Spider Identification
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Written by Jim on August 2nd, 2007 with
1,753 comments.
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Hey, I found some water damage on some drywall just under a cabinet that has pipes in it in our basement tonight and when I opened the cabinet to inspect the pipes I found I had the unexpected guest pictured below:
I avoided a bite but the markings on the spider’s body gave me a little cause for concern, as my wife is pregnant and we have 8 weeks left before baby arrival, and I have never encountered a spider with such peculiar markings. I would appreciate any help you can give on identifying this little guy, thanks.
Hi,
My name is Andy and we found this in Eugene Oregon in the late August evening around 9pm. The spider was just walking on the carpet in the dinning room when one of our cats spied it.
We have found more of these since then.
I haven’t been able to find anything that looked like it on the
internet or in my spider identification books.
Can anyone help me identify this spider?
Thanks for your time and take it easy!
Andy
Good Afternoon
I have just noticed that a huge spider has moved in with us. It has a big web and it spans from the ground up to the gutter.
Can someone help me identify the spider in the pictures below?
Regards,
Jacques Kotze
Lichtenburg South Africa
I had a spider run out of the sleeve of my robe. It was light tan with dark brown legs. It didn’t have any hair on the abdomen or any where else that i could see but i didn’t see it for that long maybe for like 10 sec. I’m glad i didn’t get bit but i don’t like the idea of an unknown spider running around my bedroom
I found the same exact spider as Sonda #62 and I want to know what that is as well. It was on a rug in the kitchen in San Bernardino Ca. March 7,2008
Found spider outside, white body ,brown legs with orange strips down each leg. Area NSW
Hello
I have found small white spiders in our home. Nothing on google can tell me what they are. (Sydney-AUS)
found a spider in the house second time just would like to know what kind and if its anything to worry about with two kids in the house.
this spider has a white dot on each male organ,dark stripes on legs w/ visable fine hairs on them as well as the abdomen and also a flower like pattern on back of abdomen, any idea?
We found this spider in a corner by our front door he is brown and has markings. we live in southern Florida around Bradenton. I thought I might be a brown recluse or a hobo spider but we are not sure and that’s when I found this. please helps us find out what kind it is.
Hi,
#22 Rachel, 33 Kristin and #183..
I too live in the Rochester NY area, near the lake. Since last spring I’ve killed lots of these nasty spiders in our basement and a couple in the bathtub but I’ve yet to identify them. They look like a brown recluse, but are darker brown and hairier that the ones I’ve seen in the pics. Below is a picture of the spider:
Anyone have any ideas on what they might be?
Thanks,
Dianne
To Krystal #147:
I’ve seen this same type of spider yesterday afternoon at my grandparents fence by the mailbox. Although this one I saw was black with red spikes, it startled me because I’m terrified of all insects!
Minyon
Jacksonville, Florida
Hi,
I live in Pensacola Florida and found the spider in the picture below this morning.
Do you have any idea as to what it may be?
Thanks in advance,
Vince
I live in the middle of North Carolina, right outside of Charlotte and went on a camping trip. I came upon a large (body the size of a nickel?) red spider. It was dark so the color may have been an orangish color. But it was mostly if not all a solid color. I have no picture to show, but i’m hoping you can help.
Well I found a dead spider in my home that looks like the one “Duane” sent in September of last year. It was in my 2 year old sister’s playroom and I am wondering what it is and if it is dangerous. If I see another one I don’t know whether to kill it or to let it go outside. I need help identifying it for my sister and the other children I babysits safety. And my parents of course because the whole thing freaks them out!
These very small H-shaped spiders keep appearing inside our home, and they tend to hang out in the place where the walls meet the ceiling. See picture below:
They haven’t seemed aggressive so far, but I’m scared to death of spiders and want to know what these are. They usually sit still in the same place for days on end, but they are very quick when they do move. They’re all a dark brown color with odd markings on their backs that tend to be a tad bit darker than their bodies. Knock on wood – I’ve yet to see one of these guys get to be any longer than the diameter of a nickel, and I’d guess that they’re about 1 cm wide on average.
Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated!
Pleople please be aware. The first thing you do when bitten at first sight don’t just wash it with water and soap then ignore it for days or weeks. Do this right away. Soak a huge ball in vinagar. Any kind is fine but organic apple cider vinagar is best. Lemon will do too. Saturate the area or better yet deep the area in vinagar leave a cotton soaked in it for a few hours on top of it after you wiggled the vinagar inside the core of the bite. It will neutralize the poison infection and heal inst antly. Do not wait until it is with pus it will still be good to put vinagar after lots of peroxide. If at worst seas salt /a lot of it/ a paste with water. top it with cotton ball and vinagar and a half a lemon half way squized attached it all together bandage it you will see the difference.
