House Spider

Category:

Actual Size: 1″ length, 2″ leg span

Characteristics: Gray or dark brown bodies with two dark stripes on the head and thorax.

Legs: 8

Habitat: Seeks out quiet and undisturbed areas of the garden. May also infest sheds, garages, attics, and other man-made structures.

Habits:

  • Crisscrosses strands of silk to create cobwebs. 
  • Can live up to seven years. 
  • Are the most common spider species in the United States.

House Spiders in Anaheim

The common house spider is the most frequently seen spider in North America, and they’re usually found indoors. This species is considered a nuisance due to the webs it creates rather than the spider itself. These spiders spin cobwebs, which are made up of sticky silk strands that crisscross one another. Cobwebs are typically located in room corners and on ceilings. House spiders are efficient hunters, capturing insects that inadvertently get caught in their sticky webs. If their webs don’t catch prey, the house spiders will abandon them and choose a new location.

House Spider Habitat

Common house spiders prefer quiet, low-traffic environments with lots of moisture and a food source. You can often find them in backyards, basements, barns, sheds, and other structures. If left undisturbed, these spiders can inhabit the same web for up to seven years before dying. When outdoors, female spiders succumb to cold weather once temperatures drop in the winter, and males typically don’t live beyond a year.

House Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Domestic house spiders may be very fast, but they are not aggressive and tend to flee when faced with a threat. If they have no way to escape, they may bite, but recorded cases of house spider bites are exceedingly rare. Bite symptoms are usually mild, including slight pain, swelling, and itching. These spiders don’t harm property and are actually helpful because they consume other pests that can cause damage, like termites, carpenter ants, moths, and stink bugs. That said, an overabundance of them can be frustrating to deal with. If you have too many house spiders on your property, contact your local spider control experts for help.