Funnel spider, Frick Park, 30 July 2026 (photo by Kate St.John)

13 August 2026

Late July through September is the best time of year to see funnel webs in Pittsburgh. The spiders that build these webs have been present since spring but they were so small I overlooked their webs.

Late summer webs show nicely, especially in dew. Here’s my selection of photos from 2016 to 2026, including two from Acadia National Park.

Funnel web spiders rely on stealth, speed and strength to capture their prey. Their non-sticky carpet webs have a hiding place in the middle — a funnel — where the spider lurks and waits for prey to jiggle the web. When they feel the right vibration they zoom out of the hole to grab a meal.

Funnel weavers are FAST and they have a backdoor escape route if something large and scary is messing around at their front door.

The good news about American funnel web spiders is that they are not dangerous to humans. When I jiggle a web to entice the spider to come out, it never works for me. Apparently I am “something large and scary” that is dangerous to funnel web spiders.

Learn all about funnel web spiders in Pittsburgh in this blog post by Amy Bianco, the SpiderMentor.