:53:55 > 0:53:58- That's easy for you to say! - It's not, actually!

0:53:58 > 0:54:00THEY CLAP

0:54:02 > 0:54:04Best Brachypelma Species.

0:54:04 > 0:54:06THEY CLAP

0:54:09 > 0:54:13- Jean Michel Verdez! - THEY CHEER

0:54:16 > 0:54:21OK, Best in Show Monocentropus Balfouri, Mike Dawkins!

0:54:21 > 0:54:23CHEER AND APPLAUD

0:54:28 > 0:54:30Best New World Arboreal...

0:54:31 > 0:54:33Peter Lacey!

0:54:33 > 0:54:37HE SHOUTS

0:54:38 > 0:54:43- It's a different Peter Lacey!- Sh!

0:54:43 > 0:54:45- So, Mike, congratulations! You won the Best In Show.- Thank you.

0:54:45 > 0:54:48- How does it feel? - Brilliant! Didn't expect all that.

0:54:48 > 0:54:51And what will you do to celebrate? Have you got a plan?

0:54:51 > 0:54:53- Pub. Pub.- To go to the pub, eh? - Yeah.

0:54:53 > 0:54:56- Are you going to take the spider with you?- Nah! Just in case.

0:54:56 > 0:55:00- Does she have a name? - Oh, her name's Lola.- Lola?

0:55:00 > 0:55:02- Fantastic! Well, it's lovely to meet you...- Thank you.

0:55:02 > 0:55:05And it's lovely to meet a champion of the eight-legged variety.

0:55:16 > 0:55:18I've put it off as long as I can

0:55:18 > 0:55:22but the moment I've been dreading has finally arrived.

0:55:23 > 0:55:28Tonight, I'm going to spend the night in the Spider House.

0:55:28 > 0:55:32By morning, I'll know whether I've truly conquered my fears.

0:55:32 > 0:55:36What worries me most is whether I'll have spiders running over me

0:55:36 > 0:55:38in the middle of the night.

0:55:39 > 0:55:42I'm hoping Graham can put my mind at rest.

0:55:42 > 0:55:45Now, Graham, there is one thing I really wanted to ask you,

0:55:45 > 0:55:49which is about this idea that spiders crawl across our faces

0:55:49 > 0:55:52and that we eat a certain number of spiders in our sleep every year.

0:55:52 > 0:55:54Is there anything to it?

0:55:54 > 0:55:56We hear it a lot, but the way spiders react,

0:55:56 > 0:55:59as soon as they touch someone, they're aware of you.

0:55:59 > 0:56:01Just breathing on them, they run away.

0:56:01 > 0:56:04And touching your skin, they know that you're a person or big animal.

0:56:04 > 0:56:07So, no, they're not going to walk across your face.

0:56:07 > 0:56:10- So it's a myth?- Yeah. - Well, that gives me some reassurance

0:56:10 > 0:56:13- about sleeping here in the Spider House tonight.- Oh, glad about that.

0:56:15 > 0:56:19Once Graham and the crew head home for the night,

0:56:19 > 0:56:21I'll be alone with the spiders.

0:56:21 > 0:56:25All I have with me is an infrared camera.

0:56:31 > 0:56:34My room. I must just have a quick check for spiders.

0:56:36 > 0:56:39It's relatively spider-free.

0:56:41 > 0:56:43There's a rather lovely moth just there.

0:56:45 > 0:56:47Can't see any spiders over there.

0:56:47 > 0:56:49Right, then. Time for bed.

0:56:51 > 0:56:53SHE GASPS

0:56:54 > 0:56:57OK. I'm just about to go to bed,

0:56:57 > 0:57:01but I've discovered an unwelcome guest in the room.

0:57:02 > 0:57:06See? That spider is not going to be spending the night

0:57:06 > 0:57:09with me in the room.

0:57:09 > 0:57:13I know Graham said they don't climb into your mouth.

0:57:13 > 0:57:15I don't want you running over me at all.

0:57:15 > 0:57:18I might just leave it there.

0:57:18 > 0:57:20Sorry, spider.

0:57:20 > 0:57:23OK. I've spotted somebody else who's definitely not going to be

0:57:23 > 0:57:26spending the night with me tonight.

0:57:27 > 0:57:29Is that or is that not the biggest?

0:57:29 > 0:57:32Hey, spider! He's not staying in here overnight.

0:57:39 > 0:57:42Yeah. Two friends from my bedroom.

