Differentiating Wolf Spiders vs Black House Spiders
Seeing a large spider scurry across your basement floor or even across your bed sheets can certainly cause alarm. Identifying key features between look-alike spider species helps assess any risk. Learn to differentiate between wolf spiders and black house spiders to take appropriate safety precautions.
Appearance of Wolf Spiders
Over 3,000 species exist globally across the wolf spider family (Lycosidae). Most share common physical traits including:
- Robust, hairy bodies reaching 12 to over 1 inch long
- Long sturdy legs with prominent joints
- Pairs of large well-developed eyes reflecting light
- Prominent fangs
- Cryptic gray, brown, or black coloring with intricate markings
- Mottled pattern disguising outline
The classic wolf spider appearance mimics texture and color of soil, leaf litter, tree bark, or other native habitats to help these ground dwellers hide from prey and predators.
Wolf Spider Behavior
Most wolf spiders roam at night seeking insects and other small invertebrates to kill or scavenge upon. During daylight hours they hide under logs, rocks, vegetation, and the bark of trees.
Wolf spiders do not spin webs to catch food. As hunters, they pin down victims using specialized front legs before injecting venom with their fangs then liquefying internal organs into a meal. Outdoor species help control disease-carrying pests like cockroaches and mosquitoes.
Females demonstrate extensive brood care, carrying egg sacs attached to their spinnerets until ready to hatch. Baby spiderlings climb onto moms back for warmth and protection immediately after emerging then scatter about a week later to fend for themselves.
Indoor Wolf Spiders
A few wolf spider species like the Tigrosa helluo thrive inside homes. Here they encounter a consistent climate plus shelter and plentiful food in the form of other insects.
Ranging about 12 inch long, Tigrosa exhibits grey and brown camouflaging stripes and built leg joints hinting at speedy movement. Think twice before grabbing a nearby shoe or towel with bare hands until locating this beneficial but startling spider!
Black House Spider Facts
Compare wolf spiders against the black house spider (Badumna insignis), also called window spiders or curtain web spiders. Endemic to several temperate regions including North America, this species earns its common name from typically living on homes indoors.
Identification features of black house spiders include:
- Small, oval dark brown to black body 6-15mm long
- Spindly long legs about the size of a quarter
- Faint grey markings along the top of abdomen
- Prominent spinnerets to produce webs
This spider often weaves messy webs in undisturbed sections of windows, window frames, ceilings, walls, and furniture. Engorged females may measure over half an inch but most stay under 5/8 inch long.
Black House Spider Webs
Black spiders build three dimensional, haphazard-looking webs with very little open space. Web anchors utilize cracks, corners, or light fixtures emitting heat conducive to trapping prey. The spider rushes out when detecting vibrations of insects caught in its disorganized web.
Females lay about 120 eggs at a time inside a silken egg sac secured to web threads. This protects the spiderlings for their first few weeks until leaving to spin independent webs. The spider population inside a single building can grow rapidly given adequate prey sources and harborage.
Bite Risk
Wolf spiders and black house spiders both deliver a venomous bite when threatened but differ in aggression. Wolf spiders flee rather than fight. While painful due to sharp fangs and tissue-damaging proteins, the mild necrosis from a wolf spider bite usually resolves without medical care in healthy individuals.
Black house spiders are not typically defensive but get squeezed or pinned against skin unexpectedly. This elicits a bite reflex with localized swelling, pain, redness, and headache possible. Antivenom treatment is rarely indicated.
Clean the bite area well with soap and water. Apply cold compresses and acetaminophen for comfort. Avoid scratching as this introduces bacteria. Signs of infection warrant antibiotics from your physician.
Preventing Indoor Spider Colonies
Regular vacuuming and cleaning eliminate spider food sources and anchorage points. Caulk or seal openings in walls, around windows and doors, pipe penetrations, and any crevices. Diatomaceous earth sprinkled in out-of-sight areas deters spiders through microscopic cuts damaging appendages.
Mild pesticide sprays containing pyrethrins temporarily neutralize spiders. Focus treatments along baseboards, window frames, around appliances, and wherever target spiders appear. Repeat applications once per week initially then taper off once the infestation clears.
Employing Natures Spider Control
Natural spider repellents offer a non-toxic option appropriate for use around children and pets when used properly. Strong-smelling essential oils like peppermint, citrus, cinnamon leaf, and tea tree make effective DIY spider deterrent spray.
Pair botanical oils with vinegar for an added bite. The acetic acid alters pH balance and strips protective wax layers from arthropod cuticles. Test formulas in inconspicuous areas first since some finishes react. Reapply twice per week for best results.
When to Call for Professional Help
Extensive spider infestations inside homes often require professional pest control. Technicians evaluate the scope of the problem and spider access points. Equipment like power sprayers and mist blowers thoroughly penetrate cracks, voids, and folds around a structure.
Insect growth regulators prevent immature spiders from molting properly so they cannot mature to breeding age. Combined with intensive mechanical clearance of webs and egg sacs, dramatic reductions occur without harmful residue.
Follow all preparation instructions to ensure treatment effectiveness. Ongoing prevention comes down to envisioning a home from a spiders perspective and making it less spider-friendly.
FAQs
How can I identify a wolf spider vs a black house spider?
Wolf spiders have hairy, camouflaged bodies reaching up to 1 inch long. Black house spiders are smaller with spindly dark legs, faint grey markings, and prominent spinnerets for weaving messy webs indoors.
Do wolf spiders come inside houses?
A few wolf spider species like the Tigrosa helluo adapt to indoor living. They hide in cracks and voids, emerging at night to hunt insects in basements, crawl spaces, garages, and sometimes living spaces.
Where are black house spider webs located?
Black house spiders build messy, three dimensional webs anchored in corners, cracks, window frames, light fixtures, walls, ceilings and furniture in sheltered parts of homes.
What should I do for a wolf or house spider bite?
Clean with soap and water. Apply cold compresses for pain and swelling. Avoid scratching the area. See a doctor promptly for signs of infection like redness, warmth, pus, or fever following any spider bite.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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