In many homes across the nation, house spiders are common. Despite this, the sight of a common house spider makes most people uncomfortable. Seeing a black or brown arachnid scurrying across the floor or hiding in a dark corner might scare you half to death. The house spider may be harmful and might deliver a painful bite, which is another fear. Fortunately, the majority of house spiders are harmless.
It’s critical to identify spiders that frequent homes. The common house spider is frequently mistaken for the deadly brown recluse, even though most of them are not venomous. In addition, the hairy body and white spots of the furry brown or black jumping spider make it seem frightening, although it is usually not harmful.
This article will help you recognize the most common varieties of spiders that may be found in your home. The eight-legged creepy crawlers are described and photographed, so you can identify the spider and handle it safely.
How to Identify Common House Spiders
Many Arachnida species that are commonly found in homes are referred to as house spiders. The eight legs, body form, distinctive patterns, color, and presence of hairs are all identifying traits of common house spiders. Brown and hairless spiders make up the majority of house spiders.
The red hourglass insignia of the black widow, on the other hand, is an outlier. The webs of common house spiders are another characteristic that distinguishes them. Common house spiders, for example, weave cobwebs or tangle webs. Furthermore, some spiders, such as orb weavers, may be able to enter indoors and spin a web that looks like a spokes of an open web to capture insects.
Types of Common House Spiders (With Pictures) – Identification Guide
It’s a smart idea to identify typical house spiders before handling them. While most spiders in the home are non-biters and innocuous, there are a few exceptions. Keep reading if you want to learn more about common household spiders.
American House Spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum)
The bulbous brown mottled body and long legs of the American house spider distinguish it from other tan to dark brown spiders indoors. A bulbous abdomen, long legs, and the look of a brown widow spider distinguish this little brown spider. The brown spiders are roughly 0.2 to 0.24 inches (5 to 6 mm) long. The American house spider is difficult to detect indoors due to its brown color.
Messy cobwebs in corners of window frames, ceilings, and furniture are all signs of these common indoor spiders. The American house spider is venomous, as are other spiders. However, since it isn’t aggressive and only bites if you catch or squeeze it, it is categorized as a harmless indoor brown spider. Toxins in the poison are also non-toxic to humans.
House Spider Identification
The bulbous dark brown body with mottled patterns, long creamy-white and tan legs, and a small, brown-colored head are all identifying features of the common American house spider.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
Corners of rooms, window frames, and furniture are all home to American house spiders. Attics, crawl spaces, under furniture, and sheds are all good places to look for them. From Florida to the northeastern and northwestern United States, the American house spider is ubiquitous in houses.
Black House Spider (Badumna insignis)
The black house spider has a broad abdomen, fat legs, and a dark, charcoal-gray coloration. Furthermore, the spider has hairy legs and a velvety blackish-gray body. It resembles a tarantula because to its huge, egg-shaped belly and color. The size of a black house spider is 0.7 inch (18 mm).
The gray house spider (Badumna longinqua) and the black house spider are cousins. The body and legs of this species are pale gray, making it somewhat smaller. To capture their prey, both spider species spin funnel webs. The hairy house spiders, on the other hand, are quite shy and avoid human touch.
House Spider Identification
The dark gray to black oval abdomen of the black house spider is covered in tiny white markings, which distinguish it. Additionally, because of its 1.1″ (28 mm) leg span, the spider looks bigger.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
Wall corners, crawl spaces, behind baseboards, and window frames are all common hiding places for the black house spider.
Cellar Spider (Pholcidae)
Because of their long spindly legs and tiny, egg-shaped, brown body, cellar spiders are easy to spot in homes. Despite its tiny size (0.08–0.39 inch, 2–10 mm), this little brown spider has a 2-inch (50-mm) leg span. The little spider also has six eyes arranged in groups of three, in addition to its other features.
In North America, cellar spiders are ubiquitous and pose no threat to humans. Nevertheless, in the corner of rooms, you may see a small spider with slender arching legs. In quiet spots in rooms and other undisturbed areas, these spiders build unkempt, irregular-shaped webs.
Vibrating spiders, carpenter spiders, and daddy-long-legs spiders are some of the common names for cellar spiders. Other arthropods, such as harvestmen and crane flies, are given the name daddy long-legs.
