As autumn approaches here's why we see more spiders in our houses and why wasps are desperate for sugar

By Elizabeth Duncan, Associate Professor of Zoology, University of Leeds
Thomas Dally, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Leeds

The tell-tale signs that autumn is here are clear to us; the days are getting shorter and the temperature is decreasing. We take this as a sign to pull out our winter woollies and think about turning on the radiators. But how do insects know that winter is coming? And what do they do to prepare?

Folklore has suggested over the years that insects can predict the weather and that, for example, we could start to see bigger spider webs if the weather is going to get colder. The evidence for those bigger webs…

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