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Breeding and milking spiders, both for antivenom and for bioprospecting purposes, is a growing industry. Spider behavior is a major impediment, however: unlike bees or other social animals, in close proximity spiders tend to eat each other.
Silk is Amazing Stuff
“What an extraordinary substance it is,” exclaims Kefyn Catley, arachnologist and educator at the American Museum of Natural History. “All of the superlatives are true. Spider silk is stronger than steel, more elastic than nylon; to break under its own weight a strand would have to be over 40 miles long.” It’s thin enough to be workable, almost light enough to float, and can withstand low temperatures.
The ancient Greeks used spider silk very effectively to staunch bleeding wounds, as have soldiers in the Vietnam War and other modern conflicts. (The silk is so fine that it actually traps the blood platelets.)
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