When Spiders Go Airborne, It’s Electric — Literally

Many spiders fly long distances by riding “balloons” of silk, and a new study suggests that they’re propelled by more than just the wind.

Electric fields at strengths found in nature can also trigger the spiders’ ballooning behavior. And electrostatic forces can lift up the spiders even when the air is still, according to a newly published report in the journal Current Biology.

Ballooning spiders have long fascinated scientists because they fly high — they’ve been found more than 2 miles up — and far. These spiders land on ships in the middle of the ocean, and they’re often the first colonizers of new volcanic islands, says Erica Morley of the University of Bristol.