Good luck every one. I learned this in Greece thirty years ago and it has neutralized even bee bites on my daughter’s lip after I pulled the bee’s guts from her lips where she got bitten. After I did all this above she had absolutely no signs of ever been bitten and you know that bee bites can be painful nasty and swell immediatly but not in the presence of acid such as vinagar and lemon !!!
With care and love to all
A Mom in Hollywood.
can u tell me wich spider am i describing??? it is large ….abt the size of ur hand….has black and lite brown colours…..in alternate…..has black fangs…..with red markings on the outer side of his fangs….
Vinagar vinagar vinagar: home squeezed lemon juice soaked in large cotton balls or several. Wrap to absorb fresh spider bite venum or toxic sting.
Good luck
Hugs from a Mom with lots of experience.
I found the spider below in my backyard in Charlotte, NC.
I actually found several of them. It’s about the size of a quarter from tip of front legs to tip of back legs. It is shiny brown, and seems to have no markings on it. Thanks for any help!
Jeff
I wasn’t bit by this, but was very intrigued, Just outside of Blythe CA, about 850 ft Alt. I ran into a black spider, with white spots at each of the leg joints, a white spot on the upper abdomen, and a yellow fringe around the abdomen as well. The entire spider(legs and all) was about 1.5in in Diameter, with a body of about 1/2in length.
I live in Central Virginia and the spider in the picture below in my basement, which is cold, dry and dark.
It is March right now. I’d appreciate any identification you could provide, as well as whether or not I need to get an exterminator if it is dangerous!
Thank you.
4/4/08: PLEASE if you can identify it, do so soon! i found 2 more in the same area (one of which was on my mother?s face), but i can?t seem to find any webs or nests anywhere. I’m scared since i am pregnant, i don?t know what to do since i can?t be around pesticides.
Can you please help me identify this spider shown in the picture below?
Thanks,
Caisii
I found this spider running accross the floor of my bathroom. It is about 1 cm long, shiny black, with a large red mark on the the dorsal side of the abdomen, and two small red marks on the underside of the abdomen where it meets the thorax. I am sending pictures, but the resolution isn’t very good, I’m afraid. I’m worried it might be an immature black widow. Please tell me it isn’t! Thanks for your help with this.
I saw a spider fall down from the wood ceiling. It is not a black widow, but it’s adomen was deep red, almost velvet like. Is this dangerous?
Hello,
I wonder if you might tell me what kind of spider this is? I am considering relocation to Oklahoma. It was on the ranch where I may choose to live and is just about 1/2″ , a bit “furry” and went into the ground upon spotting me.
I would appreciate your help. The photo above is actually one that a friend sent to me, but it is very similar to the one that I saw.
I would appreciate any help.
Thank You,
Julie Evans
Milwaukee,
WI
My friend found a spider in her shoe and I would like to know what kind it is. It could easily cover the palm of a hand. It is brown with orangish stripes on the legs. Does anyone know what species this might be?
My wife refused to park in the garage today. She said this spider turned toward the car, as if to challenge it. It would not move out of her path, only closer. I found the spider later today underneath the seal of the garage door, as if waiting for insects that might enter. I captured it in a large tumbler for the photos. It’s about 1.75 inches long, quite large for what I’ve seen in this area (central Virginia). Looks something like the spider in #22.
I think it’s a large house spider. Definitely not a brown recluse – the eyes are not right for that. Also no fiddle on the back. However, I was bitten by a spider a few years back and the sore became ulcerated to about the size of a pencil eraser. It healed to where I can’t find it any longer. But it was very painful. I did not find the culprit.
i didnt get a photo but it is about as big as a quarter or so and it is a really light yellow almost white spider. It has a fairly big body with short legs compared to most spiders. I live in East lansing, Michigan. I tried looking for pics that look like it but to no avail.
I have an over sized orange tree and an over sized grapefruit tree in my back yard. I went out there recently to get some of the fruit for a snack and came across a spider I never saw before. It was small maybe a half inch at most in length. It’s legs were black and its butt was as hard as a rock. The butt appeared to be shell like It was yellow with three points on either side that were reddish/black in color. and there were six spots on the back. I tried to take a picture, but every picture I took cam out fuzzy and you could barely tell what it was. They are web builders. The webs are almost perfect circles(at least the ones I saw). And the egg sacs are off white in color and are round with many points/spikes all over. I now have quite a few even though I am trying to get rid of them.
At first I thought they were six-spotted spider mite adults. But I couldn’t find any pictures to say yes or no. So I am clueless on the matter. I would like to know what they are and whether or not they pose a threat to myself and my family.
These are the pictures I took. I didn’t know how to put them up so I uploaded them the only way I know how. They aren’t very good.
