Jerusalem Forest Trees Engulfed by Spider Webs

Most people know of Jerusalem as a place engulfed in a giant web of history, religion, and philosophy, to name a few things. However, one thing we don’t usually associate with the famous Jerusalem is giant forest-engulfing spider webs. Along the banks of the Soreq creek lying just outside the city there is a forest with much of its trees completely covered by huge spider webs, making it look like one giant haunted Halloween house. So, what is building these massive webs and slowly engulfing the entire forest with them?

The massive webs are spun by long-jawed spiders, or Tetragnatha, and envelop entire sections of trees and vegetation in the forest along the banks of the Soreq creek. Of course, this area actually consists mostly of treated sewage, so these webs are more of a decorative improvement than an eyesore. It is this waste that actually enables these spiders to build such massive webs.

The waste provides the perfect abundance of nutrition for the mosquitos that breed along the banks of the creek. This means more food for these spiders, as mosquitos are their preferred cuisine. More mosquitos for the spiders to eat equals more spiders to spin their webs. So, when the mosquito population boomed along the creek, so did the spider population. This massive population boost in spiders has resulted in these giant, incredible cobwebs covering much of the forest outside this Israeli city. The scale of webs in this area is on a level that is rarely seen anywhere else in the Middle East.

It is actually quite an exceptional case that could only have happened under the perfect circumstances. This forest of cobwebs may soon disappear. The drop in temperature that comes with winter will also cause a drop in the mosquito population, meaning their will no longer be enough food to sustain these millions of spiders. So, if you want to see this incredible sight, you might want to hurry up and go there before it’s gone. Of course, it could all come back once the weather warms again, but who knows?

What is the largest cobweb you have ever seen and where did you see it? Are you brave enough to dare enter this forest to see such an unusual sight?