Weather is getting cooler. Leaves are falling. Critters are fattening up and scouting warm, dry spots to stow away over the long, winter months ahead. The creepiest of crawlies (spiders) are making their presence very well know- just in time for Halloween.
Are All Spiders Dangerous?
We get this question all the time. It’s not surprising. Next to snakes, people fear spiders over any other pest out there. Are all spiders dangerous though?
You might find some peace of mind knowing that out of all the spiders we encounter around our houses, only a few species out of thousands pose serious threats to humans.
Do all spiders bite?
Spiders are natural predators. They’re naturally dangerous to their prey. And almost all species of spiders are venomous. But most spider fangs aren’t strong enough to pierce human skin, let alone deliver a human-sized fatal amount of venom.
Spiders’ prey usually consists of small flies or gnats or insects that find their way onto webs. Spiders aren’t going to walk across a human arm and suddenly find humans delicious. If that happened, our entire food chain is in trouble lol. If spiders are disturbed or feel threatened, certain species might react with a bite that is similar to a mosquito bite. It’s rare but it happens.
Types of Spiders
Let’s review some of the most common spiders we see in our area. Education is always the best defense against any pest problem. So let’s go over some quick spider facts to help you overcome some of your fears.
Cellar Spider
Cellar spiders, also known as “daddy long legs,” are often found in damp, dark places like cellars or basements. With a thin body shape, often seen as pale yellowish, light brown or grey, this spiders’ appearance could scare anyone, but no need to fear! Cellar spiders are not known to bite people. They will however, kill and eat almost any insect.
Wolf Spider
Wolf spiders are found in nature under wood, leaves, stones and other natural foliage debris. But when indoors, the wolf spider prefers to travel along walls, hide out under furniture, and in basements where there are other insects to feed on. The dark brownish grey wolf spider with striped markings on its legs tend to be hairy and scary, but they’re really not a harmful spider to us. Wolf spiders are not aggressive, and only bite humans if they feel threatened.
Orb Weaver
Orb weavers, better known as garden spiders, rarely bite and only do so when they feel threatened. They have a bright colorful pattern and build large, complex webs overnight. These spiders tend to inhabit areas where their prey visit frequently like tree branches, weeds or tall grass, for example. Orb weavers hang upside down in their webs. They tend to have large abdomens, which can make them look like terrifying pregnant creatures, but these guys are good guys. Guardians of the garden, if you will. 🙂
It would also be super weird to find one of these inside your house. They prefer gardens. Lots of snacks there. Spider snacks. Not human snacks.
Jumping Spider
Commonly mistaken for black widow spiders due to their black appearance, jumping spiders gets their name from their impressive ability to jump when capturing their prey. Jumping spiders are not aggressive and harmless to humans. You can follow all kinds of accounts on instagram and tik tok of people’s jumping spider pets. They’re pretty adorable actually.
Why Do I Have So Many Spiders in my House?
Spiders are usually there because there’s a lot for them to snack on. They’re eating other bugs. If you eliminate their food source and their comfortable ability to build webs all over your house, then you will eliminate the populations of spiders.
Pushing spider pressures back outside where they belong, removing cobwebs and preventing spiders from building webs on the outside of your house are all part of the perks of our quarterly service, the Healthy Home Maintenance Program. Ask us for a free quote today!
