Most Common House Spiders

Even though most common house spiders aren’t harmful to people, you don’t necessarily want them in your home. 

Itsy-bitsy spiders aren’t always itsy or bitsy when they’re in your house. A lot of people confuse indoor insects with typical house spiders, but spiders are arachnids, not insects. 

The distinctions are straightforward: Spiders have eight, not six, legs. They also have two body segments as opposed to three in insects. They also have eight eyes, no wings, and no antennae, unlike insects.

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Here are a few spiders you might encounter in your home:

  1. American house spider
  2. Cellar spider
  3. Daddy long-legs (harvestmen)
  4. Wolf spider
  5. Hobo spider

What Are the Characteristics of Common House Spiders?

We all know that not all spiders are the same, but we don’t always look closely enough to tell which one is which. However, knowing which sort of common house spider you’re dealing with will help you discover and control them more successfully. This is how you can tell them apart.

American House Spiders 

They have dark brown v-shaped marks on their bodies and are brown, tan, and grayish in color. Their legs will be orange or yellow in color, with dark rings at the ends. 

A black triangle marking on the top of the abdomen of some American house spiders is also possible. American house spiders are around the size of a nickel, with their long, slender legs and quarter-inch body.

American house spiders love wet regions such as basements and crawl spaces to reside in. Because they forsake their webs to make new ones, they are prolific web weavers. If you frequently sweep away cobwebs, it could be a clue that you have common house spiders in your home.

Due to its dark brown color, the American house spider is frequently confused with the poisonous brown recluse spider.

Cellar Spiders

Long and thin with darker markings, a cylindrical-shaped abdomen, and long, thread-like legs, these common house spiders are light tan or gray with darker patterns. They’re especially clumsy and slow when crawling.

Cellar spiders live by suspending themselves upside down in their webs and shaking if their web is disturbed. They prefer cellar-like circumstances, as their name implies: dark, chilly, and wet. Look for cellar spiders in the basement, crawl space ceilings, and floors.

These thin-legged spiders, sometimes known as granddaddy longlegs, are often mistaken for harvestmen.

Harvestmen (aka Daddy Longlegs)

Harvestmen, though not strictly spiders, have small oval bodies and long, thin legs, making them the most clearly recognizable arachnid. Harvestmen, on the other hand, is still classified as a sort of common house spider.

Harvestmen can be found in dark, damp areas such as basement corners, crawl spaces, and underneath sinks, where they feed on both dead and live animals and require a lot of water.

Harvestmen are frequently misidentified as cellar spiders because of their long, slender legs.

Wolf Spiders

Wolf spiders are incredibly hairy and have lengthy legs that are good for running, ranging in color from gray to tan to brown to black with contrasting markings. They can be as small as a pencil eraser or as large as a silver dollar.

Where they live: Instead of capturing their prey in webs, these spiders chase and ambush their victims. Wolf spiders may readily make their way inside, despite the fact that they prefer to dwell outside. They favor calm, undisturbed areas such as basements, attics, and closets, just like other ordinary house spiders.

Despite its quick movements, the wolf spider is occasionally confused with the brown recluse spider.

Hobo Spiders

Hobo spiders have brown bodies with long, solid-colored legs that are somewhat darker brown. On a gray background, their abdomen will show a striking pattern of yellow patterns. They have a length of 1-2 inches.

Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of these spiders is their ability to run quickly. The average speed of a hobo spider is 17 inches per second, with a maximum speed of 40 inches per second.

Conclusion

Humans are not harmed by most spiders, including typical house spiders. Despite the fact that they have venom glands, their venom is only dangerous to prey, not humans. 

We hope our article helped you in learning about the most common house spiders.

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Author

Daniel White
I'm Daniel White, and I live in Jacksonville, Florida. The warm and humid climate of Florida gives an ideal habitat for many different kinds of pests. So, if I had to live in Florida, I had to learn how to deal with these pests. Now, I have 7 years of experience in Pest Control.

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