Trees cocooned in spiders webs,
an unexpected side effect of the flooding
in Sindh, Pakistan.
An unexpected side-effect of the flooding in parts
of Pakistan has been that millions of spiders
climbed up into the trees to escape
the rising flood waters.
Because of the scale of the flooding and the
fact that the water has taken so long to recede,
many trees have become cocooned in spiders webs.
People in this part of Sindh have never seen
this phenomenon before - but they also report
that there are now less mosquitoes than they would
expect, given the amount of stagnant,
standing water that is around.
It is thought that the mosquitoes are getting
caught in the spiders web thus reducing the
risk of malaria, which would be one blessing for
the people of Sindh, facing so many other
hardships after the floods.
This story is fascinating in many points. The floods are terrible in this part of the world, but from this terrible thing came something good: less malaria, thanks to spiders..It says a lot about the ability of spiders to adapt; But , I can't help shivering when thinking of the number of spiders in those trees....
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