0:57:42 > 0:57:45I'm sorry, guys. You're spending the night in there.

0:57:51 > 0:57:55I'm really tired now. I don't think I can put it off any more.

0:57:55 > 0:57:57I'm going to have to try and go to sleep.

0:57:57 > 0:57:59It's about one o'clock in the morning

0:57:59 > 0:58:04and the crew will be arriving back in the house at some ungodly hour,

0:58:04 > 0:58:09so I'd better just put thoughts of spiders out of my mind

0:58:09 > 0:58:12and go to sleep, I suppose.

0:58:16 > 0:58:19So, good night.

0:58:19 > 0:58:22Good night spiders, wherever you are.

0:58:22 > 0:58:24Good night, BBC FOUR.

0:58:37 > 0:58:42Well, that is early morning sunshine flooding in through the window.

0:58:42 > 0:58:45I have slept in the Spider House,

0:58:45 > 0:58:49and I had a really good night's sleep.

0:58:49 > 0:58:53I didn't feel any spiders running over my face in the night.

0:58:53 > 0:58:58While I've been sleeping, my housemates have been hard at work.

0:58:58 > 0:59:02- Graham? Hello!- Hi! Good morning! - Good morning!

0:59:02 > 0:59:05This frame was empty when I went to bed.

0:59:05 > 0:59:07She's made an absolutely beautiful web.

0:59:07 > 0:59:11- Oh, yeah! Look at that!- Can you see her? Oh, she's tucked in up here.

0:59:11 > 0:59:13- Yeah, up on the wood.- Yeah. Yeah.

0:59:13 > 0:59:17So, while I was asleep, she built that rather wonderful web.

0:59:18 > 0:59:21You mean, you didn't watch?

0:59:21 > 0:59:24I didn't. I didn't see her doing it, no.

0:59:24 > 0:59:26That's really wonderful.

0:59:27 > 0:59:31I must be feeling more at home with spiders after such a good

0:59:31 > 0:59:37night's sleep, but what I'm going to see next is the stuff of nightmares.

0:59:40 > 0:59:43We're about to experience the dark side of the spider.

0:59:48 > 0:59:51Conflict, cannibalism and cold-blooded killing.

0:59:51 > 0:59:54Spiders aren't exactly a sociable lot.

0:59:58 > 1:00:01One step onto another's web, and it's a fight to the death.

1:00:04 > 1:00:08Most will kill and eat members of their own species,

1:00:08 > 1:00:10as well as any other spider they come across.

1:00:13 > 1:00:16It really is a spider-eat-spider world.

1:00:22 > 1:00:26The best place to see this is down in the cellar,

1:00:26 > 1:00:29where we're studying a spider that, at first glance,

1:00:29 > 1:00:32looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly.

1:00:40 > 1:00:43Now, this is probably one room in the house

1:00:43 > 1:00:45where I did expect there to be spiders.

1:00:45 > 1:00:48Yeah. In fact, it's full of cellar spiders, quite predictably.

1:00:48 > 1:00:50So, what are cellar spiders?

1:00:50 > 1:00:53Well, the cellar spider is another name for the daddy-longlegs spider,

1:00:53 > 1:00:56and it's a perfect habitat for them down here.

1:01:03 > 1:01:05These are the ones that live in my cupboard under the stairs.

1:01:05 > 1:01:07That's right, yeah.

1:01:07 > 1:01:10And I'm quite happy for them to stay there and just get on with it.

1:01:10 > 1:01:12They're a really impressive species, actually,

1:01:12 > 1:01:15and they've made a huge tangle of web around it.

1:01:18 > 1:01:20What's interesting about these is that they live communally,

1:01:20 > 1:01:23and it's one of the only spiders that we find in the UK

1:01:23 > 1:01:25that will actually tolerate each other.

1:01:28 > 1:01:32The daddy-longlegs spider is one of the most recognisable spiders

1:01:32 > 1:01:34you'll find in your home.

1:01:36 > 1:01:39They originated in the tropics and prefer a warmer climate

1:01:39 > 1:01:44so here in the UK, they're almost exclusively found in houses

1:01:44 > 1:01:47and outbuildings that protect them from our cold winters.

1:01:51 > 1:01:53Those distinctive slender legs

1:01:53 > 1:01:55are the daddy-longlegs spider's secret weapon.

1:02:16 > 1:02:19It uses them to ensnare its prey with silk,

1:02:19 > 1:02:22whilst keeping its body at a safe distance.

