The wolf spider is a member of the Lycosidae family, the order Aranedia. There are around 125 species that are found in the United States and about 50 species that are found in Europe. A full grown wolf spider is typically a half an inch to two inches in length; they are usually brown or gray with various stripe-like markings on their backs. The markings are sometimes called Union Jack Impressions. They are also very hairy.
Wolf Spiders
The eye arrangement of the wolf spider is one of its most interesting features; they have four small eyes in the bottom row, followed by two large eyes in the middle row, and two medium eyes in the top row.
They received the name wolf spider due to an early belief that the spiders would actually hunt their prey in a group. Some other names for the wolf spider are the ground spider and the hunting spider. Wolf spiders do not actually make webs; instead they hunt for its meal. They are most commonly found throughout Australia. They make homes by digging holes or living under rocks. The wolf spider will often cover the burrow with leaves or grass.
During the beginning of fall, the wolf spider is quite often found in the home. The reason for this is that they are looking for a warm place to live throughout the course of the winter season.
The wolf spider would most likely be seen running across the ground, during the daytime. They search for their prey during both day and night. They have both excellent vision and touch. However, due to the fact the wolf spider is known as shy, if it’s disturbed it will quickly run away.
The mother wolf spider will usually carry around her egg sacs with them, which can tend to be on the large side. After they hatch, the newborn spiders will actually ride around on their mother’s back until they are about halfway grown.
Wolf Spider Bite
Even though the wolf spider is poisonous, its venom is not lethal. The wolf spider is not known to be aggressive; however, they will bite if they feel like they are in harm or danger. They also move extremely fast when they are disturbed. If bitten by a wolf spider, the wound should not be bandaged but an ice pack should be placed on the bite so that the swelling will go down. And if necessary the victim should avoid any movement if at all possible. It is extremely important that one sees medical attention if bitten by a wolf spider or any other spider.
we have on in the house my moms dumb boyfriend caught one out side and it escaped what should we do to get it out. I have 2 dogs big and small will it kill them if it bitten? I have a 9 year old sister could it hurt her as well? Should I call a exterminator i am very scared what to do??
I just saw a wolf spider. Supposedly they are not aggressive unless they feel threatened. I have many photos of them and so far I have not been bitten by one. We also get them in the house and they can run like a million miles an hour….LOL. I do try to set them free when I can but some times I have to squish them. They are really cool looking. You should really take a closer look at them! They remind me of a tarantula only smaller and not dangerous like them. And the first time I saw one I was freaked out….but now that I know a little more about them I am not afraid of them.
a wolf spider lives in my window (not inside, outside in the crook of the window) he’s about two inches long and an inch wide. we don’t mess with him because he’s extremely shy. if you even walk by the window he scurries away into a little hole. and when i say scurry, I mean fast. although they are scary looking, their bite is not really “dangerous,” just slightly painful. let them live in peace <3
I am from Redding CA, we have orb spiders, wolf spiders, black widows and jumping spiders, vary rarely a fiddleback or two. I never want to be bit by a fiddleback, I’ve seen what they can do. I got bit a widow once, hurt like all hell cramps in every part of my body imaginable, every part! But wolf spiders aren’t bad, my idea is if there in my home their dead, if i’m outside that’s their home. To all the people who talked about wolf spiders in webs, wolf spiders don’t spin webs like other spiders, their the kind that lay their web on the ground. Love putting widows and scorpions in a cage though.
I live in West Virginia. At one point in time, my husband and I bought a house that we didn’t know was roach-infested because the concrete walls in the full basement were cracked, allowing water to seep in. The first night in our new home, I got up to go to the bathroom. As I stepped into the hall, I looked down and stopped dead in my tracks, hardly able to believe my eyes! Between me and the bathroom was a brown/black striped wolf spider the size of an adult tarantula! It was facing me, reared back on its back legs, and its front legs were raised and pawing the air in a threatening posture! Had I taken another step forward, I believe the thing would have jumped on me! Horrified by its size and show of aggression, I retreated to the bedroom to find something to kill it with. But, when I returned to the hallway, the spider had fled. Needless to say, I slept that night with one eye open! Obviously, this was a well-fed specimen, as we soon discovered the roach infestation!
A couple of years ago, I was in my living room and saw this HUGE spider crawling near my fireplace. I got a shoe to kill it and all of a sudden, hundreds of baby spiders started crawling every where. My brother and I sprayed every cleaning product in the house with bleach in it to kill them (I had no bug spray in the house). I had a long skirt on and was so freaked out that I took it off and put it in the washer. The next day, I had a huge swollen, hard, and painful knot on my upper thigh. I had a scheduled dr.’s appt and he had to give me meds b/c the bite reaction was so bad. I don’t know what people mean by wolf spiders being good. If a baby bite can cause that reaction, I don’t want to imagine the Momma’s bite!