#157
#161
#176
and myself #229
I found and identified the spider as Gasteracantha cancriformis. It is very common in Florida. It is an orb weaver and is in the Jewel Spider family. There are many different variations of this spider, but the one pictured is Gasteracantha cancriformis. I haven?t found out how venomous they are yet. But the name should help you in finding out that information good luck.
I live in Rockville, Maryland and found this spider on my wooden trailer, hope someone can help me identify it.
Thank you!
Hi, I found your page on yahoo while trying to identify a spider that I have found multiple times around the house.
One of my cats died from a necrotic wound that the vet said might have been from a spider bite, now my dog is showing the same sort of symptoms and I am getting kind of worried. The wound starts out as a tiny hole in the skin but in the dogs case it disappeared and now there is an oval of irritated looking thin skin with very irritated distinguishable borders. The irritation is about an inch and a half by an inch wide.
I have found these spiders in multiple occasion around the house and have killed them not knowing if they are a threat or not.
I would really really appreciate any help you might be able to provide.
Thank you in advance
-Jorge
Do you know what kind of a spider this is?
I live in SW Georgia and found it in my home on my pc desk! I always put them in jars whenever one crosses my path. I have grandchildren and I don’t want them to get bitten.
I have these little spiders all over my house. They seem to appear all at once and then I won’t see them for awhile.
They are about 1/4″ spread out like this one. I saw this one on my ceiling yesterday. It hasn’t moved much. Today, there were 3 of them on the ceiling. Weird.
Thanks,
Char
When I was about 8 I saw this spider that was crawling on the ground It had 6 yellow dots on its abdomon and it was all black I don’t have pics because I don’t know how to find pics for this spider so maybe you guys can help me.
I didn’t see a response to Kathy #73’s photo, and I know it’s been some time, but I am almost positive that that is a St. Andrew’s Cross spider.
#157 and #161 have the same species, I think. They look like Spiny Backed Orb Weavers. Nothing I’ve read so far has indicated that they are venomous. But hey, I’m not an expert.
We would like to know what kind of spider is shown in the picture below?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Okay, today I was cleaning and I found two of the same spider. I didn’t get bit, but there are more around and I would like to know what I am dealing with. I understand it will be hard to identify with no picture, but it has been mentioned quite a few times before on this site. The very first report of it was #19. Normally I wouldn’t be afraid of a spider of this size, but this one is different. I went to go pick it up with a paper towel and it followed me with its eyes. I tried to come behind it because if I didn’t kill it right away I didn’t want it to squirm up to the top and bite my hand. As I tried to get behind it, it continually rotated so it was facing my hand at all times. I can deal with that, it just doesn’t want to be attacked, but here is when the creepy stuff happened. I moved in for the kill, and it reared up it’s front legs to ward me off, and moved a little towards me.
Basically, I am very afraid of spiders, however, I have learned to cope and can manage the occasional 8 legged bastard. I deal with spiders a lot, but this is by far the most aggressive one I have ever seen. I know not everyone on here is an expert on the field of arachnids, but any help would be appreciated. Even if all you have is a one sentenced response, or maybe even a photo. I have searched all over the internet and cannot find any good sources other than this one.
The most thorough description I can give you would be as follows: It is a relatively small black spider. It is quite furry, and is aggressive. The most distinguishing mark on it would have to be the three red/orange dots it has on it’s back. Upon somewhat careful inspection, the dots resemble a face. To describe these dots, I would say there is one dot on it’s upper abdomen, and two more below that, and it resembles a triangle. Also, the abdomen becomes more narrow as it reaches the rear of the spider, so the “butt” of the spider looks much like a cone, coming to a point. I know most of you won’t even read this, some will, and an even fewer number of you will put any consideration in this entry, but I really need to know what these things are.
Oh my God, a previously mentioned spider just “spun” down in front of my face as I was typing the last word in the last paragraph. Please I would really like to know what these things are, and you wouldn’t just be helping me, there are at least 4 more entries before mine that describe the spider I am trying to identify. All help is thoroughly appreciated.
-Tyler
Hi. I need help. I was outside in Virgina playing with my son in his sandbox when I found a spider. It was buried in the sand, but quite alive! The first thing I though was to toss it after watching it for a minute, so I don’t have a picture. It was the size of a quarter, hairy, and had a white hour glass shape on it’s abdomen. I haven’t been able to find anything like that online. Please help.
When I was younger my family and I lived in Elko, NV and the outside of our house was infested by big siders that would sit on their webs all day. They had black legs that were always spread out and they had a huge yellow butt with red spots and they were not hairy at all. I asked my mom about them the other day and she was told they were called cat spiders. So I decided to look them up but none of the spiders looked like the ones that I saw and I cant find any info on any spider that looks like that and all that comes up are cat faced spiders which I know was not it. So I am kinda at a loss. Has any one seen a spider like that or know anything about them?
