Baby spiders use a process called ballooning to move away from the place where they hatched and find new areas to find food or places to live. Ballooning is possible for a young spider because of its extra-light weight. To take flight, a spider must catch a breeze. Next, the spider faces into the wind and stands on the tips of its legs with its abdomen raised high in the air. The spider releases silk from the end of its abdomen, and the silk increases in length as the spider waits. When the strand of silk catches enough wind, the spider lets go of its hold and the wind carries it aloft.
The silk thread, or gossamer, is the most important material required for ballooning. The silk is released from the spiders spinnerets, which are located at the end of its abdomen. Ballooning helps protect spider populations from dying out when conditions change and food becomes less plentiful.
There is no information available on the positive or negative effects of baby spiders ballooning on the environment or on humans.
