The abundance of Black Widow spiders this season (and the new Brown Widows, also) has seemed anything but beneficial. But they once had a very important role in the defense of our country. During World War II, there actually was a “Spin for Victory” program that used Black Widow spiders.
When you find a Black Widow web, you immediately notice how strong it is—and that is what became valuable during the war. The spiders were raised for their web-making ability, because the webs were used as crosshairs in tens of thousands of gunsights.
At the Quartermaster Corps Depot in Columbus, Ohio, someone actually had the job of picking up the spiders on a stick, and letting them drop to the ground on a newly-spun strand of web. Between 100 and 180 feet of thread was produced each week. It was reported that the spiders were fed two flies per week for their contribution to the war effort. Unfortunately, the constant harvesting of webs reduced their life cycle from about a year down to four months.