1:02:44 > 1:02:46Only once its quarry is safely cocooned

1:02:46 > 1:02:48does it go in for the killer bite.

1:02:53 > 1:02:58Those long, wobbly legs can perform a defensive trick, too.

1:02:58 > 1:03:01There's another really interesting thing about these spiders

1:03:01 > 1:03:03is they've got an interesting defence mechanism.

1:03:03 > 1:03:06So, if we go in with our specialised prodding stick

1:03:06 > 1:03:08and just give it a tap in the web...

1:03:09 > 1:03:11..and then it's gyrating round and round in circles.

1:03:11 > 1:03:13He's doing that deliberately?

1:03:13 > 1:03:15It's not just that he's sort of lost his balance

1:03:15 > 1:03:17- and is trying to regain balance again?- Yeah.

1:03:17 > 1:03:19It's really characteristic of this species

1:03:19 > 1:03:22and it's a behaviour known as whirling.

1:03:30 > 1:03:34Usually it lasts about 30 seconds, but then in some situations,

1:03:34 > 1:03:37they've been known to do it for as long as two hours,

1:03:37 > 1:03:39constantly gyrating round and round in circles.

1:03:52 > 1:03:54Why are they doing that?

1:03:54 > 1:03:57I mean, how can that be useful as a defence mechanism?

1:03:57 > 1:04:01Yeah, well, what we think is these are attacked by visual predators,

1:04:01 > 1:04:03predators like jumping spiders, which have really,

1:04:03 > 1:04:05really good vision, and might crawl up to the web

1:04:05 > 1:04:09and actually pinpoint the spider and attack it directly.

1:04:09 > 1:04:11So, by spinning round and round like this,

1:04:11 > 1:04:14they disappear in a bit of a blur of spider body and legs,

1:04:14 > 1:04:17so it makes them very difficult to pinpoint.

1:04:17 > 1:04:20But it's a mistake to think that a daddy-longlegs spider

1:04:20 > 1:04:22will do anything to avoid a fight,

1:04:22 > 1:04:24as some spiders discover to their peril.

1:04:29 > 1:04:32This large house spider has wandered down

1:04:32 > 1:04:35into the daddy-longlegs spider's domain.

1:04:41 > 1:04:44It looks like more than a match for the spindly daddy-longlegs.

1:05:00 > 1:05:03But this is the ninja of the spider world.

1:05:22 > 1:05:26Those long legs have spun a silken trap

1:05:26 > 1:05:28around the house spider's rear leg.

1:05:31 > 1:05:35Once the web is strengthened, the house spider will be done for.

1:06:02 > 1:06:06But, before the daddy-longlegs spider can finish the job...

1:06:17 > 1:06:19..the house spider breaks away...

1:06:20 > 1:06:23..and, this time, lives to fight another day.

1:06:27 > 1:06:29It's a lucky escape.

1:06:31 > 1:06:34The cellar is littered with the corpses of other

1:06:34 > 1:06:36less fortunate house spiders.

1:06:38 > 1:06:40One of the special tricks of this spider is to move

1:06:40 > 1:06:43into the webs of other spiders, like house spiders,

1:06:43 > 1:06:45- and actually eat them in their own webs.- Oh, really?

1:06:45 > 1:06:47They're really voracious predators.

1:06:47 > 1:06:49They look very, very delicate,

1:06:49 > 1:06:52but they're actually really good at catching other spiders, as well.

1:06:52 > 1:06:56The spiders in your house live in a brutal world

1:06:56 > 1:06:59where it's kill or be killed.

1:07:01 > 1:07:06This poses serious problems when spiders want to mate.

1:07:09 > 1:07:12How does the male spider convince the female

1:07:12 > 1:07:15he's not just another meal?

1:07:18 > 1:07:22And where else would we study this than in the bedroom?

1:07:25 > 1:07:28We filled this room with female spiders.

1:07:30 > 1:07:34Once they're established, we'll introduce the males.

1:07:34 > 1:07:38We're hoping to record the dangerous business of spider courtship,

1:07:38 > 1:07:43and reveal the truly bizarre world of spider sex.

1:07:44 > 1:07:47Our guide is Professor Karim Vahed,

1:07:47 > 1:07:53an expert in spider sexual selection and sexual conflict.

1:07:58 > 1:08:01Karim, we've got some spiders here that should be ready to mate.

1:08:01 > 1:08:04So, this is a false widow spider.

1:08:07 > 1:08:09The male and the female, they just, physically,

1:08:09 > 1:08:12just look really different to each other, don't they?

