Functional response data for the orb-weaving spider Araneus diadematus feeding on Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies when exposed to three insecticides (thiamethoxam, deltamethrin, neem oil) and a tap water control. North Ayrshire, Scotland (July – Sept 2021)

Dataset of the following manuscript: Boyd, K. M., Hesselberg, T. & Alexander, M. E. (2022) Determination of the functional response in the orb-weaving spider Araneus diadematus (Araneae: Araneidae) according to insecticide type. Submitted to Ecological Entomology. In this laboratory-based study, the effects of two synthetics insecticides (thiamethoxam and deltamethrin), and a common biopesticide (neem oil) compared to a tap water control on the functional response of immature Araneus diadematus were investigated using Drosophila melanogaster as prey at densities of 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, and 40. All spiders were collected from the wild in North Ayrshire, Scotland (55°38'24.4"N; 4°42'22.6"W) and were kept in containers (20 x 20 x 5cm) designed for orb web construction throughout the experiment. Once a spider had constructed an orb web it was then exposed to a treatment group and subsequently provided one of the stated densities of prey. The spiders were permitted 16-hours for predator-prey interaction, thereafter, the number of consumed prey were quantified to determine the functional response.