Do all female spiders eat the male after mating?
A. No it is not true. Not all females eat the male after mating, in fact most of them DON’T eat them. However, some Orb weavers females quite often eat the males and some female Redback spiders have been known to as well, but only if they are hungry. They don’t always eat the male. A new study has been done on why female spiders eat the male. Here is the article: Female spiders who eat would-be suitors produce more babies, and those babies are stronger and bigger, than spiders who stick to more mundane fare, researchers reported on Tuesday. And the merciless mother spiders waited until they had mated with another — ensuring they would hatch spiderlings — before consuming their new beaux, the researchers found. They said their study is the first “natural” experiment to prove correct the old folklore about spiders, and said it also shows why such behavior might be beneficial.”Now we know that, at least in one species, sexual cannibalism benefiting females occurs in nature,” Dr. Jordi M