1:08:12 > 1:08:13You often find that in spiders.

1:08:13 > 1:08:15For females, there's advantages of being big.

1:08:15 > 1:08:18The bigger they are, usually the more eggs they lay.

1:08:18 > 1:08:21For the male, there may actually be selective advantages of being small.

1:08:21 > 1:08:25For one thing, males run a very real risk of being eaten during sex

1:08:25 > 1:08:30in spiders, either before or immediately after mating.

1:08:30 > 1:08:33And it may be that if you're smaller you're less noticeable

1:08:33 > 1:08:36and perhaps less likely to get eaten.

1:08:36 > 1:08:38It's a dangerous world for this guy.

1:08:38 > 1:08:41Let's keep our fingers crossed for him, I suppose. Good luck!

1:08:48 > 1:08:50Ah! Well, he seems to have located her straightaway.

1:08:50 > 1:08:52Now... Oh!

1:08:52 > 1:08:54So, that's aggression, is it? From the female?

1:08:54 > 1:08:56She's looking pretty aggressive at the moment.

1:08:56 > 1:08:59Now, I don't think he's showed enough courtship.

1:08:59 > 1:09:01I think he went straight in there,

1:09:01 > 1:09:04without being gentlemanly enough to give her a bit of courting first.

1:09:04 > 1:09:06- He was very gung-ho.- Absolutely!

1:09:06 > 1:09:09Now, he's going to have to do a better job of courtship than that,

1:09:09 > 1:09:12cos she's not impressed at the moment.

1:09:13 > 1:09:16Now, it may be, you see, that she's already mated,

1:09:16 > 1:09:18and she may be more interested in him as a meal,

1:09:18 > 1:09:20rather than as a suitor.

1:09:20 > 1:09:23I mean, when you're a member of such a predatory species,

1:09:23 > 1:09:25that's a danger that the male spider faces.

1:09:25 > 1:09:28Maybe we should save him from the jaws of the female.

1:09:31 > 1:09:34For spiders, courtship isn't just polite,

1:09:34 > 1:09:36it's a matter of life and death.

1:09:36 > 1:09:40Males have evolved a variety of tactics to convince

1:09:40 > 1:09:45potential partners of their honourable intentions.

1:09:45 > 1:09:49In many spiders, the male has all sorts of vibratory signals he sends

1:09:49 > 1:09:54the female, and other courtship signals, like rocking his body.

1:09:54 > 1:09:58The male is basically saying to the female, "I'm the right species.

1:09:58 > 1:10:01"I'm a male, and I'm not food. Don't eat me."

1:10:06 > 1:10:10Our cameras captured some of these strange rituals,

1:10:10 > 1:10:14with a courting orb weaving spider and a house spider.

1:10:21 > 1:10:24The male often begins by delicately plucking the female's web

1:10:24 > 1:10:27with its feet.

1:10:32 > 1:10:35Or sometimes bobbing its abdomen.

1:10:39 > 1:10:43If the female doesn't attack, the male moves closer.

1:10:47 > 1:10:51But even making all the right moves doesn't guarantee success.

1:11:00 > 1:11:04In some species, courtship is even more elaborate.

1:11:04 > 1:11:08For spiders with good eyesight, it's all about

1:11:08 > 1:11:10getting the female's attention.

1:11:12 > 1:11:16In Australia, there's a species with one of the most bizarre

1:11:16 > 1:11:21attention-seeking rituals in the natural world.

1:11:21 > 1:11:24The peacock jumping spider.

1:11:40 > 1:11:44But sometimes even this extravagant display isn't enough.

1:11:56 > 1:12:00Back in the bedroom, Karim suggests trying a more friendly female.

1:12:00 > 1:12:02So, we have a stand-in female.

1:12:02 > 1:12:05Now, this one hasn't been mated so she should be really receptive,

1:12:05 > 1:12:08as opposed to that last one, that was quite aggressive.

1:12:08 > 1:12:10Hopefully. And it's possible that the male may even

1:12:10 > 1:12:12be able to smell that difference.

1:12:12 > 1:12:14The silk has all sorts of pheromonal cues in it

1:12:14 > 1:12:17that the males can sense through sense organs on their feet.

1:12:17 > 1:12:21The males, apparently, can sense if a female is a virgin or not.

1:12:21 > 1:12:23Great. Let's drop her in.

1:12:25 > 1:12:27Be good if you took some of the web with her,

1:12:27 > 1:12:29cos that'll have her smell on it.

