Article: THIS YEAR'S SPIDERS ARE MIGHTY HULKS BECAUSE OF THE COOL, WET SUMMER, THEY'VE HAD PLENTY OF INSECTS TO FEAST ON.(LOCAL/WISCONSIN)

Byline: Lisa Schencker Associated Press

Midwestern spiders always get big as they prepare to lay eggs.

But this year they're even fatter thanks to a cool, wet summer that sustained their favorite snack -- insects.

"Right now they're eating like kings," said Chicago Field Museum entomologist Petra Sierwald. "They're having a very good time."

People throughout the Midwest are noticing the corpulent arachnids everywhere from bushes to the windows of high-rise buildings.

Spiders are typical residents on Craig McCallum's dock on Monona Bay, but this summer he saw a real monster.

McCallum said a lot of spiders about an inch long have made a home on the ...

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