If you’re afraid of spiders, avert your eyes – a nightmare straight out of Arachnophobia was just discovered in Baltimore’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. Researchers found spiderwebs covering 95% of the building’s interior – which spans a whopping four acres – and the plant is estimated to be the home of 107 million spiders!

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Most of the spiders found in the massive webs around the Baltimore Wastewater Treatment Plant are of the Tetragnathidae variety (also known as orb weavers), and they measure around a half-inch long. The brave experts that studied the all-encompassing webs estimated that around 35,176 spiders could be found in every cubic meter of space – possibly making the nest the most concentrated spider population in the United States.

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The masses of webs were first discovered by horrified employees of the Baltimore Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2009. The webbing engulfed almost the entire ceiling of the massive warehouse, occupying two to three feet extending from the ceiling. In some places, the webs are so thick that they permanently damaged structure fixtures and lighting, pulling them down with their weight. When spun at that thickness, spider silk can be as strong as alloy steel. Left undisturbed, the spiders were able to thrive while feeding on other insects and the nutrient-rich water produced at the wastewater treatment plant.

+ Entomological Society of America

Via Daily Mail