ENTFACT-622

COMMON SPIDERS FOUND AROUND HOMES AND BUILDINGS

Lee Townsend and Ken Yeargan

Spiders tend to evoke two images - webs and bites. W ebs are have venom that is very toxic or harmful to humans.
often associated with abandoned, neglected, or haunted houses,
while the animals themselves bring to mind the image of a Most species do not attempt to bite; many have fangs that are
painful or deadly bite. The immediate question - "Is this a not capable of piercing the skin. However, some will, with
black widow or brown recluse?". results that are similar to a wasp or bee sting. There is the
chance that a person can have an allergic reaction to the
Spiders are abundant (over 1,000,000 individuals per acre in venom.
a grassy field) and can be found almost anywhere from the
bedroom closet to the 22,000 foot level on M t. Everest. There COM M ON KENTUCKY SPIDERS
are about 2,500 different species in North America. Some live
in holes in the ground while others may be found under rocks W olf Spiders
or logs. Those that prefer dark, shaded areas may also occur in
cellars and basements. These species may become established W olf Spiders or ground spiders are common. Most are dark
brown. W olf spiders
actively hunt prey and do
not use snares or webs.
They inhabit grassy or
leaf-covered areas and
may be active during the
day or at night. The
female carries an egg sac
on her rear end and the
young ride on her back
for a time after hatch.
R. Bessin, Univ. of Kentucky Entomology
They look fierce and their
rapid movements make them seem aggressive. They have
strong fangs and could bite if disturbed or pinched. W olf
spiders do not persist indoors but are common "accidental
invaders".

Funnel W eb Spiders
Funnel W eb Spiders (Agelenidae) or grass spiders resemble
wolf spiders but have a pair of long, distinctive silk spinning
in homes. tubes at the rear of the abdomen. They build a horizontal,
Most spiders found in homes and buildings are "accidental sheet-like web that has a funnel shaped retreat. These webs are
invaders" that have entered around doors, windows, or other most obvious when covered with dew in the morning. The
openings. H omes in wooded areas or with naturalized or spiders live in shrubbery, grass, under rocks or in debris and
landscaped foundations may be prone to more frequent seldom come indoors.
invasion because the surroundings are ideal spider habitats.
Fishing Spiders
Spiders are beneficial, feeding mostly on small insects and Fishing Spiders (Pisauridae),
other arthropods. Some trap their prey in webs or snares; active hunters, are among the
others are active hunters that use excellent vision to stalk or largest spiders in the eastern
ambush their food. Virtually all spiders have poison glands United States. They prefer moist
that connect with the fangs. Venom produced by the glands habitats, such as around streams
apparently is used to kill or paralyze prey and in defense. Only or other bodies of water, but may
a few species, such as the black widow and the brown recluse, be found in basements or other FIS H IN G S PID E R
 damp parts of buildings. They have the typical dark markings Cobweb Spiders
of a wolf spider. Cobweb Spiders
(T herid iidae) build
Jumping Spiders irregular cobwebs inside
Jumping Spiders (Salticidae) and outdoors and tend to
have a distinctive body shape and hang upside down from
short, strong front legs; many are them. The webs are build
brightly colored or iridescent. in p ro tec ted places,
Two very large eyes on the front sometimes in buildings.
of the head give them the best Typically, they have a
vision of all spiders. They slowly spherical abdomen. The USDA Insect and Plant Disease Slide Set
stalk their prey and make a house spider frequently
sudden pounce from a short lives in buildings, typically locating its web in the corners of
distance. Salticids occasionally wander indoors and may rooms or in the angles of windows. The black widow is a
overwinter there. member of this family. A row of small bristles on the hind legs
is used to help wrap the spider's prey in silk. As a result, this
Crab Spiders group is also known as "comb-footed" spiders.

Crab Spiders (Thomisidae)

have two long front pairs of Brown Spiders
legs. They wait in ambush for
insect prey on plants, flowers, Brown Spiders (Loxoscelidae)
tree trunks or soil litter. They are also known as the recluse
rarely enter buildings and do spiders. The best known and
not persist indoors. most notorious member of this
family is the brown recluse that
Univ. of Florida Entomology
has a violin-shaped pattern on the
Sac Spiders back of the front body segment. M. Johnson, Univ. of Kentucky
Entomology
Sac Spiders (Clubionidae) live on foliage or in the ground. These spiders have only 6 eyes,
They build tubular retreats under stones, or in rolled leaves or while other spiders have 8. They construct a sticky sheet of silk
folds of grasses. A pale yellow to pale green species that spins that helps trap their prey.
silken tubes among the leaves of shrubbery can give a
painful bite. The bite of a brown recluse is
serious. It is associated with
Cellar Spiders tissue destruction and may
Cellar Spiders (Pholcidae) with long, thin legs build sheetlike require surgical treatment.
or irregular webs in dark places. They commonly hang upside
down under the web.

Univ. of Florida Entomology

Orb W eavers
Orb W eavers (Araneidae)
include "garden spiders"
and their relatives. They
weave classical, sheet-like
orb webs that consist of
rays and spirals of silk.
They have poor eyesight
and have trouble walking
on anything but webs. They
rarely occur indoors but frequently live on or near the outer
walls of buildings. Two spectacular members of the group are
the large black and yellow garden spider and the marbled
spider with a yellow-orange abdomen that has brown to purple
markings. T he former tends to build webs in open, sunny
places in gardens around houses and in tall grass; the latter
prefers wooded areas between trees and shrubs. Some
members of the family, known as the spiny-bellied spiders,
have thorn-like projections on the abdomen. They usually
dwell in wooded areas.