Can we ask what damage you are seeing?

Are these white webs from spiders or something else? I mean a spider web doesn't really look like anything else. So if not spiders (which aren't going to harm anything), how else would you describe the webs?

Spider-like webs on the lawn can mean one of four possibilities, one of which are spiders.....but I am being led by the fact that you say you are observing these things all over the yard.

I'm gonna go the same route as rhizo on this one. The fact that they are all over the place kind of leads me away from the idead that it would be a disease of any sort. (along with no mention of any damage as rhizo_1 was getting at). It sounds like spiders. If so, it would make sense that Malathion wouldn't help. First of all, if it killed the spiders, it wouldn't do anything to the webs. Second, Malathion doesn't kill spiders. It's an insecticide. You would need an arachnicide to kill spiders. They have a completely different physiology. But then, you like spiders. [Jedi mind trick wave of the hand] The spiders are friends.

Except that malathion will kill spiders and other arachnids. As an organophosphate, it is toxic to nearly everything it comes into contact with....including YOU!

It is something of a myth that INSECTicides cannot also be used as MITicides or ARACHNicides. ;-) They can.

Until you get your problem identified properly, you need to put your malathion away. Killing every spider in your yard is NOT a good thing!

I am positive these were NOT spiders or spider webs. I couldn't find evidence of insects, unless they were too small to be seen by the naked eye! But I am rid of the nasty webs. I mixed up a mild potion of orthene ( a systemic insecticide- I try never to use it ) with a fungicide - daconil. Because I mixed insecticide with fungicide, I'll never know what caused the webs. But they are gone and so far my garden is happy again.

Sigh. You don't think that you observed a spiderling hatch with all of their subsequent (albiet tiny) webs? Or perhaps you are using the word 'web' when you mean something else.

Oh well, it doesn't much matter now. Be on the lookout for other pests, by the way. An overload of pesticides often results in a pest population explosion.

I thought this was a weird thing - but today I saw it in my own garden. I'll probably just leave them be, unless someone has a recommedation. I actually found a couple in my covered flower box, but I thought it was just mold or something.

Sounds like a fungus to me. Apply a good fungicide using lable instructions and you should be good to go. I noticed the same thing on my lawn this morning and have been researching the internet for Lawn Fungus. There's lots of help out there if you look. I'm using the fungicide myself.
Good luck.

For the most part what spins webs would be spiders, or spider mites, although some moth caterpillars also do that, in trees or shrubs. If these webs are in the grass or across plants in the garden they have been made by spiders, to catch insects for food. There is no good reason to spray poisons, such as Malathion, around the garden since that will kill off any beneficial insects, probably not spiders, and allow even more of the bad guys to invade. While there are many people that have a strong aversion to spiders, or any other insect, there is no good reason for that and with effort that aversion can be overcome.
The presence of spiders in the garden can be an indication of a good, healthy garden, although spider mites (different critters) can be a problem.

I had the same problem last summer, and for the first time I had no Aphids nor pests that were hurting my Roses and vegatables! I am glad I didn't spray and kill off who ever made those webbs for me and kept an eye on my plants while I slept.

We woke up this morning to the same thing. Balls of fine white webbing stretched out between blades of grass, shrub leaves, so forth. We're going with the spider theory even though we cannot see any funnel holes because last weekend my husband was weeding in the garden and got several nasty bites on his legs which just will not go away. This forum has totally convinced us to leave well enough alone.

Isn't misuse of pesticides against federal laws? Since there's no evidence of pests I would call that misuse. I'm sure glad sandy is in NY and not around me. If she was, I would pursue the issue. This is one reason why our water is polluted.

Sounds like Morgellons.

I HAVE WHITE WEB LOOKING CIRCLES ALL OVER MY LAWN AND THE GRASS DIES WHERE THEY ARE - SO I HAVE DOZENS OF DEAD SPOTS IN MY FRONT YARD NOW - I HAVE NOT SEEN A SPIDER - I DID PUT SEVEN DUST ON THESE PLACES AND NO RESULT AT ALL
HELP

Deb, first - it's better to ask, identify your problem is there is one, then use a product if appropriate.

Look through this old post, go down to close to the end of the thread and look at the photos in bergenjerseys post on June 30th. See if either is what you are finding in your own yard.

Here is a link that might be useful: Old thread, lawns forum

I found this post very helpful! I found a bunch of webs in my yard and was thinking about having someone come out to professionally get rid of the spiders. After reading this, I think that I will let them be. :)

I've been waking up every evening and morning to the sound of at least 4 spiders feverishly making a lavish web... INSIDE. my bedroom window. They literally wake me up!! I've been leaving my light on at night so I can wake up and actually see what's going on... but as soon as I move an inch towards the spider spray they literally disappear. vanish... I don't see them scurry off.. I've immediately taken the curtains apart and lifted the shades, sprayed bleach and Lysol around the entire window, and nothing!! the next morning boom!! they are back! there is one large (4" at least) and 3 smaller spiders... about half the size of the large one. I'm not getting bitten and they are not climbing in bed with me... but I really don't want them in my bedroom or even my house for that matter. they scurry off so fast I can't catch them!!!! I feel I'm on the verge of an infestation and they have to GO!!
any suggestions!? I'm getting very little sleep only other spider issue I remember having was a year ago... I flipped over an outside garbage can and literally 100 spiders scattered. I some how managed to catch most of them in the can when, in shock and horror, I tossed it and it landed up right with the spiders trapped inside. I then put the large, over studded bag of trash on top of them and walked away. the bad very slowly same into the can, so there's no way they got out. but those spiders resemble the ones in my bedroom now... is this an infestation? how much food would it take to sustain 4 large spiders like that? is there something I'm missing? because I don't have any noticable bugs... they only exception I can think of is I've always been in pleasantly surprised by the occasional thousand legger silver bug. and they bite!! if I'm safe, and the spiders are leaving me alone and eating the biting vermin... I'll learn to live with them...