Orange spider with black and white striped legs. Strong web. - Araneus diadematus

Araneus Diadematus

We think we have one of these spiders in our shed. We love in Glasgow in Scotland. Is this a possibility and please is it harmless .
Thanks Fiona

… nonijoyce, 27 August, 2014 - 1:43pm

is it common for this spider

is it common for this spider to suddenly appear in numbers? i do not get along with spiders, lol and i work out of my garage so i keep my eyes open. earlier in the week, not a one, thursday, one by partners desk, one upstairs in bathroom, friday one more in my bed room, sunday morning, 3 on the front porch(2 of them so close that it looks like they are sharing one web), 3 more in garage area, and one more in window in kitchen. 10 of them total. we have a tense relationship spiders and i, i dont kill them if they dont go out of thier way to torment me. its an agreement we both seemed to work well with , but it would seem that they have decided to start our little war again, lol.they are harmless right? im not going to have thousands of them all over by weeks end right?

… falcmik767, 30 August, 2009 - 1:13pm

I agree with Lynette, they ar

I agree with Lynette, they are harmless. One reason they seem to appear suddenly and all at once is adults mature from mid to late summer, and in doing so become fairly large spiders. You might not have noticed them as much before because they were smaller, but they were already there. As adults they'll be around for a month or two, depending on where you live and when colder temperatures start to arrive, and then lay their eggs and die. The females stay mostly to their webs or retreats off to one side, and don't wander around very much. The males wander around, but they are also harmless. You might see them hanging around the webs of the females, often to one side. Enjoy them while they last!

… John Sloan, 30 August, 2009 - 2:36pm

Harmless

Yes they are harmless... and I have quite a few in my yard as well. It is not normal to find these in the house, they won't be happy there. Any you find inside you should catch and release back outside. You will not have them by the thousands... but dozens maybe.

… Lynette Elliott, 30 August, 2009 - 1:44pm

I saw one of these outside of

I saw one of these outside of my back door in Minnesota. I really don't like spiders. Especially big ones with fangs. o.o

… x, 9 August, 2009 - 11:08pm

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Lynette Elliott, 23 July, 2009 - 11:23pm

Cross spider.

This is an orb weaver called the "cross spider," Araneus diadematus, very common in Portland, totally harmless.

… Eric R. Eaton, 6 July, 2009 - 12:25pm

Thanks

Thank you Eric. I recently moved to Portland from San Francisco and am having fun discovering all the new bugs. Glad to hear this is harmless. My garage is my painting studio so I'm glad my studio mates will keep their fangs to themselves. They are very beautiful. I enjoyed looking at your blog.

… angrypirate, 6 July, 2009 - 2:19pm

Try this:

Throw a grasshopper or cricket into the web. The way they handle their prey and wrap it up is something to watch.

… John Sloan, 6 July, 2009 - 3:14pm