Spiders

House Spider

House spiders are very common and are typically brown or tan with various markings. Their size varies and can reach 3/8″ in length. House spiders are those web-building spiders common in the corners and garages of most homes and buildings, and are responsible for most of the cobwebs found inside. Cobwebs are actually old webs that have collected dirt such that they become easily visible. These spiders are common in garages, crawl spaces and basements as these areas are less disturbed and tend to harbor more insects. Their bite is not dangerous, and therefore are not considered a threat to man.

Brown Recluse

Brown recluse spiders have a characteristic dark brown violin marking on their back. These spiders often infest cedar shake roofs and spin irregular webs, which are used as a retreat.

Wolf

Unlike most spiders, wolf spiders don’t hunt with webs. Instead, they chase their prey using their fast running ability. These spiders are often big and hairy which alarms some people, but they are primarily nuisance pests. Over 100 species of wolf spiders are found in the United States and Canada.

Hobo

The hobo spider is a member of the funnel-web spider family Agelenidae (not to be confused with funnel web tarantulas in the family Hexathelidae commonly found in Australia). Funnel-web spiders are long-legged, swift-running spiders that build funnel or tube-shaped retreats. Hobo spiders rarely climb structures like other spiders do. The hobo spider runs at an average speed of about 0.45 meters (17 inches) per second, with a maximum speed of about 1.1 meters (40 inches) per second.

Sun

Sunspiders, also known as solpugids or windscorpions, are unusual arachnids found in many parts of the state. They are particularly common in the southeastern region.

They are very active and have prominent jaws, features which often cause people concern. Nonetheless, they are essentially harmless, although they can bite if handled.

Sunspiders are relatives of other arachnids, such as the true spiders and scorpions. However, they are in a different order (Solpugida). They have long, leg-like pedipalps on the side of the jaws, which makes it look like they have five pairs of legs.

There are approximately 15 species in the state, all in the genus Eremobates. The ones typically found in a home range from about 1/2 to 1 1/4 inches and are light brown to reddish brown.

Black Widows

Black widow spiders are most recognized for the red hourglass shape under their abdomen. This spider gets its name from the popular belief that the female black widow spider eats the male after mating, although this rarely happens. Black widows are poisonous when ingested during the first 17 days of their life.

Wood Louse

This smooth bodied spider is perhaps best distinguished by its large fangs which it uses to feed on pillbugs (roly-polies) and other hard-bodied prey. When full grown they are about .5 inch in length. Dysdera have a generally creamy gray body with distinctly reddish legs and cephalothorax. They live in a silk retreat and hunt at night. Their bite can be painful but they are not aggressive and their venom is not known to cause medical problems.