My mom got bit by a spider a few times she doesnt know what it is the skin is peeling away is that a bad thing
I got a series of bites about 5 years ago that still haunt me today!
I didn’t get to see what the spider/insect looked like.
I was very poor and living in the basement of a dingy, dirty college house in Toledo, Ohio.
I received a series of three bites. I can only find one almost invisible remaining scar above my left hip.
The only reason I even noticed these bites is because they swelled into these huge pimple pockets of pus. It literally looked like I was carrying hard boiled eggs under my skin!
To my surprise they didn’t hurt at all. I didn’t go to the doctor because I was literally living on the streets and there was virtually no pain.They would get sore after I would squeeze them out in the shower. A stream of brown pus would squirt on the shower walls and curtains!( I know, gross!!!!)
As disturbing as this was I had other things to worry about in my poverty. Now that I’m doing better. I live great as a fashion model. I think about the insanity I went through during these dark days.
I don’t think this bite looks like any bite I have come across in your site. It wasn’t red or dis colored at all. There where singular nodguals of three bumps. I had no pain or weakness associated with this bite. I have healed completely with no visible scars or indentations.
All I have is a microscopic ” prick” mark from one of the larger bumps. The excessive pus leads me to believe this bite might of been infected with insect eggs. Is there any insect that lays its eggs underneath human skin?
Please write with any information that can lead me in the right direction.
Thank you!
Hi,
I don’t agree with Camilo on the answer for #22 and #72. I have the same spider in my basement…usually hanging around piles of clothes that I have yet to wash or under shelving bottoms.
I have attached a photo of a brown recluse below for others to see.
This spider mostly resembles a black house spider. I am still searching though to find out for sure. At any rate, I avoid all spiders to keep from being bitten as I am no expert.
Hello
I found a few small yellowish clumps on the back wall of my house today—which turned out to be hundreds of teeny spiders! They spread out on a web close to the wall when disturbed, then return to their clump.
Distinctly yellow roundish body, with black splotch on butt.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, East Bay.
Thanks!
I didn’t realize my camera battery was so low – it died immediately I pressed the shutter so I only got one shot and the image of the spider has had lots of manipulation just to make it visible as it was severely under-exposed. Hopefully there’s enough detail for identification.
This spider appears in our house in Bahrain (Middle East) every year, usually in early June but it appeared very early this year (today April 13th). We usher it out of the house with a long broom ! It has two pincers that it waves about in a very aggressive manner and is very frightening ! Unlike most spider pictures I’ve seen the pincers are much longer than the legs. We’d love to know what it is and whether we have any good reason to be worried about it !
Thanks,
David M.
Today I went out to get the dogs back inside from having their fun playing in the backyard. Of course, one of the dogs tried to get out again so the rocks that covered up a hole were moved about so I went about with my route of replacing rocks.
I picked up one and on the other side of it was a small black spider, about the size of a dime or smaller, it had a red mark on its abdomen and I was terrified! I dropped the rock and killed it but it was too damaged to take a suitable picture to show
I’m unsure if it was poisonous or not, because it nearly got me. Please, can you help me figure out what it was? I live in Birmingham, Alabama
To help lessen the choices of the spider identification, I did a little more research and found out that I faced a black widow! I’m so happy I noticed it before it had the chance to bite!
To # 56 I to have seen a spider that you described when I lived there. And I couldn’t get close enough to see all the detail on it but I am also wanting to know what kind of spider it is if you get any answers would you let me know.
Hello,
I found this spider in my home and would love to know what it is?
Thanks!
Hello Nishchal,
That is a tailless whip scorpion (Amblypygids) and although it looks ominous, it is harmless and likes to hide under items during the day and love humid places. They walk a bit funny (sideways) and have some pretty scary looking pincher’s as in your picture. If she is carrying a sac under her belly, she has young on the way
The tailless whip scorpion is thought to be loving in that she will caress her young with those long feelers to provide comfort during their infant stage. This indicates that they are social creatures according to lead study author Linda Rayor, a Cornell University entomologist.
Here is a cool video on the Whip Scorpion:
Best regards,
Jim.
Hi, my name is Mercedes. I live in Wildomar, California (close to Temecula, Ca). I have lived here for almost six years now and have never seen a spider like this.
Last Friday, we saw one in our living room, tried to kill it but it escaped. We thought it was a black widow because the colors are reversed, but it’s definitely not. Then on Tuesday my cousin found three more in the bathroom upstairs, he was only able to catch one.
Can you please tell me what kind of spider this is or whether its venomous or not because we have children and babies in the house.
Thank you
I just sent an email and photo to this site as well, I think we found the exact same spider as you (Mercedes #250) based on your photo. See my picture below:
If you find out anything about this spider, please let me know, and I will do the same! We were simply relieved it wasn’t a black widow.
hi my name is kristy and last night was bitten by something and we think it was a spider they call it a white tahune spider but the doctors said they are not in the u.s. so if you don’t mind write back
#22 is NOT a brown recluse. Don’t worry.
