Better Than Wolves Forum

I need some help with a Jungle Spider Mob trap. I thought I understood how they spawn but apparently I'm missing something.
Here is a snapshot of a couple spawning pads in the mob trap: I cleared a small island that is a jungle biome.
Built about 36 3x3 spawning pads from jungle leaves(pretty sure spiders can spawn on any leaves or on the ground but the leaves should cut down on other spawns)
Surrounded the pads with vine traps.
Enclosed the whole thing and made it pitch black.
I have not had one spider spawn yet. Many ocelots but no spiders.
I am currently working on clearing and lighting the surrounding area but I should have had at least one by now.
I have made sure to stay near enough for the chunk to stay loaded but far enough that I shouldn't effect the spawning.
I know that if I cross to the mainland and head into the jungle I will run into a spider within a couple minutes so I am not sure what I am doing wrong.
When I first built it I left the roof off to test it with access to the sky for a couple days and nights and didn't see any spiders.

I believe Battlecat is also having an issue with his trap as well.
Any hints would be greatly appreciated.

Do mob spawns treat natural leaves and player placed jungle leaves differently, maybe?

There doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there on Jungle Spider spawning mechanics. The only thing I can suggest is that they might only spawn at a particular height. I see them in tree branches a lot but rarely at sea level.

EDIT: I've added a wiki entry for Jungle Spiders as there wasn't one before.

Damn, this was one of the things I wanted to do soon, I want my instant damage and invisibility! I'll try to figure out the mechanics without cheating, if I figure it out I will post.

Yeah, I'm stumped on this as well. A while ago I built a giant tower trap for jungle spiders and I've never seen a single one; just lots of ocelots. The building is above sea level and goes pretty high up, so I don't think that's the problem in my case.

I would be very interested to hear from anyone with a working jungle spider trap.

what was the lighting situations that you guys have tried? Could spawn pads see the sun?

I've never tried to test it rigorously or make a mob trap, but just from exploring jungles, I've seen them spawn on treetops during the day and seemingly at night as well, and never seen them spawn in caves under jungles, so my first guess would be that the leaves have to be open to the sky. Kinda like how slimes in swamps don't seem to spawn below ground any more than other biomes (in my experience it seems).

In the past I've flattened out a whole portion of jungle and put a single layer of jungle leaves on the ground. No spawns. Been wondering about the mechanics as well.

I think people are over thinking this...

I think the easiest way would be find 2-3 large trees close to each other. Get rid of the trunks up until the leaves, remove surrounding vegetation and trees and then dig down a bit to make instadeath on fall. surround the trees in cobble and make a collection system at the bottom.

If they spawn on naturally generated leaves then work with the natural environment layout and build around it.

Of course that's what we would do. But we don't know if its because the player placed ones don't work.

I can confirm that at this point I've had no luck with placed leaf blocks, re-growing jungle trees after the jungle was removed or with normal solid block surfaces. At this point, destineternel's approach above is looking like the only viable solution to jungle spider farming.

After my post last night I tried building extra spawning pads both bigger and higher with no luck.

Well I am glad that I haven't completely destroyed the jungle by my base.
Tonight I will enclose a couple naturally generated trees and leave it open to the sky.

Am I correct that the only thing jungle spiders drop is exp orbs and the ultra rare venom sacs?
I know they don't drop spider eyes but do they drop string?
*Edit: Yes they do drop string. I just confirmed it.*

Is there anything else that we should try?
I hope there isn't some kind of "jungle spider aversion to man made structures" thing going on here or just a bug.

It has been a while since I last did anything with this, but I could've sworn that I did see them spawn on top of sapling-born Birch trees. If this is indeed the case, one solution may be to clear the jungle, and plant our own trees in controlled areas.

I've been looking for a good project to start, and this sounds as good as any... I think I may start extending my skybridges towards the jungle, with "gifts" of fire...

Based on your comment ExpHP, I'm going to plant a couple of each of the tree types in the remains of my jungle and place an artificial spawning pad of each leaf type. Maybe they spawn on a different kind of leaf block when the trees aren't natural. Just to cover off all the possibilities.

Has anyone tried putting some 'live bait' around the edge of a jungle?

How far can spiders see?

ExpHP wrote:I think I may start extending my skybridges towards the jungle, with "gifts" of fire...

Alright, so I got impatient with the flint and steel, and so there was a slight change in plan.
That... didn't go quite as planned.

Huge spoiler: I am pretty sure it has nothing to do with the genisis of the leafs, there just has to be more than one layer of leaves. I tried using trees and cutting off all the leaves except one layer, and nothing spawned, so then I went back to the platform of artificial leaves I placed and put more leaves under the spawn pads, there it was, started getting spiders!

So the fact that the natural shape of jungle trees leaf structure (ie more then 1 layer thick) does play a part in the spawn mechanics is what I was getting at in my original post.

Yeah I actually thought it might have something to do with that, but I was assuming the wood was the factor. And I am not sure because I didn't get a good chance to look at it, but they don't appear to have the same lighting requirements as other mobs, I think they were spawning during the day, and also at night.

So, to make sure I'm of the correct understanding, jungle spiders need a 2 layer thick spawn pad to spawn? Shouldn't be too hard.

I can confirm, it appears 2 block thick spawning pads are the answer. I just finished retrofitting my spawn tower and I finally have a few jungle spiders spawning. I haven't confirmed if they spawn in daylight, I was within spawn supression radius while building. But they do spawn in the pitch darkness without any doubt.

Yep, doubling the thickness of the spawning pads did the trick for me as well. Thanks Yhetti!

Also, I can confirm that light level doesn't matter. My trap has a bunch of glass windows and spiders spawn during day or night.

Yep! Confirmed it too. I made the modifications and have over 26 string and 1 venom sac in a couple minecraft days.
I need to move my "waiting area" farther away so the whole mod trap is out of the suppression radius.

Good job, Yhetti!

And now, just to make sure, does anyone know if the jungle spiders ONLY spawn on leaves in a jungle biome? Or do they spawn on any 2-thick jungle leaves?

abculatter_2 wrote:And now, just to make sure, does anyone know if the jungle spiders ONLY spawn on leaves in a jungle biome? Or do they spawn on any 2-thick jungle leaves?

It has to be in a jungle biome. Otherwise, I'd have spiders running around my house in my LP series. Since, I made the bushes out of jungle leaves and they are 2-3 height in some areas.