Giant House Spiders in Mid-South TN

The giant house spider is very common in Mid-South TN. It was at one time thought to be venomous, but was proven to have little or no venom toxicity.  The giant house spider can be found in dark corners of rooms, storage sheds, barns, bridges, fences, and other structures. This large spider generally constructs funnel webs on window angles and in corners. Although giant house spiders prefer to live outdoors, they are hitchhikers and can be brought indoors when they hide in boxes, firewood, or other belongings.

Giant House Spider Habitat

They are often found in garages or basements, as well as outdoors, in firewood, or in gaps between bricks or stones. They build webs with a funnel-like hole in the center, where they sit and wait for prey. The giant house spider is not an active climber and indoors can be found on the floor or trapped in sinks and bathtubs where it has ventured in search of water. They prefer to avoid contact with humans and hide during the day, meaning they are most often seen at night.

Giant House Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Giant house spiders are most often spotted indoors during the autumn when they have reached their maximum size. These spiders are not aggressive and usually run away, very rapidly, when startled. Although it is rare, a bite from a giant house spider may occur when it feels threatened. However, bites are not serious and the giant house spiders’ venom is only harmful to individuals with specific allergies. Aside from its large size and threatening appearance, this spider does not pose much of a threat to people. Always contact a professional spider exterminator for help with giant house spiders.

Brown Widow Spiders in Mid-South TN

Brown widow spiders, also known as cobweb spiders because of their irregular webs, are common in Mid-South TN. The brown widow originally entered the U.S. in Florida and spread its range in the 1990s. The brown widow resembles the black widow, however, the hourglass of the brown widow is yellowish-orange or reddish-orange instead of bright red as in the black widow. Males do not bite, however, the female brown widow is a venomous spider that injects a neurotoxic venom when it bites its prey.

Brown Widow Spider Habitat

The brown widow builds its web in secluded, protected sites around homes and in woody vegetation with branches. Some typical sites selected by brown widows for web building are empty containers such as buckets and nursery pots, mailboxes, entryway corners, under eaves, storage closets and garages, and on the undersides of outdoor furniture and wrought iron railings. They choose places that are more exposed than sites chosen by black widows and therefore, appear to be at higher risk for interactions with humans regarding the potential to be bitten.

Brown Widow Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

The bite of a brown widow spider is minor in comparison to that of a black widow and does not cause the same symptoms as a black widow bite. Brown widow spider venom is twice as potent as black widow venom, however, it is believed the brown widow does not inject the same amount of neurotoxin. This species is timid and avoids human interaction. In fact, males and immature brown widow spiders do not bite at all. While brown widow spider bites are typically not medically threatening, it is important for sensitive individuals to seek medical attention in the event of severe pain and swelling.If you are dealing with a brown widow spider problem in your home, contact your local spider exterminators for help.

Woodlouse Spiders in Mid-South TN

Woodlouse spiders are commonly found in homes and gardens throughout Mid-South TN. The spider gets its name from its prey, the woodlouse, also known as sowbugs, isopods, and roly-polies. It has long fangs and powerful jaws which are designed to pierce the tough armor of woodlice, their only prey. It kills its prey by reaching underneath the rolled-up creature and injecting venom.

Woodlouse Spider Habitat

Nocturnal creatures, woodlouse spiders prefer humid environments and are normally found in gardens, under rocks, or in the shade of logs. Instead of spinning webs, these spiders hunt at night and catch their prey with their forward-facing jaws after the sun goes down. Due to their preference for warm climates, they sometimes wander into homes and structures.

Woodlouse Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

The bite of a woodlouse spider is not harmful to humans. However, due to their mechanical fang penetration, there may be some pain but the effects are usually gone within an hour. They prefer rotting vegetation and wood and are most often found in basements, under stones and boards, around doors and windows, and other areas that contain rotting wood. Gardeners tend to welcome these arachnids in their yards, as they help them get rid of woodlice, which are notorious plant pests.If you are dealing with excess woodlouse spiders, contact your local spider exterminators.

Cellar Spiders in Mid-South TN

Cellar spiders are inconspicuous, harmless, fragile spiders with extremely long, thin legs. They are sometimes referred to as daddy longlegs spiders, which are quite different and unrelated. Some species of cellar spiders are very common in homes, especially in garages, basements, and cellars, hence the common name. These spiders can be seen in corners and ceilings, usually hanging belly-up. Cellar spiders are the natural enemy of large house spiders that live in homes, and will also feed on flies, bees, wasps, and even other cellar spiders when food is scarce.

