House Spiders

How to identify House Spiders

The appearance of house spiders varies significantly according to species. Ranging in colour from white to brown or black, house spiders can be as small as a couple millimetres or as long as the cellar spider, which reaches lengths in excess of 50mm. The common house spider generally measures about 6 mm to 8 mm in length and around 3 mm in width. Other identifying features include a brown, yellowish colour coupled with spots on the abdomen and the comb-like hairs on the legs, which display dark bands at irregular intervals. Males are distinguished by having orange legs and a smaller overall length of around 4 mm.

Signs of an infestation

Other than spotting the small creatures, detecting a house spider infestation often involves the discovery of cobwebs in places like windows, ceiling corners, and in between or below various fixtures around the home. Spider corpses also indicate an infestation problem.

House Spiders Removal

To remove house spiders from the home, clean the indoor areas where the arachnids frequently build nests. Major areas of concern include basements or crawl spaces and similar areas that are usually ignored by humans. Remove wood piles or compost piles adjacent to the home, as spiders often like to take refuge in the dark, humid hiding spots. If the problem becomes overbearing, calling a local pest removal professional will ensure the house spider infestation is handled correctly and swiftly.

How to prevent House Spiders from invading

Reduce clutter and debris, Remove any potential hiding spots, Checking consistently for signs of house spiders, Thoroughly clean basements and crawl spaces, Remove wood piles or compost piles

Habitat, Diet, and Life Cycle

Habitat

Many species of house spiders are able to inhabit multiple regions of the world. Specific habitats include secluded areas of homes, garages, and barns where insects and other food sources can be found in abundance. Inside homes, house spiders tend to live in dark places with low levels of human activity such as attics, closets, eaves, window frames, the corners and ceilings of rooms, and the spaces underneath furniture.

Diet

The diet of the house spider depends on location and the availability of food sources. House spiders build webs to catch prey and inject neurotoxins into the insects that fall victim to the trap. The venom paralyzes the victim and enables the spider to wrap the meal in webbing. In addition to feeding on cockroaches and other insects, house spiders cannibalize other spiders that live in close proximity.

Life Cycle

Female American house spiders produce light-brown egg sacs, which hang from the web until hatching occurs within a period of one month. Each sac contains about 150 to 400 eggs, and females can produce as many as 12 or more during their lifetime. Males typically inhabit the same web for long durations and mate with the same female more than once. House spiders reportedly live for up to a year or more after maturation.

Commonly Asked Questions

How worried should I be about house spiders?

House spiders are acknowledged as a pest due to their unkempt cobwebs and the alarming nature of their presence to anyone with arachnophobia.

While house spiders usually only bite when startled, their bites can cause a red mark, with irritation for a number of hours.

Notably, an average house spider may live for about a year and produce thousands of offspring during their lifespan, so infestations may spiral out of control if left unchecked. If a house spider infestation takes over your home, contact a professional pest control service to have them eradicated.