Spiders make their webs from silk, a natural fiber made of protein. Silk is produced in the spiders internal silk glands, and each silk gland has a faucet-like structure called a spigot. There are seven different silk glands, which produce silk with different characteristics and uses. For example, cribellate silk is very woolly and acts like Velcro, sticking to the legs and bristles of captured insects. Each type of silk gland is associated with a particular spinneret. Spiders have evolved to spin very strong silk webs so they can catch insects to eat. The strongest silk, such as silk from a golden orb spider, is actually stronger than steel and about 50 times as light.

There are four types of spider webs: funnel, tangled, orb, and sheet. Orb webs are the most common and have a frame and spoke-like pattern. Spiders usually spin their webs at night using their spinnerets, which have spigots at the end. From there, it depends on the type of spider to determine what’s involved with the rest of their web-spinning process. Spiders use their webs to catch prey, but they also use them to create a safe place for their eggs.

In summary, spider webs are made of silk, a natural fiber made of protein, and spiders use their spinnerets to spin their webs. There are different types of silk glands that produce silk with different characteristics and uses, and spiders have evolved to spin very strong silk webs to catch insects to eat.