This Fuzzy White Growth in Old Homes Is Not What You Think
If you have ever purchased an older home, you are familiar — exploring the dust-filled nooks, listening to the creaks in the floorboards, the finding of the odd, forgotten corner with windows that have not seen daylight in years. One easy place is actually the wood burning fireplace, and the shelf inside the chimney where you store your wood. And that’s literally where one homeowner stumbled on a most creepy growth: a group of white, spider-like organisms.
What they found was Engyodontium aranearum, a peculiar and intriguing fungus. And this is no standard moldy growth — it’s a particular organism that likes to grow in areas where time was forgotten.
What Is Engyodontium Aranearum?
The newly described fungus Engyodontium aranearum was first reported in 2018. This is not your ordinary asshole attic mold. This fungus has a sinister talent — it infects spiders. If they establish it, they then feed on their eight-legged carriers from within. And then, eventually, it releases itself in delicate, white threads, a starburst or a snow web frozen in time.
It might resemble a bit of cotton or a wisp of cobweb, yet it’s actually something a lot stranger.
Why It Appears in Old Homes
You don’t expect to find this sort of fungus just anywhere. Engyodontium aranearum does well in dark, cool, slightly damp environs — like old chimneys, musty basements and crawl spaces where logs may have been resting undisturbed for years. These are the secret pockets of vintage homes, especially ones with original wood-burning fireplaces.
If you are the type who likes to restore and inhabit older spaces, this fungus may not be the first remnant of the past you might expect to encounter. But it’s a reminder that nature has a way of insinuating itself, particularly where we are least expecting it.
Why You Should Be Cautious
Although Engyodontium aranearum, unique in its choice of spiders, it’s never a bad idea to be a little cautious about any strange growths you come across inside your home. In general, fungi can put out spores, and some of those can be problematic for certain sensitive people. Do not touch or directly disturb it. If found in a chimney or wood storage area, it may indicate moisture or airflow problems that you might want to address.
There’s no need to freak out — but you probably need to take it as a sign that your house might need some attention in that department.
What to Do If You Find It
- If you encounter a phantom, timid white mass of fluff in a disused chimney, do as follows:
- Avoid close contact. If you feel you need to look at it, wear gloves.
- Vent the space, don’t block it off. Fungi grow with dampness and darkness.
- Clean the space carefully. Cut away old wood, dust and signs of decay.
- And, if necessary, look like a professional. A home inspector or chimney professional can look for more complex problems such as rot or water leaks.
In For A Peek At The Unfashionable Corners
Engyodontium aranearum is more than a scary fungus — it’s a metaphor for what lurks beneath the surface in older houses. More notorious is what lurks beneath the charm of original fireplaces and wood-paneled rooms — spaces that nature has been nibbling away at since the very beginning.
For so many of us, these homes are full of happy memories of family reunions, cozy fires and simpler times. But they also arrive with some surprises, some charming, some confounding. To come upon a fungal oddity like this one only adds to the narrative, a further reminder of life finding a way, even when all is still.
So the next time you poke around that old hearth or empty receptacle or open a wooden hatch that no one’s opened in 50 years, carry a flashlight and maybe a little bit of courage with you. You just never know what the good old days have forgotten.
