The Best DIY Halloween Spiderweb Decorations (That Aren’t Dangerous for Wildlife)

Those synthetic, packaged spider webs that are so often pulled across bushes and trees as decor for Halloween are certainly spooky—but they’re also a hazard for birds and other wildlife. The stretchy material, often made from polyester, can trap bees, hummingbirds, and even bats by causing them to get tangled in the thin, stretchy strands. These webs are also single-use, and will take a long time to break down once they’re discarded. But you don’t need to go spider web accents entirely—there are safter alternatives to plastic and polyester webs.

Before you get started, keep in mind that finely spun material—especially of the type that might be hard for animals to see—is dangerous to wildlife. Using thicker material that is more difficult for animals to get tangled in is the better choice.

Make a giant knotted web

Using white craft cord, clothesline, or yarn, you can make a giant spider web by choosing one point of origin (such as from your front porch or a tree branch), and stretching out several strands from there, like spokes in a bicycle wheel. Then, you can add the cross pieces, knotting them to each spoke just like you might see on a real spider web. You can choose how long the spokes are as well as how many to make, so this type of web decoration can be customized to fit your space.

The advantage to this type of web decoration is that in addition to being safer for animals and insects, it’s also reusable. You can pack up your web with other decorations and bring it back next year, creating less garbage and saving money as well. This video will help you with the visual.

Make a stretchy, fabric “beef netting” spiderweb

Another way to make a web from material that will be less harmful to wildlife is to use some stretchy, knitted white material with holes cut in it to resemble a cobweb that is as large or small as you’d like. Once you have the material prepared, stretch it from the corners out across your yard or porch to make a stretchy spider web from fabric. You can attach it to branches or use tent stakes to secure it to the ground.

This decoration is also reusable and can be thrown in the washing machine if it needs a wash at the end of the season. To get the visual:

Make a glow-in-the-dark web

To make a glow-in-the-dark web, use some sheer fabric and glow fabric paint. Place the fabric on a drop cloth or some newspaper, then draw your spider web shape onto the fabric. This video shows someone using dimensional fabric paint to add spiderweb detail to a costume, but the same method can be applied to your decorations. Once it’s dry, hang the fabric up in a spot where the glow paint will get exposed to light to charge up the glow-in-the-dark function. Alternatively, you can use a strategically placed black light to make the paint glow.

Use a different kind of pre-made web

If you don’t want to DIY your spider web alternative, you can buy pre-made spider web decorations that are made from different material than the typical polyester type. Some versions will even come with their own massively spooky spider, and will look similar to the string or rope version of a DIY web. There are also the pre-made, light-up variety, as well as smaller fabric webs.