I live in NM, last night my 2 year old was in a corner watching TV. I saw a large black spider the size of my hand shoot across the floor from where she was to the other side of the room. I grabbed her, my husband thought it was a mouse after seeeing it again. I called an exterminator today and the gentleman said most likely it was a wolf spider. My 2 yr. old had a bite mark on her tummy 2 weeks ago, no fever but very large. Who knows how long the giant spider has been living in our room…
I live in a two story house in Hyden Ky. My dad had just got telling me that he had killed 6 wolfe spiders while I had visited my mom in London Ky.
I got in the shower and I was washing my hair and then I look up and in between my shower curtains I see a shadow of a wolfe spider I had wrapped a towl arouund me and jumped out of the shower and fell and broke one of my ribs=( so much pain
I live in southwestern pa, we have many types of spiders here but the wolf spiders especially creep me out becuase they are so large. I am very very afriad of spiders! Normally my father or my fiance take care of them while Im screaming far away. However tonight I walked into my bathroom to take off my makeup and in the mirror behind me I saw a huge wolf spider and my dad was sleeping and my fiance was at work. This meant I had to take care of it on my own. I am alive but now I have goosebumps and feel like something is crawling on me. I HATE SPIDERS!
I was bitten by a wolf spider yesterday. Went straight to the er & the doctor there told me if I had waited it could have been bad. And today I’m feeling the symtoms (sp ?) From the bite.
I am doing a project for my school, and it’s about Wolf spiders. I thinking about putting a live speices on my poster. I also wanted to know if I could use some information from this website. Thanks!
Lyss
Have too many wolf spiders inside FL home. Big ones 4″+. Little wolf spider approached us in bed. Not good. After being bitten few years ago by brown recluse, prior to Central American trip can inform you brown recluse is very very dangerous (left nasty scar). From encounters with coral snake, centroid, pit viper, rattlesnake, cottonmouth, black and brown widows, hybrid spiders strongly advise no contact with wolf or recluse spiders.
I believe I may have been bitten by a small wolf spider. I’ve seen two spiders in my room lately, only about the size of a dime but I saw a picture online of a wolf spider that looks like the spiders I’ve seen in my Pennsylvania house. I noticed a small irritated bite on the out of my arm below my elbow. It itches like crazy and it doesn’t look like a masquito bite, ect. I would love to know how to treat it best and
These comments gave me my chuckle for the day. 🙂 But I know just what they mean, my hair stands up on end when I encounter a big spider and now I’m sure they are wolf spiders in my house. One yesterday and one this morning, ugh. One thing though, if anyone reads this, don’t squish them, just vacuum them up and then babies won’t go flying everywhere! 🙂
Personally, being a mother of a curious 4 year old and a nature person, I have to say that I dont see the big deal about wolf spiders. They are beautiful, fascinating creatures who are actually more nurturing and caring then most humans. Ive seen mother wolf spiders take on black widows twice her size to protect her babies. My son use to be scared of and smoosh all insects.
After I explained to him that each little critter has a heartbeat and smooshing them kills them so no more heartbeat. He understood that at 2 and since has been watching them. He loves and respects nature. He knows that that most creatures can and will bite if they feel threatened or scared. He keeps his distance and always gets me when he sees one he wants to observe. It gives us something else fun to do and bond over.
Even if you dont like spiders, snakes or other creepy crawlies dont teach your child to hate or fear them. Growing up I would catch spiders and snakes and bring the spiders in, along with preying mantice. Mom would fuss about mosquitoes getting in cause I liked leaving my window open, I loved the fresh country air filling the room. Nothing better. So I brought those little critterz in to rid the pests. They never bothered anyone. They came and went as they pleased. Lol.
Treat nature with kindness youll see it right back. Im 26 years old. I am allergic to bees. Ive been stung 21 times as a kid and barely survived (dug into yellow jacket nest) I still do not fear or kill bees either. I find them just as amazing. I have never been bit by a spider. They say if you are allergic to bees and get bit by a wolf spider you will have same allergic reaction.
So be careful to those of you who are allergic. Im at one with nature and its creatures and will never fear it or try to harm another creature unless need be. I Think if rest of us was as respectful to each other the world would be a better place. Think about it…
Ps. Im not a tree hugger or a hippy. I eat meat! I love steak and deer jerky. And I am very well educated. So dont even. Lol.
a wolf spiter went running across my livingroom floor and my son was laying there FREAKED him out now we are scared to sleep please tell me if one of these things bit us its not going to kill us i am sooooooo scared and i wanna sleep soooooooo bad
My little boy found big spider in our bathroom. I don’t know what it was, but looking online, it seems closer to a wolf spider. It was big, brown and hairy, but the one thing that I cannot find online is that this spider had a white ring around it’s head. It looked as if it was wearing white fur around it’s neck, that’s the best way I can describe it. I’ve searched “white fur spider” online but nothing appears to be even close, but body wise, the wolf spider seems the closest. We panicked and killed it, did not take a picture, I just wanted it out of my house!
