Watch Thousands Of Spiders Take Flight With Balloon Kites

watch thousands of spiders take flight with balloon kites Spiderwebs in Flight Ballooning 1,000s of spiders and spiderwebs are flying through the air in Oklahoma City. Ballooning, sometimes called kiting, is a process by which spiders, and some other small invertebrates, move through the air by releasing one or more gossamer threads to catch the wind, causing them to become airborne at the mercy of air currents and electric fields. A 2018 study concluded that electric fields provide enough force to lift spiders in the air, and possibly elicit ballooning behavior. This is primarily used by spiderlings to disperse; however, larger individuals have been observed doing so as well. The spider climbs to a high point and takes a stance with its abdomen to the sky, releasing fine silk threads from its spinneret until it becomes aloft. Journeys achieved vary from a few metres to hundreds of kilometres. Even atmospheric samples collected from balloons at five kilometres altitude and ships mid-ocean have reported spider landings. Ballooning can be dangerous (due to predators, and due to the unpredictable nature of long-distance ballooning, which may bring individuals to an unfavorable environment).
It is observed in many species of spiders, such as Erigone atra, Cyclosa turbinata, as well as in spider mites (Tetranychidae) and in 31 species of lepidoptera, distributed in 8 suborders. Bell and his colleagues put forward the hypothesis that ballooning first appeared in the Cretaceous. A 5-year-long research study in the 1920s-1930s revealed that 1 in every 17 invertebrates caught mid-air is a spider. Out of 28,739 specimens, 1,401 turned out to be spiders.
Description
Xysticus audax tiptoeing, in preparation for ballooning
Ballooning is a behavior in which spiders and some other invertebrates use airborne dispersal to move between locations A spider (usually limited to individuals of a small species), or spiderling after hatching, will climb as high as it can, stand on raised legs with its abdomen pointed upward ("tiptoeing"), and then release several silk threads from its spinnerets into the air. These automatically form a triangular shaped parachute[8] which carries the spider away on updrafts of winds where even the slightest of breezes will disperse the arachnid. The Earth's static electric field may also provide lift in windless conditions. Ballooning behavior may be triggered by favorable electric fields.
Many spiders use especially fine silk called gossamer to lift themselves off a surface, and silk also may be used by a windblown spider to anchor itself to stop its journey. The term "gossamer" is used metaphorically for any exceedingly fine thread or fabric. Biologists also apply the term "balloon silk" to the threads that mechanically lift and drag systems.
It is generally thought that most spiders heavier than 1 mg are unlikely to use ballooning. Because many individuals die during ballooning, it is less likely that adults will balloon compared to spiderlings. However, adult females of several social Stegodyphus species (S. dumicola and S. mimosarum) weighing more than 100 mg and with a body size of up to 14 millimeters (0.55 in) have been observed ballooning using rising thermals on hot days without wind. These spiders use tens to hundreds of silk strands, which form a triangular sheet with a length and width of about 1 meter (39 in). Watch Thousands Of Spiders Take Flight With Balloon Kites

[@BeachHunter2024]

Have you been able to find out what kind of spiders they are?

[@RichRodgersOnline]

I just Googled and this is what Google said Many species of spiders use ballooning, a process where they release silk threads into the air and ride the wind to travel long distances:
Young spiders
Also known as spiderlings or slings, these spiders often balloon to disperse after hatching and find new habitats. The silk threads, called gossamer, act like parachutes, allowing the spiders to catch the breeze and float away. If the silk is long enough, the wind can carry the spiderlings for 100 miles or more.