House Spider Identification
A harmless brown spider with a small rounded abdomen and long slender tan-colored legs, the cellar spider is a non-aggressive species.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
Attics, basements, crawl spaces, and quiet spots in rooms are all common places for cellar spiders to be found.
Southern House Spider (Kukulcania hibernalis)
The southern house spider has a long oval head and an extended fuzzy brown abdomen that ranges from dark brown to black in color. It is a huge harmless spider. This spider’s photos reveal that it has black brown spiny legs and two large eyes on top of its head when seen up close.
The house spider can grow to be up to 0.75 inches (20 mm) in size. It’s only the male house spiders that are seen, despite its prevalence in homes in the southern states. Spiders are known for scurrying across floors and behaving aggressively. Southern house spiders, on the other hand, are rarely dangerous. Brown spiders, sometimes known as crevice weavers, prefer warm climates.
House Spider Identification
The velvety abdomen of the big brown southern house spider, as well as its brilliant brown cephalothorax and lengthy hairy legs, make it look oval.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
In undisturbed basements and attics, the southern house spider may be found.
Black Widow Spider
The black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) may be found mostly in dwellings in warm regions and has a black body with a distinct red hourglass scar on its belly. The bulbous abdomen, long glossy black legs, and small head of black widows with red markings. The black spider’s underside gastrointestinal markings may be pinkish, orange, or dark red depending on the species.
The length of a black widow spider ranges from 3 to 10 mm. Their leg span, on the other hand, gives them a longer look. A nasty, venomous bite may cause muscle pain, cramps, and spasms in humans who are bitten by this species of venomous spider. Black widow spiders are generally found in dark places and will only attack if provoked. Messy cobwebs made up of sticky fibers are a sign of venomous black spiders.
House Spider Identification
The red hourglass pattern of black widow spiders stands out against a glossy black oval, spherical body. They have two front legs that are longer than the rest of their limbs.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
Black widows prefer to hide in dark, dimly lit areas like corners, closets, cluttered spaces, basements, and attics inside the dwellings. Warm states like Arizona, Florida, Texas, and Nevada have a high density of black widows in their homes.
Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus)
The brown widow spider prefers dark areas in the home, with a bulbous light brown to dark brown body and a striped back with a dark orange hourglass marking on its underside. The brown widow has bright patterns on its back and has orange or dull yellow patterns.
Gray widows are somewhat smaller than black widows, with a length of 0.47″ to 0.6″ (12 to 16 mm).
The brown widow has long, extended legs with dark brown bands, similar to all widow spiders. The brown widow spider’s bite is less dangerous than the black widow’s, yet it is poisonous. It has been compared to a bee’s sting by the majority of people.
House Spider Identification
The orangey-red geometric hourglass pattern on the brown widow spider’s side, banded tan legs, and colorful stripes over its brown belly are all easily identifiable features.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
Brown widow spiders may be discovered around your house in dark, undisturbed corners, such as behind furniture, basements, attics, or garages. Yards with rock or wood piles, as well as other secluded places, are also home to brown widow spiders. In Arizona, Florida, California, and other southern states, these brown spiders are common.
Brown Recluse Spider (Loxosceles reclusa)
Brown recluse spiders are venomous house spider that has light brown body with long legs. The colored spiders have a visible violin-shaped mark on their cephalothorax, and their body is brown to medium brown in color. Brown recluse spiders are 0.24 to 0.8 inches (6 to 20 mm) long.
Their leg span, on the other hand, makes them seem bigger. Brown recluse spiders are also known as brown fiddlers, violin spiders, and fiddleback spiders. Other harmless spiders have similar markings on their heads, despite the fact that the violin markings on its head are an identifying feature. The brown spider, on the other hand, has just six eyes rather than eight, which is unusual for most spiders.
House Spider Identification
The velvety head of a brown recluse spider is yellowish-brown. The six-eyed spider’s cephalothorax has a special violin pattern, making it simple to tell apart from the common house spider.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
The brown recluse spider lives in dark, quiet areas of the home, such as behind cardboard boxes. It creates disorganized webs. These web-weaving spiders are mostly active at night.
Wolf Spider (Lycosidae)
When the weather gets colder, wolf spiders can enter homes by entering through doors or windows. Wolf spiders have eight eyes that are arranged in three rows, with banded hairy legs and a flattened head. Brown spiders that measure 0.4 to 1.4 inches (10 to 35 mm) are medium-sized.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
During the autumn, when the temperature drops, wolf spiders may enter homes, while furry brown spiders may enter houses. They prefer to lurk in nooks, closets, around entrances, and basements.
