Mazda's decision to recall 65,916 sedans because spiders can weave webs in the gas tank's vent pipe is amusing but not surprising to entomologists who know the culprit well. It turns out the particular spider blamed for the costly webs that can cause blockages are cagey little buggers.

The yellow sac spider "is a very common spider to encounter inside of a home. You see them running around the kitchen (or) the basement," says Blake Newton of the University of Kentucky.

ALSO ON DRIVE ON: Spider infestation leads to recall of 65,000 Mazdas

Mazda says the recall of the 2009 and 2010 Mazda6s is being done to prevent the web from blocking the line, causing a pressure problem in the gas tank that can lead to leakages. About 20 instances have been reported, none of them severe enough to have caused a leaky gas tank. There are 51,848 of the cars in the USA, and the rest are spread out over Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.

The dime-size creatures weave tight little sacs instead of the big webs like garden spiders. They live inside the sacs, venturing out to hunt, rather than waiting for food to come flying into the sac. They are found throughout the nation, and there is no particular reason why they would choose the inside of a car body to hang out, rather than some other crevice, says Rick Vetter, a researcher at the University of California-Riverside.

"Spiders are everywhere, and they are looking for a place to hide," Vetter says. He says he has heard of spiders causing problems before -- brown (not black) widows in New Orleans, which were freaking out car buyers.