How Dangerous Is A Small Brown Spider With White Spots On Its Back – In North America there are many species of arachnids. In fact, there are about 40,000 species of spiders in the world, and North America has about 3,000 of them, according to Pests.org. With so many types of squids running around, house spiders are bound to show up in your home from time to time. And with different species come different anxiety levels—which makes it important to learn how to spot critters.
After all, seeing a spider near you can be pretty intense, especially if you’re really scared of creepy crawlies. And, when someone shows up at your house, it can be very scary. Unfortunately, as the weather changes, you may see more spiders in basements, attics, bathrooms and general living areas.
How Dangerous Is A Small Brown Spider With White Spots On Its Back
Before you panic, know this: it’s actually good to be around spiders. “Most spiders don’t harm us and are predators of pests,” says entomologist Roberto M. Pereira, Ph.D., an insect researcher at the University of Florida. Translation: it gets rid of other flies like cockroaches, houseflies and millipedes that you don’t want to deal with either.
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However, some can be more problematic than others – especially when dealing with possible spider bites (see: How to Treat Spider Bites). Here are some of the more common house spiders you might see, how to identify them and whether they’re potentially dangerous (be warned: most aren’t).
What they look like: These spiders are on the smaller side—about the size of a nickel—and have a round abdomen. They’re also usually gray and will have white markings, says Mark Potzler, entomologist and technical services manager with Ehrlich Pest Control. “Their tissue often looks very tangled or messy,” he added.
Where to find them: They like dark, covered areas. “They hide in corners, under cabinets, in basements, sometimes in garages around windows where flies can be active,” Potzler said.
What they look like: With more than 200 species of wolf spiders, it’s no surprise that they vary in size and appearance. “The largest species can reach an inch and a half in length,” explains Pozler. Wolf spiders come in the following colors: gray, brown or black. And because they are hairy, they can sometimes be mistaken for tarantulas. Also worth noting: “These are nomadic spiders that don’t spin their webs to catch prey—they hunt it,” says Howard Russell, an entomologist at Michigan State University.
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Where to find them: You can find wolf spiders where other insects live — such as garages, basements, sheds and other dark enclosed spaces, according to Potzler. And because insects often go outside, you can also find wolf spiders outdoors in various places: in the debris around us, under baseboards or in the cracks around your house.
What they look like: The famous black widow has a glossy black color and hourglass-shaped red markings on its underside, Pozler explains. “They may also have a red mark on the back,” he added.
Where to find them: Black widows prefer to live in places where there are nooks and crannies, as well as tall grass, Russell said. You can also find them hidden in mailboxes or garages, he adds.
Can they hurt you? “It’s one of the few spider species that can be dangerous to humans,” Potzler said. “About 2,200 bites are reported each year, but there have been no deaths from widow spiders in the United States since 1983. Severe pain, muscle cramps, possible nausea and vomiting are typical symptoms of black widow spider bites, and these symptoms are may appear within hours of the bite, explains Potzler. Go to the ER ASAP if you suspect you’ve been bitten for immediate treatment.
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What they look like: The brown recluse is a brown spider with distinct “violin-shaped markings” on its head and down its back, Potzler said. Also, brown recluse spiders have six eyes instead of the eight that many other spiders have.
Where to find them: Brown hermits like to hang out in unobstructed corners of houses, sheds and basements or cellars. “Many bites occur because spiders hide in folded towels and sheets, under piles of clothes on the floor, or in shoes in closets,” Potzler says. “If you live in an area where brown desert is common, it’s a good idea to take off your clothes and shoes or wear gloves if you’re working in your shed or garage.”
Can they hurt you? yes. “A survivor can harm people,” Pereira said. “Bite sites are a serious problem.” Brown recluse bites can cause necrotic lesions (meaning they kill surrounding cells and tissue), so you should see a doctor immediately if you think you’ve been bitten, Russell says.
What they look like: You probably know this, but just in case: It has a round body part and long, very thin legs on top of it.
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Where to find them: They like to live outdoors, sometimes they can hide under canopies or be found above and below decks. “Most of the time, you’ll find them in the grass or in the trees,” Potzler said.
Can they hurt you? Nope. “Contrary to Internet myth, daddy longlegs aren’t poisonous enough to kill a horse,” Potzler said. “They don’t have poison glands. They don’t harm people.”
What they look like: Desert spiders are brownish-brown in color, and the spider’s upper body can appear mottled, with dark and light spots, Potzler said. They look quite furry and have sharp hairs on their legs.
Where to find them: Although they usually hang out outside, they sometimes go indoors. “It can hide in clothing, bedding, and shoes,” Potzler says.
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Can they hurt you? yes. “Hobo spiders can deliver painful bites that cause local red swelling and some pain, but no necrotic damage,” Potzler said. Symptoms usually improve within 24 hours of using OTC pain relievers and ice.
What they look like: There are more than 300 species and they all look slightly different. “Their color can range from solid black with subtle markings to zebra stripes, and some have colorful markings,” Potzler said. “They’re easier to spot than the center of their very large eyes, although most people probably don’t want to get close enough to see their eyes.”
Where to find them: They can be anywhere in your home. They don’t build webs, but are what Pötzler calls “active daylight hunters,” so you can see them at any time. “You may see them climbing walls or ceilings, or hanging out in attics or outside buildings and trees,” he said.
Can they hurt you? Not easy. Although Russell says these spiders “may bite defensively,” that shouldn’t cause you any problems.
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What they look like: Spiders will build silken tent-like structures. “They hide in pouches during the day and then hunt at night,” Potzler said. They are usually pale beige or yellowish in color and have a dark V shape on their body.
Where to find them: Their nests are usually at the top of a wall where it meets a ceiling or corner, Potzler said. It is most commonly found in living spaces such as the living room, bedroom and kitchen.
Can they hurt you? Bites from these spiders are uncommon, “but hospitalizations of people with weakened immune systems or pre-existing health conditions have been reported,” Potzler said.
What they look like: These are spiders that build large webs that you can see in the morning covered with dew. “The world’s climate spins the web every day, then destroys it and rebuilds it the next day,” Potzler said. They can have spiny or smooth bellies and are usually brown or gray in color. However, there are many species and some are difficult to distinguish from other spiders.
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Where to find them: They like to build their nests where they can catch the most flying insects, Potzler said. They can build nests on your deck or outside your home, especially if you have outdoor lights (which attract flying insects that they like to eat).
Can they hurt you? Not easy. Although they can bite, it’s usually not a problem for most people, Potzler said.
What they look like: These are “very common” brown spiders, Potzler said. It might be confused with the brown recluse, but grass spiders have long spinnerets (finger-like appendages at the end of their abdomens) that brown recluses don’t have, he said.
Where to find them: They like to hang around the foundation of houses, but Pötzler says males sometimes find their way in.
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Can they hurt you? They can