Cellar Spider Habitat

In nature, cellar spiders usually live in the openings of caves, or crevices in cliffs, and other protected places. Indoors, are often found in damp cellars, basements, crawl spaces, garages, and dark, quiet places. Cellar spiders build irregular messy webs and are highly sensitive to vibrations and will close in on an unsuspecting insect rapidly if it happens to wander into its web. Male and female cellar spiders may be found in climate-controlled structures year-round.

Cellar Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Although cellar spiders do have venom, they aren’t a cause for concern. Historically, cellar spiders are not known to bite humans and, therefore, do not pose a health threat. Cellar spiders are considered nuisance pests, due to the large amounts of webbing they produce. Many species of spiders consume their old web before making a new one, but cellar spiders do not. They continuously add to it, creating large amounts of webbing which becomes a nuisance to remove and an eyesore in homes and commercial buildings.If you are dealing with cellar spider problems in your home, contact your local spider exterminators.

Harvestmen / Daddy Longlegs in Mid-South TN

Harvestmen, otherwise known as daddy longlegs, are often confused with spiders, but harvestmen are not true spiders. The name harvestmen came from their visibility in late summer and fall at harvest time. Harvestmen do not have silk glands and cannot spin webs. This species is known for its extremely long, thin legs and compact oval bodies. Harvestmen are sometimes a nuisance around structures where they congregate by the dozens, but they are not harmful to humans, animals, buildings, or crops.

Harvestmen / Daddy Longlegs Habitat

Harvestmen need humid places to live and are most often found in forests and caves, climbing on rocks and vegetation. During warm months, harvestmen are extremely common on the shady sides of buildings, underneath eaves, in crawl spaces, and on trees, in both rural and urban environments. In the fall, harvestmen will gather in large groups or swarms on the sides of buildings, moving simultaneously, resembling a wiggling mass, which can be disturbing for predators or homeowners.

Harvestmen Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Harvestmen are beneficial predators in the garden because they eat aphids, spiders, and other garden pests. Harvestmen do not bite, or produce venom and pose no danger to humans. However, if harvestmen feel threatened or are disturbed, they will emit a strange-smelling odor that repels potential predators. It is rare for harvestmen to be found in homes, and because they are nocturnal, being most active at night, they can be difficult to detect. If you are dealing with excess daddy longlegs spiders on your property, contact your local spider exterminators for help.

Southern House Spiders in Mid-South TN

Southern house spiders, sometimes referred to as crevice spiders, are commonly found in Mid-South TN. They are frequently mistaken for brown recluse spiders, however, males have eight eyes squeezed together, and females are velvety black and look more like small tarantulas. Yet both sexes are frequently mistaken for recluses. Southern house spiders make a cottony web on a flat surface where they hide in a hole, waiting for prey.

Southern House Spider Habitat

The southern house spider is partial to spaces within the masonry of buildings; especially dark recesses of window sills, shutters, and overhangs. Females and juveniles make specialized webs that are occasionally found under tree bark but are frequently seen on houses, barns, bridges, and other man-made structures. Southern house spiders will build webs in high places, and typically in the cracks and crevices of homes, garages, and sheds. These spiders will also spin their webs outside, in plants, cactus, and vegetation. The webs of this spider are flat and tangled, having a woolly texture.

Southern House Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

While they look similar to the dangerous recluse spider species, southern house spiders are harmless to humans. They are reluctant to bite, and their venom is not medically significant. They do, however, have an unnerving tendency to crawl across anything in their path. Male southern house spiders sometimes appear aggressive, but they do not bite unless trapped and their mouthparts are too small to easily penetrate human skin. The southern house spider can be a particular pest during the winter, building up populations in unkept areas of houses, outbuildings, warehouses, and similar structures in addition to outdoor habitats.If you are dealing with southern house spider problems on your Mid-South TN property, contact your local spider exterminators.

Sac Spiders in Mid-South TN

Sometimes referred to as a “yellow sac spider”, these spiders are often pale yellow in color and have even been known to have a hint or tinge of green. Similar to most spiders, sac spiders prefer to stay away from human contact and typically only find their way indoors by accident. The sac spider is commonly found in homes and is often mistaken for the brown recluse because it is similar in shape, but the sac spider lacks the “fiddle” pattern of the brown recluse. For the most part, sac spiders prefer to feed on a variety of types of spiders along with other garden insects.

Sac Spider Habitat

Outdoors, sac spiders can be seen in gardens, under vegetation, bark, in rolled leaves, and organic debris. Sac spiders are often shipped in agricultural products such as grapes and can make their way into homes on produce. It is common to see these spiders inside a home during the fall as they begin to seek warmth from the dropping temperatures outdoors. Sac spiders can easily climb slick surfaces and will construct silk, sac-like retreats wherever walls meet other walls or ceilings.

