Some spiders have been kept alive for over two years without feeding. Because spiders feed entirely on living insects or other animals, they may actively search for their prey, hide and wait for them to pass, or build webs to trap flying insects. Most web-spinning spiders build and abandon several webs per year. The webs are produced by glands on the spider's abdomen. The silk is a liquid which hardens when exposed to the air.
Spiders reproduce by laying eggs in a silken egg sac.
The egg sac is either carried around by the female or hidden in the web. Egg sacs of large spiders may contain several hundred eggs. The eggs hatch in about 2-3 weeks after they are deposited. Most young spiders mature to adults in about one year. Male and female spiders live separately and only come together to mate.