1:12:31 > 1:12:33Right. Let her get settled for a few seconds.

1:12:33 > 1:12:36So, this is the web of our non-mated female,

1:12:36 > 1:12:38so if we can incorporate that then maybe the whole web

1:12:38 > 1:12:42- will smell of an unmated female? - Mmm. Let's see what the male does.

1:12:42 > 1:12:45Right. Let's give him a chance for mating, take two.

1:12:52 > 1:12:54Ah! Now, he's on the move.

1:12:54 > 1:12:57So, he's sensed where he is.

1:12:57 > 1:13:00He's sensed that there's a female nearby. Here he goes.

1:13:01 > 1:13:03Oh, he's gently tapping her.

1:13:03 > 1:13:07You do quite often find gentle tapping of the female

1:13:07 > 1:13:10occurs when they get close.

1:13:10 > 1:13:12And, compared to that last female, she just went straight for him,

1:13:12 > 1:13:15but this one's just sitting there, very calmly.

1:13:18 > 1:13:20There's a little bob of the abdomen.

1:13:20 > 1:13:25This time, the courtship seems to be going well.

1:13:25 > 1:13:27But when it comes to actually mating,

1:13:27 > 1:13:30things start to get very weird indeed.

1:13:32 > 1:13:34Now, they do things in a very,

1:13:34 > 1:13:38- very different way to the way that we mate, for example.- Yeah.

1:13:38 > 1:13:41Really, we have to completely rethink our concept of sex

1:13:41 > 1:13:43when it comes to spiders.

1:13:43 > 1:13:45For one thing, the male doesn't really have a penis,

1:13:45 > 1:13:47as we understand it.

1:13:47 > 1:13:50Bizarrely, they actually use their front pair of appendages,

1:13:50 > 1:13:54like a little pair of front legs, if you like, called the pedipalps.

1:13:54 > 1:13:56Now, in males, these are much larger,

1:13:56 > 1:13:59and they have these syringe-like, enlarged ends.

1:13:59 > 1:14:01And what the male does is he uses these

1:14:01 > 1:14:04to transfer the sperm to the female.

1:14:04 > 1:14:06But, first of all, he has to charge them up with sperm.

1:14:06 > 1:14:08So, what he actually does

1:14:08 > 1:14:11is he has to deposit his sperm on a little sperm web,

1:14:11 > 1:14:15and then he uses the syringe-like pedipalps to suck up the sperm.

1:14:15 > 1:14:18The male will then go underneath the female,

1:14:18 > 1:14:21and insert either one or both of his pedipalps into the female's

1:14:21 > 1:14:24reproductive openings, which are just underneath her abdomen.

1:14:27 > 1:14:29We had to be patient.

1:14:31 > 1:14:34But, eventually, we managed to capture

1:14:34 > 1:14:37this remarkable behaviour on camera.

1:15:35 > 1:15:39The female false widow can store the male sperm and use it

1:15:39 > 1:15:42to fertilise her eggs for up to two years.

1:15:43 > 1:15:47But the male will now leave her web, and it's unlikely

1:15:47 > 1:15:49he will ever meet his offspring.

1:15:56 > 1:16:01The weird world of spider sex is all about one thing -

1:16:01 > 1:16:03making more spiders.

1:16:07 > 1:16:11In the final room of the house, the nursery, I'm going to meet

1:16:11 > 1:16:13the next generation.

1:16:22 > 1:16:26Their journey begins with the female spider weaving a cocoon

1:16:26 > 1:16:29of protective silk.

1:16:30 > 1:16:33Inside this, she lays her eggs.

1:16:33 > 1:16:37In the case of this false widow spider, up to 100 of them.

1:16:37 > 1:16:40The silk protects them from predators, and helps to

1:16:40 > 1:16:43control temperature and humidity.

1:16:43 > 1:16:48All spiders start their lives inside these silk cocoons, but not

1:16:48 > 1:16:50all egg cases look alike.

1:16:50 > 1:16:53The false widow's look like little bundles of cotton wool.

1:16:56 > 1:17:00The house spiders are similar, but often decorated in items

1:17:00 > 1:17:02the mother has eaten.

1:17:05 > 1:17:09While the daddy long-legs spiders carry their egg cases with them,

1:17:09 > 1:17:10in their jaws.

1:17:14 > 1:17:17We've been watching the egg cases in the nursery closely,

1:17:17 > 1:17:22and one's just about ready, so I'm going to be on hand to help some of

1:17:22 > 1:17:26our spiderlings take their first tentative steps into the world.