Hobo Spider (Eratigena agrestis)
Hobo spiders are brown funnel web spiders with chevron, V-shaped patterns on their abdomens that move quickly and are common in northern US homes. The cephalothorax has two black stripes and one lighter stripe, light brown legs with no bands, and visible spinnerets at the rear.
Hobo spiders have identifiable features. Hobo spiders range in size from 0.27 to 0.55 inch (7 to 14 mm). Because of their quick speed and agility, a hobo spider in the house is usually terrifying.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
In the northwestern United States, hobo spiders are found in homes. They’ll seek out dark, damp spots to hide after entering homes via openings in the fall. Basements, beneath bathtubs, and wall crevices are common places for them to be found.
Jumping Spider (Salticidae)
Jumping spiders are a group of spiders with a wide range of colors and patterns. Little black spiders with white dots are among them. The black, tan, or gray bodies of jumping spiders are marked with orangish or white patterns. They have thick, short legs and are covered in thick hairs, giving them a frightening appearance. Their eight eyes, arranged in three rows with two large ones in the middle, are another characteristic.
Jumping spiders come in a variety of colors and have several characteristics in common. They can move from side to side quickly and swiftly. 0.04 inch to 1 inch (1 – 25 mm) long, little white-spotted spiders
Where To Find the Common House Spider
Jumping spiders hunt for small prey near windows and doors.
Northern Yellow Sac Spider (Cheiracanthium inclusum)
In the summer, northern yellow sac spiders can be found in gardens, but in the winter, they may enter homes. This little yellow spider has a pointed egg-shaped belly with dark brown markings on its face and legs, as well as an identifiable egg-shaped abdomen. With a leg span of up to 1 inch (25 mm), the little yellow house spider may range in size from 0.19 to 0.35 inch (5 to 9 mm). Yellow sac spiders are also known as black-footed spiders, and they can deliver a venomous bite.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
The yellow sac spider resides in the walls and ceilings of its house, where it remains unnoticed. They may also be found on window sills. Gardens, on the other hand, are where they spend the majority of their time. As a result, while working in the garden, wearing gloves is always recommended.
Orb Weaver Spiders (Araneidae)
Several colors and sizes of orb weaver spiders may be found outdoors, as well as some that can enter indoors. The hairy spiders’ hairy brown, oval abdomen has black or white dots, spiky legs, and a tiny snout. Orb weaver spiders reach a width of 0.78 to 1.18 inches (20 to 30 mm).
Where To Find the Common House Spider
Only a few non-aggressive orb weaver spiders invade homes on occasion. The large, sheet-like spoked webs they spin, on the other hand, will cause you to notice them.
American Grass Spiders (Agelenopsis)
The body of the American grass spider is light brown, with dark brown stripes and markings and a somewhat elongated, oval shape. The dark brown bands down the cephalothorax, mottled brown abdominal patterns, and spiny, orangey legs are among the distinguishing traits of grass spiders.
American grass spiders reach a length of 0.78 in (20 mm). Although the American grass spider may occasionally enter a house, it is unusual. Brown spiders are most likely common house spiders or brown recluse spiders, so if you spot one in your home, there’s a good chance it’s one of them.
Harvestmen (Opiliones)
Harvestmen are also known as daddy longlegs and are similar to cellar spiders. They belong to the spider-like arachnoid harvestmen order. Harvestmen are small brown creatures with long, thin arched legs. The bodies of certain harvestmen are brown, with a speckled pattern on their backs. Brown with yellow dots, other harvestmen spiders are Harvestmen.
Harvestmen have many of the characteristics of spiders, despite being technically not classified as such. Harvestmen are generally tiny, with bodies that are no more than 0.28” (7 mm) long. They do, however, have a enormous leg span that may reach 6.3 inches (160 mm) in length. Harvestmen have poor eyesight and don’t spin webs. Instead, they hunt tiny insects with their front legs acting as antennae.
House Spider Identification
Harvestmen have tiny spherical bodies with eight extremely lengthy legs that help them stand out. Harvestmen also have a fused body, which distinguishes them from spiders.
Where To Find the Common House Spider
Harvestmen are common in barns, garages, basements, and crawl spaces during the harvest season.