It’s probably Tegenaria domestica, often found in the evenings. This one, by the size, is probably a male. They are no big deal.
#250
I looked at length for info on our spider. I believe they are from the massive jumping spider group probably family Salticidae, Attinidae, or P… something or another. Long story short, looks like they are no more dangerous than a “typical” house spider. I am NOT a doctor however, do some further research on your own as well.. I know I slept better after finding this out; hope you do to!
I found this peeping tom while I was taking a shower earlier today. He was just sitting on top of a shower curtain hook. My attempt at capturing him alive unfortunately failed (I believe knocking him into the glass jar is probably what did it).
At first glance I thought “brown recluse” (I live in the southwestern part of Oklahoma) until I got a really good look at him, so then I thought wolf spider. Any help would be appreciated in identifying this guy.
I found this link while trying to identify 2 spiders I have killed in my Baltimore basement (which I still have yet to identify or take a picture of. It may help some of you…
Also, according to the chart, it looks like #1 and #72 are wolf spiders who are toxic but non-aggressive. #57 and #111 looks like a hobo spider which is deadly. #73 and 77 look like a St. Andrews Cross which are harmless and beneficial. I will send a postmortem picture of the one I killed to see if someone can identify mine.
I found this in my bathroom sink this morning – to the best of my knowledge it did not bite me – I think I would know by now… Anyways I was curious as to what this was, it appears that it may be a wolf spider.
I have it trapped in a plastic container. Its body is about 1.5″, it is
brown and furry. Picture is shown below:
I live in Northern Virginia near Washington DC
I think these are wolf spiders – we found them in a huge pile of dirt we are moving…spreading on the lawn… all were brown except the first who was black… i rescued them all successfully to our forest nearby… the last one was very small – 2 mm… carrying what looked like an egg sack. the rest were large – black one being nearly 1.5 inches, browns ranging from 1/2 inch to inch in body size
My camera died so I didn’t get the pic of what I think was the female – but she was remarkably smaller than the rest.. there were no webs or nests found yet (we aren’t thru the dirt yet) – the seem to hang out under the dirt – fairly far under.. Pictures are shown below:
I hope I did not endanger us in the future by not killing them now (or our dog). I found around 6 so far….
Unfortunately, I didn’t have any quarters on me – nor did I want to get that close to them J I am not typically afraid of spiders – but when you could put a saddle on them…..
Attached – 3 pics of the black one, 3 shots of the other color – rest showed up after camera died or in the wheelbarrow away from camera…
Thanks for your help
I have heard 2 things about the attached spider shown in the picture below.
A_ Water spider
B_ Orb or wolf.
We are 100 yds max from preserved wetlands, we always seem to get these in the summer, but this sucker was exceptionally huge (3+ inches diameter) and with kids, I needed to ask.
Let me know what you think
Non native spider infestation.
I actually E-mailed a long time ago to get an ID on a bunch of baby spiders
that were taking flight on there silk. Anyways they are all grown up now an
somehow happened to survive the winter in the garage.
Originally they were yellow with black spots on the back. Now they are a dark reddish black body with a orangeish redish coloration on the abdomen. They make TONS of cobwebs and are somehow successful on eating bugs much much larger
than them.
Anyway, there body looks just like a black widow only instead of a red cross on the back and jet black body, the body has a slight red hue to it, and the cross is orangeish/yellow/reddish. These things hitched a ride on a tropical plant and they are MEAN. Not like this black spider hairy spider and white stripes that i saw before but dang. Little things too!
I am worried about the pets. Our one dog eats spiders. One person when they
were smaller thought they might be an orb weaver, but the cobwebs concern
me with being a widow or widow relative, I don’t have pics because I can’t
get close (arachnophobia sorry)
Hello
We find these strange spiders all over the outside of our house every year and I took one to the conservation department but they were unable to identify it and I hope someone can they are quite creepy looking. They are a tad fuzzy (peach fuzz-ish) and not shiny.
They do have 8 legs and 2 separate sections to the body. The are exact opposite of black widow in regards to markings. They are red backed with a black shaped hour glass, black legs and the top half of the body on the back side is also red with 2 tiny dots like eye marks.
I live in Missouri (Kansas City) have a very rocky yard and am very curious. Average size of a penny
Re: #22 – I have a spider just like this that we found this morning… I DO NOT believe it to be a recluse. One description I read says, if it’s brown with markings on the abdomen, it’s NOT likely a recluse. However, I believe that it’s a wolf spider and the same site still says that wolf spider bites can require medication. They are hunters and do not spin a web.
