Barn Spider, Charlotte's Web Spider (Araneus cavaticus)

Order: Araneae (ah-RAY-nee-ee) (Info) Family: Araneidae (ar-ray-NEE-ih-dee) (Info) Genus: Araneus Species: cavaticus (ka-VAT-ih-kus) (Info) Profile: 1 positive No neutrals No negatives Regional... This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions: Sullivan, Maine Appleton, Wisconsin Member Notes: Rating Author Comment Positive claypa On Oct 19, 2006, claypa from West Pottsgrove, PA (Zone 6b) wrote: When I lived in Maine there were dozens of these on my house. I didn't mind them, because I thought they might eat the mosquitos. I'm not sure if they did or not. In the book Charlotte's Web, the spider introduces herself as,"Charlotte A. Cavaticus". The book is based on the Blue Hill Fair in Hancock County, Maine, held every Labor Day weekend. The author, E.B.White, had a home in Blue Hill. Some of these spiders are quite large, the abdomen about the size of a marble. They kept webs in the same places for years, and I'm pretty sure some lived at least a year or more.