Five Common Types of Spiders

Spiders are considered pests whenever they invade residential areas, outdoor living spaces, and businesses. Some are dangerous but most are just creepy. Listed below are five of the most common types of spiders that live among humans.

Brown Recluse

Brown Recluse spiders are shy and are almost never seen out in the open. Their bites are poisonous but with practice, it is easy to identify a Recluse. Brown Recluse spiders have a violin pattern behind their eyes (but many other spiders have this fiddle shaped mark). They also have light, uniform colored legs with no stripes or bands. At maturity, with legs extended, they are the size of a quarter. They build near the floor in secluded locations like closets. Their webs are dense and messy. They hide during the day, only coming out to hunt at night. Most spiders eat live food but the brown recluse has been known to eat dead insects.

Black Widow

Black widows are also poisonous. They have a shiny abdomen with a red hourglass-shaped mark — although sometimes the red hourglass is missing. A Black Widow bite can be fatal to a child or elderly person. Fortunately, Black Widows are lazy and prefer to spend the majority of time in their webs. Bites may occur when cleaning sheds, garages, or bringing in firewood so wear thick gloves.

Granddaddy Long Legs

Granddaddy Long Legs are actually Harvestmen. They are not true spiders but are kin to mites and ticks. Granddaddies do not have fangs like true spiders and are harmless. Some Granddaddies do have glands that excrete a foul smell when threatened.

Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders are hairy, usually patterned with a mixture of black, gray, and brown with two wide stripes on their heads. Like their canine namesake, they hunt for prey by stalking, ambushing, and pouncing in for the kill. They move very fast! There are several varieties of Wolf spiders ranging in size from small to large. The Giant Wolf Spider grows to two inches in diameter. Wolf spiders do not build webs and are usually found on the floor or the ground. They are not poisonous but their bites are painful.

Cellar Spider

Cellar spiders are harmless although they do resemble the dangerous Brown Recluse spider. They prefer to live in dark, moist areas like cellars or basements and build large mats of webs high up in corners or between ceiling joists. Cellar spiders have a violin pattern behind their eyes like the Brown Recluse but are usually tan or gray instead of brown. They vibrate in a circular pattern when their webs are disturbed.