Re: #32 & 48
These are harmless orb weavers – really beautiful and won’t bother anybody, but help keep the bugs down… I’ve seen them in our garden but never inside our home. I love the way they hang out with their legs paired together.
Hi Jeff (#257)
I live west of Manassas and also found one of these spiders this morning. We caught it and my 3 year old took it to school to share with his friends… I think you’re right in thinking that it’s a wolf spider. I hope you took it outside and let it go.
I live in central Michigan and I found a brown spider with a white hour glass on his back (not the underside like a widow). We have seen them before. They are about a half inch in size. No bites to report.
Please help identify the kind of spider that is shown in the picture below.
I have searched the web and I am unable to find anything close to this type of spider. I found it hanging on the wall outside of my home. I’m located in the southern most part of Louisiana.
Thank you for your assistance.
Hi,
Been seeing and killing five of these in my bathroom within the last six months. Can’t seem to get a clear identification on what it is. My bathroom is pretty open, and I search for any possible openings as to where they’re entering. Everything seems properly sealed, but it is still appearing one-by-one every month or two. Any ideas on what it might possibly be?
Thanks!
(255) It looks like a Huntsman spider. They are no harmful to people although they could cause a pretty painful bite.
(257) Yes it is a type of wolf spider.
(22) That is not a recluse. For starters they are not found in NY. What you have is a Hobo spider. Although the bite of the hobo spider is initially painless, the bite can be serious. After 24 hours, the bite develops into a blister and after 24-36 hours, the blister breaks open, leaving an open, oozing ulceration. Typically when the venom is injected, the victim will experience an immediate redness, which develops around the bite. The most common reported symptom is severe headache. Other symptoms can include nausea, weakness, fatigue, temporary memory loss and vision impairment. In any case, first aid and medical attention should be sought, if bitten, as and when any adverse health effects are observed.
(227) Sounds like a wolf spider but can’t be sure without pictures.
Here is a spider I found on our front door in Los Angeles, CA in May 2008. It was just resting on the door, not near a web. However when I tried to catch it in a small jar it dropped to the ground suspended from a web and ran away.
From the tips of the hind legs to the tips of the longest forelegs (actually the second set) was about the size of a quarter.
Any idea what it might be?
Thanks,
Chris
hi,
i found this very small spider in my bed. it had a furry whitish looking body and a brownish black head. i was just wanting to know if it was dangerous or not i see a lot of spiders around my house and outside but i have never seen one like this before please tell me what it is.
thank you kayla
RESPONSE TO #46…I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure that is not a Brown Widow. It’s hairy. Look under the abdomen for the infamous red hour glass shape. Then you’ll know for sure. It may be orange or yellow. Brown widows are venomous, but are not likely to bite unless guarding eggs.
I killed this guy in the kids’ playroom. It is small (about 1/4 inch maybe a little more). The red on it’s back worries me. Is it poisonous.
Thanks for any advice.
John
Found in Jacksonville, Florida on May 12th.
I am in South California, and found this guy on my wall next to my lamp just chillen didn’t budge or anything if I got close it just sat there.
Any idea what this is?
Hi,
I have seen a couple of spiders in my room (various sizes from tiny to medium), not too many though. They are very light in color and apear to be harmless. Here’s my thing; lately I have been getting bumps(or bites) around my neck and under my chin. They itch a little but not too much and are a little red in color.
When I notice the bites, i put alcohol on them and they eventually go away in a day or two, leaving no marks. Are these spider bites?? If so, what kind of spider and how can I get rid of them.
The funny thing is that the bites/bumps appear in the same area on my body all the time….around the neck area…..HELP!!!!!
Hello,
Found one of these on my kitchen counter the other day, about a year ago I killed one that looked exactly like it.
If it is what I think it is, I’m looking for a new apartment, especially since these aren’t supposed to be in my state! Hopefully a visitor to your site can identify it for me.
Thanks,
- Ben S.
Hello Ben,
It appears to be a Brown Recluse and below are six conditions I used to make that assumption. I’m not an expert, so I’ll leave it up to the visitors to decide.
Here is the test to determine if you have a Recluse:
1) Has 3 pair of eyes, one in front, one on each side.
- (yes)
2) Has Violin shaped marking
- (yes)
3) Legs must be one uniformly light-colored
- (yes – those lines on the leg are hair, not another color, right?)
4) Only one pigment on the abdomen
- (yes)
5) Fine hairs on legs, no spines
- (yes)
6) Body length is less than half an inch (3/8 usually)
- (yes and it measures 3/8)
I have little brown spiders in my house but i can’t figure out what they are. I don’t think they are brown recluses because they are not the same size and the don’t have any markings on them. They are brown and kinda look like grandaddy long legs.
We found the spider pictured below in our basement crawling in some laminate scrap.
Does not move too fast….was not scared of us!!