1:17:26 > 1:17:28Hello, Graham!

1:17:28 > 1:17:30- Hi, Alice. - Ah! Oh, I'm so excited about this.

1:17:30 > 1:17:34I've never seen spiders actually hatching out before.

1:17:34 > 1:17:36It's a great thing to see.

1:17:36 > 1:17:39In fact, better than that, why don't you do it?

1:17:39 > 1:17:41Oh, I'd love to.

1:17:41 > 1:17:42I'll be a spider midwife.

1:17:42 > 1:17:45- Yeah.- So, they're definitely ready to come out?

1:17:45 > 1:17:49They're ready to come out, and you're just going to tease them open a little there, OK?

1:17:49 > 1:17:51So it's all ready to hatch...

1:17:51 > 1:17:52Nice and gentle.

1:17:54 > 1:17:55That's it.

1:17:59 > 1:18:02There was somebody just there. Just coming out.

1:18:02 > 1:18:04- Yeah.- Ooh!

1:18:05 > 1:18:07It's quite tough, actually.

1:18:07 > 1:18:09It's tougher than I expected it to be.

1:18:09 > 1:18:10Well, it's got to protect them.

1:18:12 > 1:18:14Come on, little spiders.

1:18:14 > 1:18:16Time to wake up and come out into the world.

1:18:19 > 1:18:22- That's it.- Ooh, there's one just walking out, look.

1:18:22 > 1:18:26That's it. They'll all start wandering now.

1:18:26 > 1:18:28Just teasing...

1:18:28 > 1:18:31the edge of the egg case, there, and I'm doing it

1:18:31 > 1:18:35really carefully, cos I don't want to hurt anyone inside.

1:18:37 > 1:18:40- Yeah, and tearing it open. - That's perfect.

1:18:40 > 1:18:42So, there they are.

1:18:46 > 1:18:48Oh, that's amazing.

1:18:48 > 1:18:50Yeah, yeah. Starting the journey.

1:18:53 > 1:18:55They'll feed in a day or so.

1:18:55 > 1:18:57And what do they eat to begin with, because, presumably,

1:18:57 > 1:19:00they're too small to catch anything at this point?

1:19:00 > 1:19:03Yeah, they're not going to catch big prey, so it's all got to be

1:19:03 > 1:19:06micro prey, but they'll also take food that's airborne,

1:19:06 > 1:19:09so...even dust particles, bits of pollen coming in, that kind of...

1:19:09 > 1:19:11Right.

1:19:11 > 1:19:13So, they'll start spinning immediately?

1:19:13 > 1:19:16Oh, yeah. Yeah. They'll make little miniature sheet webs.

1:19:16 > 1:19:19They're perfect little adults. Miniature adults.

1:19:19 > 1:19:22It's an incredible thing to see, these little baby spiders

1:19:22 > 1:19:24emerging into the world.

1:19:24 > 1:19:26I feel quite maternal towards them, Graham.

1:19:26 > 1:19:27So you should.

1:19:30 > 1:19:33A few days later, some of the other egg cases in the nursery

1:19:33 > 1:19:36also being to hatch.

1:19:36 > 1:19:40And our cameras were on hand to capture this amazing sight.

1:19:42 > 1:19:46The false widow's egg case is nearly translucent, the spiderlings

1:19:46 > 1:19:48clearly visible within.

1:19:55 > 1:19:59They'll stay close to the mother's web for several days, before dispersing.

1:20:02 > 1:20:07The female daddy-longlegs keeps her offspring even closer.

1:20:08 > 1:20:11She continues to carry her egg case in her jaws,

1:20:11 > 1:20:14even after the spiderlings emerge.

1:20:21 > 1:20:25As these tiny spiders grow into adults, they must go through

1:20:25 > 1:20:28an extraordinary physical process...

1:20:30 > 1:20:34..that begins while they're still inside the egg case.

1:20:39 > 1:20:42So, very gently pop it down.

1:20:42 > 1:20:47Dr Sara Goodacre is going to show Tim this remarkable transformation,

1:20:47 > 1:20:52in the largest spiderlings of all, the tarantulas.

1:20:52 > 1:20:54Wow! Look at that!

1:20:54 > 1:20:57It's just, it's so busy in there, look! So full!

1:20:57 > 1:20:59Look at that. It's just amazing.

1:20:59 > 1:21:01Mmm, it's a really privileged view, isn't it?