Sac Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Sac spiders are hunting spiders that use their silk sac only for their retreat or for their egg capsules. They are nocturnal, hunting at night for other insects. The bite of a common sac spider can be misdiagnosed as a brown recluse spider bite. Injuries develop in a similar manner but are much less severe. Although the bite of a yellow sac spider can be painful, it is not medically significant except for allergic individuals. Reactions, such as swelling, slow healing, and ulcerated sores around the bite site, are similar enough to be confusing. If you suspect that you have been bitten by a spider, seek medical attention if symptoms persist or intensify.If you need help with sac spiders, contact your local spider exterminators.

Huntsman Spiders in Mid-South TN

The huntsman spider is one of the largest spider species in the world and is sometimes referred to as the giant crab spider or the banana spider. Although occasionally mistaken for a large brown recluse spider, the huntsman spider is not venomous nor is it related to the brown recluse species. Huntsman spiders are fast, and unlike other spiders, do not spin webs to trap unsuspecting prey. They commonly hunt down their prey, and can sometimes be found in homes.

Huntsman Spider Habitat

Huntsman spiders can move quickly and prefer hiding in dark places during the day, emerging at night to hunt. They are commonly found hiding under tree bark, in woodpiles, structures, and even cars. Their flattened bodies enable them to fit through small cracks and crevices, allowing them to enter homes, barns, sheds, and other sheltered areas. Being cold-sensitive, these spiders cannot exist outdoors in areas with freezing winter temperatures. In cold weather they can be found indoors, under furniture or cabinets, behind wall hangings, and in closets and garages.

Huntsman Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Huntsman spiders are not venomous enough to require hospitalization, but bites are very painful and may cause other side effects in sensitive individuals. While these arachnids are large, they are not generally aggressive and most huntsman spiders will likely try to run away rather than bite. Huntsman spiders are considered beneficial as they feed on a variety of insects, such as cockroaches, moths, and on occasion, small reptiles.If you are dealing with huntsman spider problems on your property, contact your local spider exterminators.

Hobo Spiders in Mid-South TN

A hobo spider is a common type of spider found in Mid-South TN The hobo spider received its name from the fact that it’s often found along railroad tracks. The hobo spider belongs to the funnel-web spider family, and constructs funnel or tube-shaped areas out of their silk to hide in. They can move rapidly, up to three feet per second, when moving from place to place, but are not very good at climbing.

Hobo Spider Habitat

Common outdoor habitats for the hobo spider include rock retaining walls, landscape rocks, cracks in soil or concrete, vegetation, near and around foundations, window wells, irrigation boxes, stacks of lumber, firewood, and bricks. Indoors, the hobo spider is typically found running across the floor or near the floor level. These spiders are not good climbers, however, they will sometimes be found in tubs and sinks. Although some have been observed a few feet above floor level, most hobo spiders are seen running about on the floor or in webs close to the ground or vegetation.

Hobo Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Hobo spiders rarely bite people, and when they do bite, their bite is almost painless. It is no longer believed that hobo spider bites cause tissue damage or skin death (necrosis). Unlike other spiders that have been shown to cause this condition, hobo spider venom is not considered toxic to humans according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you suspect you have been bitten and are concerned about any skin reaction, see a doctor for a proper diagnosis.

If you are dealing with hobo spiders, contact your local spider exterminators.

Fishing Spiders in Mid-South TN

Fishing spiders are large spiders and are similar to wolf spiders in size, shape, and coloration. These spiders get their name as they live near water and have been reported to catch small fish and aquatic insects. Fishing spiders are commonly found in wooded areas and may enter homes near waterfronts or wooded areas, wandering into garages, basements, and storage sheds. These spiders attract attention because they can walk across the surface of a pool or stream and when chased, will dive and remain underwater for a short while.

Fishing Spider Habitat

Fishing spiders are typically found near bodies of water, primarily around lakeside vegetation, boat docks, and other structures. In residential areas, they commonly live in and around pools and can infiltrate homes. Living close to wooded areas increases the chances of seeing or otherwise encountering fishing spiders. These spiders can climb trees, making their way onto roofs where they slip through crevices and unsealed windows. Fishing spiders may also enter through cracks in damaged foundations. Though they prefer to live outdoors, they may head inside seeking a place to hibernate over the winter.

Fishing Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Fishing spiders may be large and look menacing, however, their venom is not toxic to humans. They are not household pests, but for those who suffer from arachnophobia, the sight of one of these robust pests can be cause for alarm. If a fishing spider accidentally wanders into the garage or gets into the basement, it can be safely corralled into a jar or other container and released outside. They can damage ornamental plants due to the nursery webs and the debris that may accumulate in them. Always contact a professional spider exterminator for help with fishing spiders.