300m-long spiderweb covers Greek beach

300m-long spiderweb covers Greek beach

Warmer weather conditions in western Greece have led to the eerie spectacle of a 300m-long spiderweb in Aitoliko.

A Greek beach has been turned into an arachnophobe’s worst nightmare, as spiders have covered it in a web some 300 metres long.

A video, posted to YouTube by Giannis Giannakopoulos, shows the beach at the town of Aitoliko in western Greece under siege from the dense web.

Experts say it is a seasonal phenomenon, caused by Tetragnatha spiders, which can build large nests for mating. An increase in the mosquito population is also thought to have contributed to the rise in the number of spiders.

During the last few days, locals and tourists were complaining that they kept seeing flocks of mosquitos flying over the area. So, people assume that the spider webs must be the nature’s response to keep the balance around the region, by trapping the annoying insects.

Whatever the explanation though, the scenes of Aitoliko are impressive.

The spiders of Aitoliko, which is 300km from Athens, however, don’t pose a threat.

“These spiders are not dangerous for humans, and will not cause any damage,” molecular biologist Maria Chatzaki told Greek news websites. She explained that the seasonal phenomenon occurs when the spiders are mating, and that an increase in the mosquito population this year had lead to perfect conditions for a population explosion among the spiders.

“The spiders are taking advantage of these conditions, and are having a kind of a party. They mate, they reproduce and provide a whole new generation.”

She noted that the phenomenon had been seen before in the region in 2003, and that the spiders would soon die off, and the web would degrade naturally, leaving the vegetation undamaged.

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