1:21:01 > 1:21:04- Not many people get to see this. - No, absolutely not.

1:21:04 > 1:21:09It's amazing to see the different development stages that

1:21:09 > 1:21:10they've gone through.

1:21:10 > 1:21:13And all of these very, very delicate, light, shed skins.

1:21:13 > 1:21:15They're the, kind of, evidence, I suppose,

1:21:15 > 1:21:18of these various stages as it becomes less like an egg,

1:21:18 > 1:21:21and more like one of the giant spiders that we've seen.

1:21:21 > 1:21:26Unlike humans and other vertebrates, spiders don't have a skeleton

1:21:26 > 1:21:28inside their bodies.

1:21:28 > 1:21:31They have what's called an exoskeleton.

1:21:31 > 1:21:35The outside of their body is covered in a tough, rigid shell.

1:21:37 > 1:21:41To grow bigger, spiders first need to moult their outer skin.

1:21:43 > 1:21:46Most spiderlings will do this several times

1:21:46 > 1:21:48before leaving the egg case.

1:21:48 > 1:21:52So, you can see here, that a small spiderling is

1:21:52 > 1:21:54actually in the process of moulting.

1:21:54 > 1:21:56So, this is the really delicate stage?

1:21:56 > 1:21:59This is actually moulting as we speak, shedding its skin,

1:21:59 > 1:22:03gently pulling its legs out of its exoskeleton,

1:22:03 > 1:22:06a bit like a foot being pulled out of a really tight boot.

1:22:07 > 1:22:13Spiderlings can moult up to 12 times before they are fully-grown adults.

1:22:18 > 1:22:22It's an exhausting and dangerous process.

1:22:22 > 1:22:26Spiders sometimes finish a moult with fewer legs

1:22:26 > 1:22:28than when they started.

1:22:38 > 1:22:43Having shed its old exoskeleton, the spider increases the pressure

1:22:43 > 1:22:48inside its body, inflating and stretching its soft, new skin.

1:22:48 > 1:22:53This quickly hardens off to form a new exoskeleton, bigger than

1:22:53 > 1:22:54the one before.

1:23:02 > 1:23:06It is just amazing they have to go through this whole moulting process,

1:23:06 > 1:23:09every individual, every single time, to get bigger,

1:23:09 > 1:23:11and that's the only way they can grow.

1:23:11 > 1:23:13Mmm, yeah. I suppose inside, before each moult,

1:23:13 > 1:23:16there's a, kind of, bigger spider just waiting to get out, ready to squeeze

1:23:16 > 1:23:20itself out of that skin and expand and become a bigger individual.

1:23:20 > 1:23:22You can see just how complicated it all is to get everything

1:23:22 > 1:23:25happening in the right order, with all those legs.

1:23:25 > 1:23:27And... but you can imagine how vulnerable the spider

1:23:27 > 1:23:30- is at this point. - It looks so soft and delicate.

1:23:32 > 1:23:35Life is hard for a little spiderling.

1:23:37 > 1:23:39Very few will survive to adulthood.

1:23:42 > 1:23:45Yet, despite their small size, they can travel

1:23:45 > 1:23:47a surprisingly long way...

1:23:49 > 1:23:52..by performing an acrobatic stunt called ballooning.

1:23:54 > 1:23:57And so, Sara, we've got a new generation of spiders in this pot,

1:23:57 > 1:24:00- and they've got a really special trick, haven't they?- Well, they have.

1:24:00 > 1:24:03Well, really, the main reason why I've studied spiders,

1:24:03 > 1:24:05and I've done that for more than ten years now,

1:24:05 > 1:24:10is because spiders have a particular ability that is, I think,

1:24:10 > 1:24:11completely amazing,

1:24:11 > 1:24:14and that is that they can use silk as a sail, and fly.

1:24:14 > 1:24:17And lots of them are all streaming down.

1:24:17 > 1:24:20You can see, they're streaming out. Here, there's a couple here.

1:24:20 > 1:24:22And I've got one here on the top of this stick, that keeps

1:24:22 > 1:24:25tipping its abdomen into the air, and that's known as tiptoeing.

1:24:25 > 1:24:27So, they go up on tiptoe to, kind of, get that little uplift,

1:24:27 > 1:24:31- and then shoot out a line of silk. - I can see exactly the behaviour you're talking about,

1:24:31 > 1:24:33where it's sticking the end of its abdomen in the air.

1:24:33 > 1:24:35- That's sending out a stream of silk...- Yes.

