Spiders are quite frightening, especially the large ones with enlarged chelicerae, hairy bodies, large abdomens, long legs, and two large eyes. Notable also is the fact that some spiders have venom that can cause serious reactions in the body, or even death if not treated quickly.
Therefore, many people get frightened when they find spiders in their houses. Read on to learn more about the 10 common house spiders you may see in the house.
10 Common House Spider That Might Creep into Your House
Many types of spiders can reside in your house. Many of these house spiders don’t bite, but several species of arachnids can easily bite you. So, you need to be aware of the various types of spiders you may encounter in your house and how to handle them to avoid disaster.
In North America alone, there are approximately 3,000 species of spiders, but not all of them are house spiders. Globally, there are over 40,000 species of spiders. With such a large number of arachnids running around, it’s very difficult to keep your house free of spiders.
So, your main concern should be the species of house spiders accessing your interiors. If they are the harmless type, then you have nothing to worry about. But if you are dealing with the large, venomous spiders in your house, you have every reason to be scared.
Learning about these creepy crawlers is important because it makes you aware of the types of spiders you’re dealing with. You’ll also learn how to get rid of the spiders in your house to make the house safe and comfortable for your family.
You also need to understand the specific areas in your house where you are likely to find these creepy bugs so that you can find preventive measures to keep them out. Here are the most common house spiders you are likely to find in your house.
1. American House Spiders
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An American house spider is fairly small in size – almost the same size as nickel – and has a large, round abdomen. It’s usually gray with several white markings. This spider builds a very tangled and disorganized cobweb.
An American house spider likes to hide in dark, covered spaces in your house. For instance, you’ll find it in dark corners, under the kitchen cabinets, in the basement, and the garage, especially around the windows. It likes these concealed spaces because they enable it to ambush its prey without warning.
Although an American house spider isn’t dangerous, it can bite you when threatened, crushed, or cornered. Its venom doesn’t pose any serious danger, but sometimes it can cause a mild allergic reaction. This type of spider is commonly regarded as a nuisance pest. The American house spider is particularly predominant in the fall when they enter the house in search of warmth.
2. Wolf Spiders
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A wolf spider is a member of the family Lycosidae, which consists of up to 200 species. These species come in different sizes and appearances. The largest ones are about an inch and a half long.
They can be black, gray, or brown, and their bodies are very hairy. Their hairy bodies make them resemble tarantulas. Another notable thing about a wolf spider is the fact that it doesn’t spin cobwebs to trap its prey.
Unlike other spiders, a wolf spider hunts down its prey. That’s why it’s predominant in concealed spaces in the house where insects and other small bugs hide. For example, you’ll find this spider in your basement, shed, garage, kitchen cabinets, and other dark areas.
Since insects are plenty outdoors, it’s normal to find wolf spiders strolling outside in search of food, especially around debris, in cracks around your house, and underneath boards. Wolf spiders prefer to run and hide instead of biting you.
3. Brown Recluse Spiders
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A brown recluse spider belongs to the Sicariidae family and it’s venomous. The spider has necrotic venom, which is essential for medical research and development. You need immediate medical attention when this spider bites you.
This spider is usually 6 to 20 millimeters (0.79 inches) long, but it can grow larger. It can be light to medium brown, blackish grey, or whitish to dark brown. Its cephalothorax and abdomen don’t necessarily have the same color.
The dorsal side of its cephalothorax usually has markings and a black strip that runs from the cephalothorax in a manner that resembles a violin. The neck of the violin faces the back side of the spider’s abdomen. That’s why this spider has been nicknamed violin spider, fiddle back spider, or brown fiddler.
A brown recluse spider has six eyes, instead of the usual eight in other spider species. This creepy crawler prefers to hide in the quiet corners of your house, shed, basement, and vault. You can also find it hiding in your folded clothes, towels, and closed shoes.
This is how many spider bites occur. So, if you reside in an area where brown recluse spiders are prevalent, it’s important to shake out folded clothes, towels, and shoes before you wear them to avoid bites. You should also wear gloves when working in dark spaces in your house like your garage or shed.
