Fake spider webs can help you win the best-decorated house for Halloween, real spiders will frighten away trick-or-treaters and can be much more difficult to remove.
Common Pacific Northwest Spiders
There are several spider species native to the Pacific Northwest. The four varieties of spiders that appear around homes include; Hobo (Eratigena agrestis), Giant House (Eratigena atrica), Bold Jumping (Phidippus audax), and American House (Parasteatoda tepidarorum).
Professional pest control experts use distinct features such as web type and physical appearance to distinguish between species.
Hobo Spiders
Hobo and giant house spiders are most similar in appearance. They are both brown and about 11-14 millimeters in size. However, there are several distinct differences between the two.
Physical Appearance
Unlike most spiders in the same family, hobo spiders have no dark color bands on their leg joints. They also have a light stripe that runs down their abdomen with light spots along with it. Finally, they have a small round sac on each fang where their venom resides.
Web Style
Hobo spider webs are tightly spun in a funnel shape. They sit inside these funnels and wait for unsuspecting insects to prey upon. These funnel webs usually appear on the ground level and are typically found around human structures such as in yards, around home foundations, and inside crawl space vents.
Giant House Spiders
True to their name, giant house spiders are some of the largest spider species in Northern and Central Europe.
Physical Appearance
They are mainly dark brown throughout their body and have a lighter marking. Three spots form a kind of arrow that points towards its head.
Web Style
Most webs that appear around homes come from hobo and giant house spiders. Giant house spider webs feature a funnel at one end. Their webs are flat and messy because they are made out of threads that aren’t sticky. They prefer to build webs in corners of both ceilings and floors, especially near windows.
American House Spiders
This species of spider can live for over a year after they reach maturity!
Physical Appearance
American house spiders are smaller than hobo and giant house spiders and typically range from 4-6 millimeters long. Their bodies are mainly brown and feature different patterns that look like black and white spots.
Web Style
American house spiders create cobweb-like webs. They are synanthropic, which means they benefit from living near man-made structures. As such, they’ll build flat webs in hidden spots in homes—areas like the basement, attic, and behind appliances.
Bold Jumping Spiders
The family jumping spiders belong to includes over 6,000 different species of spiders! This makes it the largest family of spiders in the world—13% of all species of spiders are included in this category.
Physical Appearance
Jumping spiders are commonly recognized by their distinct eye pattern: all species have four pairs of eyes. The center pair is considerably larger than the others. This species is 4-18 millimeters in length. They appear to have black hair with a white dot or line along their abdomen.
Web Style
Jumping spiders don’t build webs—they prefer to chase down their prey. Even though they don’t build webs, you may find their egg sacks in the crevasses of siding.
Are there poisonous spiders in the Pacific Northwest?
Typically, most spiders will only bite if they feel they have to defend themselves. Hobo spiders have a painful bite that often results in swelling and discomfort but can usually be taken care of at home. In some rare cases, however, it’s believed that hobo spiders have a necrotizing bite, meaning it destroys the tissue where the fangs make contact.
Giant house, jumping, and American house spiders can all look frightening, but they are harmless to humans.
Fall Spider Behavior
By the time October hits, most spiders have completed their mating season, and the babies have matured. As the weather begins to cool off, spiders will move indoors in search of warmth and food.
The best way to prevent these unwanted guests from making nests on or in your home is by using a professional pest control service. Professionals know how to recognize different types of spiders to ensure your home is pest-free. Contact Natura Pest Control today at (360) 506-6071 to schedule an appointment or speak with a member of our team!
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