History Main / SpiderSwarm

* The Bugs from ''StarshipTroopers'' qualify, being human sized spiders with Worker, Warrior, Brain, and Queen castes.

[[quoteright:278: [[Literature/TheHobbit http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tn-the_spiders_of_mirkwood_2115.jpg]]]]

[[AC:In General]]
* In ''TheFutureIsWild'', one of the speculative future creatures is the Silver Spider, which has a similar eusocial caste system to ants or bees.

[[AC:Comic Books]]

[[AC:Fanfiction]]
* [[FanFic/GameOfTouhou Ser Yamame]] is skilled in warging spiders and other tiny creatures to point of making huge swarms. [[spoiler:And that's how she ends Yukari Yakumo's life]].

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:Literature]]

* In Literature/QuestOfTheUnaligned, one fire-spider is pretty easy to defeat. Unfortunately, they tend to run in swarms of 500+. When Alaric and Laeshana have to fight through a tunnel infested by such a swarm, it quickly becomes one of the book's tensest and most epic scenes.

[[AC:Multiple Media]]

[[AC:RolePlay]]
* ''RolePlay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'':
** Jane and Fool end up fighting a swarm of Ariados while searching for [[Webcomic/{{Homestuck}} Troll Orbs.]]
** A swarm of Ariados nearly killed Every in his backstory, leading to a lifelong fear of the species.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

** Literal swarms of spiders (as well as other insects and small animals) are often encountered - they occupy a ten foot square area, and do damage by being in the same square as their prey. Often they are not easily damaged by conventional means, making them the bane of many a low-level party.

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1006 SCP-1006]] is a huge colony of [[TalkingAnimal English speaking]] Marxist spiders.
** [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1506 SCP-1506]] is a phenomenon that spontaneously generates spider webs arranged in such a way that it can fly long distances with the wind's help. The webs contain several species of spiders that feed by lowering to an altitude of under 500 meters, then using webs to pull prey (including humans) upwards, where they will be slowly digested over 5 days (for humans, different animals take more or less time). The horror comes from being completely restrained while thousands of spiders crawl over your body and slowly drain your fluids. [[spoiler: An especially large colony collided with a plane in flight, causing the spiders to fill up the plane. The pilots decided to crash the plane in a way that would burn up all the spiders.]]

[[AC:Real Life]]
* Some real life spider species actually ''are'' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_spider social]], but not to the extent of eusocial insects (like bees, ants, and termites). These species will band together in colonies, cooperate in capturing prey, share food, and communally watch over their eggs. A few species even have division of labor between dominant, reproductive females and subordinate females that only occasionally reproduce—whether this constitutes true eusociality is under debate by biologists.
* Even among solitary spiders, there are some occasions where they will swarm. It is not unheard of in the Southwest United States to find a gigantic swarm of tarantulas migrating across the desert together during mating season.

In fiction, though, things tend to be different. It's not uncommon, especially in a ScienceFiction or Fantasy setting, to despict a species of (often but not necessarly) {{Giant Spider}}s that attack in large number, or even live in colony, the same way ants, termites and bees do. They will often have a "Spider Queen", which they protect and which will be often much bigger than they are. And they will have eggs, ''a lot'' of eggs, that can hatch anytime, [[ZergRush unleashing entire swarms of small spiders on you]].

* Part of the course in ''Film/EightLeggedFreaks''.

** One level has you going through a cave full of Spiders that follow this trope under every aspect. [[NightmareFetishist The Witch-Doctor]] [[AdmiringTheAbomination is delighted]].

A subtrope to GiantSpider. Can arguably be related to HordeOfAlienLocusts.

* Some real life spider species actually ''are'' [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_spider social]], but not to the extent of eusocial insects (like bees, ants, and termites). These species will band together in colonies, cooperate in capturing prey, share food, and communally watch over their eggs. A few species even have division of labor between dominant, reproductive females and subordinate females that only occasionally reproduce—whether this constitutes true eusociality is under debate by biologists.

* Much like in ''Skyrim'', ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' features GiantSpider{{s}} that are apparently social, since you usually meet them as packs. The number you usually met by group can range from three of five to an entire swarm of them.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Early editions had a variety of giant spiders, all of whom appeared in packs. The maximum number varied by type, including Huge spiders (up to 12) and Large (up to 20).

* The spider mini-boss in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' will send groups of smaller spiders (possibly its children) after Tiny Kong.

In fiction, though, things tend to be different. It's not uncommon, especially in a ScienceFiction or Fantasy setting, to despict a species of (often but not necessarly) GiantSpider{{s}} that attack in large number, or even live in colony, the same way ants, termites and bees do. They will often have a "Spider Queen", which they protect and which will be often much bigger than they are. And they will have eggs, ''a lot'' of eggs, that can hatch anytime, [[ZergRush unleashing entire swarms of small spiders on you]].

* ''RolePlay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers''

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim''

[[AC:Literature]]
* ''Literature/TheUnderlandChronicles'' by Suzanne Collins has a species of spiders called "[[CallARabbitASmeerp Spinners]]" living as an entire race.
* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', the giant spiders (also known as Acromantulas) appear to be social, although instead of a queen, they are led by an elderly male spider named Aragog. It's explicitly stated that Aragog had a bride, so apparently, Acromantulas females don't feed on their male.
* In ''Literature/TheHobbit'', one area of Mirkwood forest was full of intelligent talking spiders who all lived together in the trees and cooperatively hunted prey.

* The Spiders in ''Film/LostInSpace'' appears to be collective, or at least attack in large number.

* In ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', As Indy and Satipo are exploring the South American temple, Satipo's back becomes covered with tarantulas, which Indy brushes off. Tarantulas are usually solitary.

* ''VideoGame/DiabloIII''

** Talking about the Witch-Doctor, one of his/her spells actually involve summoning swarms of spiders. At highter levels, it can summon a Spider Queen that spawns armies of smaller spiders.

[[AC:RolePlay]]

* ''RolePlay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers''
** Jane and Fool end up fighting a swarm of Ariados while searching for [[Webcomic/{{Homestuck}} Troll Orbs.]]
** A swarm of Ariados nearly killed Every in his backstory, leading to a lifelong fear of the species.

* ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' has the Coffee of Doom's basement, [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2467 also known as]] the Spider Zone.

* In ''Litterature/TheHobbit'', one area of Mirkwood forest was full of intelligent talking spiders who all lived together in the trees and cooperatively hunted prey.

In RealLife, spiders tend to be rather lonely creatures. A lot of species have females [[BlackWidow eating their males after breeding]], and, in many case, the mother herself ends up eaten by her own children once they hatch.