4. Daddy Longlegs Spiders
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A daddy longlegs spider is one of the most poisonous spiders you are likely to come across in your house. However, its fangs are too tiny to bite you. Unlike other spiders whose bodies are divided into two segments: the cephalothorax (prosoma) and the abdomen (opisthosoma), daddy longlegs spider has one round body with very slender, long legs attached to its sides.
Although this spider prefers to stay out in the open, it can hide underneath boards and sidings. You can also find it on your lawn or in the trees around your home. Although it is poisonous, it hardly bites humans because of its short and weak fangs.
5. Grass Spiders
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A grass spider is an ordinary-looking spider with a brown body. That’s why it’s usually confused with a brown recluse spider. However, a grass spider has long spinnerets – attachments to the rear end of its abdomen, which look like fingers.
Grass spiders prefer to live outdoors, especially around the foundation of your house, but male spiders will get into your house in search of mates. Although grass spiders can bite, their bites don’t have any medical significance.
6. Hobo Spiders
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A hobo spider is tannish-brown and its top appears mottled with dark and lighter markings. It’s also very hairy with spiny hairs on its thin legs. This spider is commonly found outdoors, but it can also survive indoors, especially in the fall.
You’ll find it hiding in your folded clothes, bedding, towels, and closed shoes. Unfortunately, this spider is poisonous and can easily bite you. Its bite inflicts pain and localized swelling.
However, it doesn’t cause necrotic lesions. While it’s important to seek medical care when you’re bitten by a hobo spider, the effects of the bite usually go away within a day, especially when you manage them with over-the-counter drugs and ice.
7. Jumping Spiders
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There are over 300 species of jumping spiders across the world. Each species looks slightly different from the others. For instance, they can have solid black colors with unique markings, stripes like a zebra, or lustrous patterns.
Other notable features of a jumping spider include its extremely large, front-middle set of eyes. The eyes are too frightening to look at closely. This spider can live anywhere in your house.
Furthermore, a jumping spider doesn’t spin webs to catch prey, instead; it chases down its prey, especially during the day, when it’s most active. That’s why it’s very easy to spot this spider in your house at any time of the day.
You’ll find it crawling on your walls, ceiling, attic, and trees around your house. This spider can bite you when provoked. But its bite doesn’t cause any serious effects.
8. Yellow Sac Spiders
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A yellow sac spider constructs a tent-like pouch with its silk where it hides during the day. This spider usually hunts for prey at night. Its main color is either light-yellow or pale beige. This spider features a dark V outline on its body.
Its web is commonly found on walls ceilings, attics, and other dark corners. It prefers to dwell in your living room, bedroom, or kitchen. A yellow sac spider hardly bites, but there are reports of people who have been hospitalized with its bites. It’s important to find medical care immediately after getting bitten, especially if your immune system is compromised.
9. Orb Weaver Spiders
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An orb weaver spider is known for its tendency to spin huge webs on the lawn that are most visible when they’re covered in the morning dew. It spins its web every day and then tears it down to rebuild it afresh. It can have a spiny or leveled abdomen.
Its body can be brown or grey. An orb weaver spider usually spins its web where it’s likely to catch some flying insects. In your house, it will set up its web on decks or ceilings. Although this spider bites, it doesn’t cause any serious effects.
10. Black Widow Spiders
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Also referred to as the southern black widow spider or shoe-button spider, a black widow spider is a venomous type of arachnid in the genus Latrodectus. A female black widow spider is popularly known for its unique black and red coloration, as well as its tendency to feed on their male companions after mating. This house spider is commonly found in North America.
While its venom can cause a serious allergic reaction, it’s rarely lethal. But you need to seek medical care when you are bitten by this spider to avoid serious complications. The spider has a shiny shade of black and a distinctive red hourglass-shaped pattern on its underside. The red marking can also appear on its back.
A black widow spider mainly dwells in spaces that have edges and corners. You can also find it in tall grass, in mailboxes, and in garages. As mentioned above, this spider prefers to react to any provocation by biting. In the US, about 2,200 bites by black widow spiders are reported every year. However, none of these bites has been fatal.