Hello,
I have been seeing a lot of these around my yard the last 3 months. I live in the South Gate area of Sarasota FL. I hate to kill spiders even though I don’t like them. I actually moved the first couple but more and more have appeared. I have been in the house for 12 years and have seen one or two over that period, but never this many so quickly. It felt almost like an invasion.
I have 4 kids and all have been warned of the dangers of this spider. My youngest just started walking this week and I had to make the yard safe. Today I exterminated at least 8 that were living under the picnic table and playhouse area where my kids frequent. The area is no more than 170 square feet. I was surprised to see so many large brown widows in such a small area. Is there a reason for the quick infestation, and why this year and not the past? Is there a certain type of condition they prefer? We are very active in this area, especially when the weather is nice. It has been very dry this year.
Love the site thanks for the info!
Hi. I just recently moved to Elmsford NY in Westchester County. Over the past month we’ve found 15-20 small black spiders. We’ve never had any other bugs so I’m not sure what they’re eating. They jump and have been found on the floor, wall, and ceiling. I’ve dusted and vacuumed several times a week trying to solve the problem but I haven’t seen any webs…nor have I ever seen one hanging from a silk thread. I’ve never been afraid of spiders but today I felt something biting me and when I brushed the back of my leg one of these little spiders fell off. I’ve started killing them whenever I find them but they seem to keep reappearing. Any ideas what kind these are or how I should get rid off them? Thanks!
This morning when I went into the bathroom I saw a spider I’ve never seen before.It was about 2cm. (including legs) when stretched out.The thing was brown with a tan back and harry.Please let me know what kind of spider it is and weather its bites are bad because I have a baby brother and sister and I don’t want them to hurt.
Thanks,
Yarrow
Cindy in #19… I have a spider that matches your description living in our mailbox. After a LOT of research, I found that it is probably a Phidippus regius. Here is a picture shown below:
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. About an hour ago I found a pretty large spider (roughly the size of a half dollar including leg span). It was inside our house at the foot of the stairs, not near any kind of web. It was brown in color with darker brown colorations on its topside. We trapped it in a clear glass and the spider’s bottom side had two short black lines that were parallel to each other. He looked a little fuzzy and his legs were really long but not thin like those of a “daddy long legs”, they were more of the kind of leg of a wolf spider.
any idea what this could be? i apologize for lack of a picture, i already let it free back outside.
My daughter found this spider under a hose to our swimming pool. Here are three pictures of it:
I live in North East Oklahoma. I currently have the spider in a quart canning jar until I know if its harmful or not. Its about the same size as the bottom of the jar. It looks kinda like the one that is listed as #1 from Duane on Sept. 7, 2007. Please help me identify it. Thanks.
My friend took this picture of a spider in New Mexico. She says it spins a large orb web. The spider is about 2 to 3 cm large. Her primary concern is its toxicity. Can anyone id this one?
i believe, -although not positive, the photo of Rachel’s spider #12 is a large brown house spider; identified against hundreds of positively identified photos. i know this spider as i lived in CT for 40 years and saw these every fall in the cellar and the ice house. they are very fast!
All spiders bite and are venomous – but – not all can pierce the skin. most do not have a potent enough venom to cause a reaction.
Brown recluse are a smaller type spider. do your research as to what these look like. their bite is VERY serious and should be treated with antibiotics immediately. they seem to be common everywhere so dust and vacuum often keeping corners cleaned out. don’t give them a chance to hide.
#32 and #48 are common garden spiders. usually building webs where they can catch small flying insects. we used to catch carpenter ants and throw them into the web and watch them wrap them up. cool!
I live on the coast in Oregon and found this spider in the tub while running my son’s bath. Leg tip to leg tip is just over an inch, maybe an inch and a half. I would also estimate its body (both halves) to be about one quarter to one half inch in size. I was alarmed by its size and was glad I saw it before putting my son in the tub with him.?
Photo emailed to badspiderbites.com
Thanks for the help in identifying this spider.
Most of you are really tripping about these spiders. Most spiders are harmless. I’ve been bitten a few times in my life, once in a tent while I was camping by a little black spider, took forever to heal. Another time, right by my mouth, it burned and stung but healed within a week.
That was some kind of a brown spider. Most big spiders in the US are harmless. You people up in NY who think that a spider the size of a DIME is big? You should see the wolf spiders down here. I’ve seen spiders the size of the lid of a mason jar. (SC) But just know, spiders are God’s creatures too, and if you go around killing them for no reason, their friends will maybe get you back.
Oh, and you’re never more than a few feet from a spider, so they say. Most spiders are harmless to MOST people. A lot of you writing in here about spiders probably do things like drive w/o seatbelts, motorcycles w/o helmets, drink too much, smoke too much or give your kid’s soda and French fries on a daily basis. Spiders should be the least of your fears. Seriously.