1:24:35 > 1:24:37..waiting to take off?

1:24:37 > 1:24:39And from that position, they really are judging it,

1:24:39 > 1:24:41and now seems to be not too windy,

1:24:41 > 1:24:46but just the right level of gentle gusting and updrafts.

1:24:46 > 1:24:48And, if they decide they want to balloon,

1:24:48 > 1:24:51they have to actively let the silk out, and then

1:24:51 > 1:24:56they have to let go, and let the silk carry them up, up and away.

1:24:56 > 1:24:58Here goes one. There he goes!

1:25:02 > 1:25:03Oh, yeah!

1:25:03 > 1:25:07Well, there's one just going off right into the air. They really are going for it.

1:25:07 > 1:25:10This one is still attached to the pot that's in my hand,

1:25:10 > 1:25:13but it's starting to... just as the breeze picks up,

1:25:13 > 1:25:15..it's starting to, kind of, swing out into the breeze.

1:25:15 > 1:25:19Actually, you've got one just ballooning past your nose, there, look. There you go!

1:25:19 > 1:25:22I thought I could feel something. Yeah.

1:25:22 > 1:25:25One of them was about to go into my armpit, which, you know,

1:25:25 > 1:25:28may not be exactly where I want to have a spider.

1:25:30 > 1:25:33And, I suppose, where they actually land is,

1:25:33 > 1:25:35kind of, down to the luck of the draw and where the wind takes them?

1:25:35 > 1:25:38Absolutely. These are the risk takers.

1:25:38 > 1:25:40These are the risk-taking species that get everywhere.

1:25:40 > 1:25:42And how high can they actually fly?

1:25:42 > 1:25:44So, they're going up to the height of the jet stream,

1:25:44 > 1:25:47so it's hundreds of metres up, potentially.

1:25:47 > 1:25:50By next week, it could be somewhere else in Continental Europe.

1:25:50 > 1:25:54And, by the week after, could be much further afield than that, even.

1:25:54 > 1:25:58And, in fact, when new islands pop out of the ocean, when volcanoes erupt,

1:25:58 > 1:26:02often one of the first things that arrives are the spiders.

1:26:02 > 1:26:06Spiderlings from all the species of spider you'd find in the Spider House

1:26:06 > 1:26:11have this ability to balloon, and, yes, they may very well choose

1:26:11 > 1:26:16to fly and end up in someone else's back garden, in a farmer's field,

1:26:16 > 1:26:19or, indeed, in someone's home, and that's actually a really good thing.

1:26:19 > 1:26:23We should welcome them in, because they do nothing but good, eating the pests we don't want.

1:26:23 > 1:26:26And, also, they're endlessly fascinating creatures to watch

1:26:26 > 1:26:27and learn about and understand.

1:26:32 > 1:26:36It's not just the spiderlings who are leaving the house.

1:26:36 > 1:26:41Our time here is also coming to an end, and that means

1:26:41 > 1:26:43saying goodbye to all our spiders.

1:26:45 > 1:26:49We brought them here from nearby sheds, outhouses and woodland,

1:26:49 > 1:26:53so now we're returning them to their former homes.

1:26:58 > 1:27:01By seeing how they lived in the Spider House, I've discovered

1:27:01 > 1:27:05a hidden drama that's going on in all our homes.

1:27:10 > 1:27:15And while I'll never love spiders as much as Tim, I now have

1:27:15 > 1:27:21a whole new appreciation of these much-maligned creatures.

1:27:21 > 1:27:24They may sometimes give us a fright...

1:27:24 > 1:27:25Ah!

1:27:25 > 1:27:29..but they also kill flies and other pests in bathrooms, bedrooms

1:27:29 > 1:27:32and kitchens all around the country...

1:27:32 > 1:27:37making our homes cleaner and healthier places to live.

1:27:43 > 1:27:46I think that many of us, when we go inside our houses

1:27:46 > 1:27:52and shut the door, like to think that we're shutting out nature.

1:27:52 > 1:27:56But we can't do that, and, actually, neither should we want to.

1:27:56 > 1:27:59Now, none of us wants to be overrun with spiders,

1:27:59 > 1:28:02but accepting that there are always going to be a few of them

1:28:02 > 1:28:06living in our homes, is about accepting that we are part

1:28:06 > 1:28:12of the natural world, and that it's in our houses, as well as outside.

1:28:12 > 1:28:16So, I think, we should be happy that, to some extent,

1:28:16 > 1:28:19every house is a Spider House.