The tip of the abdomen has silk spinning glands. Males are usually smaller than females. Life Cycle and Habits Spiders lay eggs within a silken egg sac that is often ball-shaped and either hidden in the web or carried by the female. Spiders may produce several egg sacs, each containing several hundred eggs. One female may produce as many as 3,000 eggs in a series of several sacs over a period of time.
Most spiders live either one to two seasons.
Some spiders may overwinter as eggs, spiderlings in the egg sac, immature spiders living outside the egg sac, or as adults. All spiders produce venom that is poisonous to their normal prey of insects, mites and other small arthropods. Venom is injected through the hollow fangs to immobilize the prey. Since spiders can only ingest liquids, digestive fluids are either injected or regurgitated into the prey. Spiders produce silk, secreted as a liquid through the spinnerets and hardens on air contact.