Oh, and one other thing. From MY experience (two at least) Brown Recluse bites have redness that goes up, toward the heart, not down with gravity. If that helps at all.
I do not mind spiders at all, but lately I have seen quite a few wolf spiders in our home. Usually I will just catch them under a glass and use a paper towel to take them outside. A couple weeks ago, however, I woke up with a bite on my arm, which quickly turned red then purple and itched and hurt, and found a dead spider in my sheets. I broke out in hives a few minutes later. I am allergic and I know that is the only reason I would have reacted to a wolf spider’s bite so badly. Now I just found another in my bed. I’ve read that they aren’t lethal but do have some poison to their bite.
So really my question is how dangerous is that poison to a kitten? I just adopted a four month old kitten, but even at four months he is rather small for his age. I’m just worried that maybe he’ll play with a spider that could cause a serious bite. If you could help me out I would appreciate it.
i found two of these spiders last night running across my carpet in my bedroom.. I killed them and this is a picture of it dead from last night.. I am afraid it is a brown recluse.. If it is I have to take some serious action..
They had really long legs, and when they were running from my spider repellent he or she really ran fast and almost jumped over my carpet.. I live in Biloxi Mississippi.
Please help
Hi! I live on the island of Newfoundland on the far eastern end of Canada. I work at a supermarket and last week we received a shipment of strawberries with a hitchhiker aboard from California.
Its span, legs and all, is not much bigger than your thumbnail. It was all white or off white if you prefer with a pinkish hue in places. It has black feet or a black stripe near the ends of its legs. Sorry I have no picture.
If the produce department still has it I’ll try and send one along. Can you tell what it is from this rather poor discretion? If so; have we dodged a toxic bullet or is it as harmless as a house fly?
Thanks
Bob
my sister found a spider the other day. she said it’s middle was red-orange and its butt was black but had stripes on it. Any idea what kind it is?
Jacquelyn #283
It looks like a wolf spider (the eyes and the pattern on it’s
back) from what I can tell. These guys aren’t poisonous
and help keep the population of little bugs in my garage
down. They’re also non-confrontational and will normally
run away from people. Fast little guys too.
I have a bump with a red dot on my lower stomach. the bump underneath is very hard and the pain is bad to the touch. after walking around all day with jeans on the pain has gotten worse. I had to walk at a very slow pace to stop it from hurting as I walked. My father says it was probably a spider bite. I don’t know what kind of spider all I know is that the pain is getting worse and so is the bump. there is a red mark about the size of a half-dollar coin around the bump which is about the size of a nickel. I want to pop it but my mother wont let me!!!!
No pictures are available, so sorry. I’ve found these spiders four times, mostly climbing the walls or kitchen table. They are good sized, I would guess a little more than 1/2 an inch. They are black and furry, their body is round, with white marking their back, and white rings on their legs. I live in the Western part of Missouri, near Kansas City, and I need help identifying them to see what to do about them. Thank you for any help!
My friend got bit by a spider that was all black and had a red tip like on its rear end she said it hurt as soon as it bit her and after several minutes was still very painful should we be worried?
I live on the coast in Oregon and found this spider in the tub while running my son’s bath.
Leg tip to leg tip is just over an inch, maybe an inch and a half. I would also estimate its body (both halves) to be about one quarter to one half inch in size. I was alarmed by its size and was glad I saw it before putting my son in the tub with him. Thanks for the help in identifying this spider.
I know this is not really your area, but the “locals” are about as much use as a pork chop in a synagogue when it comes to spider identification. And considering I reside in Eilat on the Red Sea, I would like to know if the enclosed photos of this spider are known.
I haven’t been bitten, just want to know what they are to re-assure “her-indoors”.
Hello,
I have been unable to identify this spider.
It was found on a construction site in southern California. It may have fallen out of a shipping container. We killed the spider as we are unsure of its origin and weather or not it is harmful. Your assistance in identifying the spider is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Larry.
We found this spider on our front sidewalk in Greenbrier, TN. It makes me really nervous and I would like more information on it.
Thanks so much!!
My 11 year old son was playing around an area this morning where there were a lot of rocks. He said a huge spider jumped up onto his foot and bit him, then it started to sting. At first I doubted his story, thinking it was just his wild imagination. Then I decided I better check it out. We looked for the spider, but he said he shook his foot so hard that his flip-flop came off and it landed near the pool, so we thought the spider might be in the pool. We were right. This is what we found, and I captured it and I have it in a jar of water.
Could this be a hobo spider? (I have read about their aggressive nature, and based on what he told me, it seems like the spider literally came out of nowhere and attacked his foot.) It’s been about 12 hours, and so far no signs of adverse reactions.
Anonymous Mom
Canton, GA (USA)