What Do Hobo Spiders Look Like? Picture and Bite Info

Understanding the Hobo Spider and Its Appearance

The hobo spider is a type of funnel web spider found primarily in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Hobo spiders can look similar to other household spiders, so being able to correctly identify them is important to know if they pose a danger.

What Does a Hobo Spider Look Like?

Hobo spiders have a cylindrical shaped abdomen and a flat cephalothorax (fused head and thorax area). Their legs are short and do not extend much past the body. Adult hobo spiders reach approximately 13-20 mm in body length. Here are some key identification details:

• Color ranges from yellowish tan to dark brown
• Abdomen has faint chevron patterns pointing towards the rear
• No distinct stripes, spots, or spines on the abdomen
• Eight similar-sized eyes in two rows

Hobo Spider Picture

This is what a hobo spider looks like up close:

Some people claim the spider pictured above is not actually a hobo spider. Taxonomists continue working to definitively classify this species of spider. Regardless of classification debates, the health impacts remain the same.

Understanding Hobo Spider Bites

Hobo spiders have venom that contains several different toxins, but the effects on humans can vary significantly. Some key facts about hobo spider bites include:

Reaction to Venom Differs

Many hobo spider bites cause no systemic symptoms or only mild ones like redness, swelling, and headache that resolve quickly. But others report severe skin necrosis around the bite forming an open wound that grows for weeks to months before healing.

Rarely Life Threatening

While hobo spider bites can damage soft tissue at the bite site, toxic effects rarely impact major organs or become medically serious. Only one reported U.S. death over decades may possibly be linked to a hobo spider.

Misdiagnosis Common

Skin infections like MRSA or brown recluse bites often get incorrectly blamed on the hobo spider. Without capturing and identifying the actual spider, bites are hard to definitively diagnose.

Healing Takes Time

Regardless of severity, healing the open wound left by a significant hobo spider bite may take many weeks to months even with proper first aid and medical care to prevent infection while new skin gradually covers the affected area.

How to Identify Hobo Spiders vs Other Household Spiders

Telling apart hobo spiders from other common household spiders comes down to a few key differences. Heres how to know if you have hobo spiders:

Wolf Spiders

Wolf spiders are often confused with hobo spiders but have longer, robust legs, tend to be much darker gray or black, have mottled abdominal patterns, and eyes in three rows. Wolves actively hunt prey while hobo spiders use funnel webs.

Grass Spiders

While body shape is similar, grass spiders have a black or gray body with distinct white bands decorating the legs and cephalothorax. Grass spiders also build flat horizontal funnel webs outside unlike messy hobo webs in dark corners.

Brown Recluse Spiders

Despite fears, brown recluse spiders have limited U.S. habitat and are only found in southern Midwestern states, not the Northwest. Recluses have a sandy brown color, dark violin shape on the cephalothorax, and smaller segmented abdomen.

Giant House Spiders

As the name suggests, giant house spiders grow much larger, reaching leg spans over 5 inches across. Giant house spiders have beefy, hairy legs and prominent dark marks with white bands around the cephalothorax margins.

How to Get Rid of Hobo Spiders Safely

If you find a spider looks like a hobo, take precautions and have a pest control expert inspect and install preventive measures just in case. Here are some safe spider control tips:

Apply Repellents

Spray repellents made with ingredients like peppermint, citrus, or eucalyptus oils in baseboards, window frames, attic openings, and foundation cracks spiders could enter seeking shelter.

Use Traps

Glue traps and funnel traps lure spiders in with pheromones but prevent escape so the spiders starve without spreading toxins by being smashed. This also allows identifying exactly which species get captured.

Block Access

Seal any gaps around windows and doors to make your home less inviting for spiders wandering in to find cozy overwintering sites. Fix ripped screens too.

Reduce Clutter

Get rid of cardboard boxes, old clothes piles, and other clutter a spider could hide within while living indoors. Decluttering reduces saggy cobwebs too.

Following integrated pest management principles using multiple tactics maximizes spider control effectiveness without endangering people or pets the way powerful chemical pesticides might.

Staying Safe Around Venomous Spiders

While rare, hobo spider bites can cause soft tissue injury warranting medical treatment. Protect yourself with these safety tips:

Shake Out Items Before Use

Gently shake shoes, towels, clothing items, and toys kept in garages or basements to flick out any hidden spiders before putting hands and legs in harms way, just to be safe.

Wear Gloves Clearing Webs

Use thick gloves and long sleeves when clearing dust and cobwebs where spiders lurk. Bites often happen accidentally pressing hidden spiders against the skin.

Secure Trash Bags Tightly

Make sure tied trash bags dont allow wandering spiders a lingering way back into your house. Never reach barehanded into the bottom of garbage cans while changing bag liners.

Inspect Before Reaching Blindly

Check boxes and storage containers before grabbing contents inside to avoid startling a hidden spider clinging to belongings. Bites frequently occur on hands inserted near spiders.

Staying aware in dark, undisturbed corners or storage areas can help prevent surprise hobo spider encounters leading to painful bites. Capturing concerning spiders allows proper identification by experts too.

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.