This goes out to Angela who works in Sonoma
I have lived in Sonoma Ca. for most of my life and I have yet to see a wolf spider. I have seen quite a variety of species all of which freak me out besides the daddy long legs which I routinely take out of the house ( I hate killing anything). We get a lot of field spiders, jumping spiders and nasty black widows. I was wondering if you are truly meaning Sonoma ca. or some other state?
I was thinking of moving to another state like North Carolina but am reconsidering since hearing about hand size spiders in these states that can run 10 MPH. I think that is about as fast as the fastest human runner can go, not me. I’m freaked out.
Good luck at work
At my school in the girls locker room my little sister found a nest of wolf spiders in a locker. I freaked out because I have arachniphobia and I freak out screaming my head off every time I see one. I did not want spiders in my locker room. We did not know that they were wolf spiders until our gym teacher captured one and gave it to the 5th grade science teacher. My little sister is in 5th grade and I am in 7th. The science teacher found out it was a wolf spider and I researched about it and was scared because they could bite me, my little sister or/and my or her friends. They could bite anybody! They also saw one in the library and in one of my little sister’s friends’ sock. We live in northern IL and I didn’t know that they were here until she found the spider nest. I’m scared because they could bite anyone and cause them a lot of pain because of their poisonous bite. But so far, nobody has been bitten. Thank goodness. 🙂
My mom found several in our laundry room, and 2 in the upstairs bathroom. We keep our rooms cleen so that we can see them easily but in south carolina, they are horibble they are larger than quarter.
I live in Alabama, and about a week ago my side started inching and I went to the bathroom and I had a whelp on my right side it kinda stung a little but itched too. It was real red and some blue in it but was swollen. I never went to the doctor, it went away a few days later. That was a week ago..well this morning i got up went and took a shower when I went back in my bedroom I saw a huge spider on the wall by my side of the bed. I thought it maybe a brown recluse. I took a picture of it before and after I killed it. It was very fast and i tried to kill it but it jumped on my bed skirt. I finally got it on the ground and killed it. I told my friend at work and she showed her husband which knows alot about spiders. He said he was fishing one day and he saw something big in the corner of his eye he sat down and felt it bite him and it stung real bad. He swelled up on his back like a whelp but after that nothing ever happened. Sounds like my story! Mine just went away no other symtoms no fever, or abdominal pain or anything. I also googled it and it looked just like a wolf spider so idk if thats what bit me or not but me and my husband will be getting some poison i dont care if i just saw one. I dont wanna see another one! I read online that Bayer Advanced Home is the best so we will be making a trip to Lowe’s this week sometime.
Serenity— I live in NC as well and I’ve seen wolf spiders as large as my hand on several occasions. Fortunately, we do NOT have hobo spiders here so no need to worry about them. However, this is going to be a very bad year for wolf spiders because of the mild winter.
You should seal up any cracks around around doors, windows, etc. because that’s how they get in. Also make sure the kids’ rooms stay neat so the spiders can’t hide. They’re supposed to be shy but, in my experience, they will run out and bite. Make sure bedspreads to not touch the floor. Fabric is easy for the spiders to climb but they’re not very good at climbing smooth surfaces like bedposts and chair legs. Still, check your beds at night and shake out shoes and unattended laundry.
However, I don’t think the spider caused your son’s fever. It was more likely cause by living in a new place with new germs. I’ve been bitten by wolf spiders a number of times and the bites are painful and they swell. They might even be responsible for the abdominal cramps but not the fever.
If he gets bitten again, ice the bite, give him an antihistamine, lots of fluids and have him relax for the day so the venom doesn’t circulate. The initial sign of a bite is a burning sensation where the bite is so let your son know that he should tell you if he ever feels sudden burning.
If it turns out out have an infestation of the things (7 or 8 sightings a day), you can get someone to spray a border around your house but not IN your house and that keeps them out quite well.
When i was walking to my car i ran into a spider web. when i was done i calmed down and so when i opened the car door and there was a hairy spider, that was a wolf spider.
We just moved to NC from NY and found a wolf spider in the bathroom bigger than a quarter in leg span. Then the school calls me and says that my 6 year old has fever and abdominal cramping. I found the spider in my son’s bathroom that morning after I had sent him to school. He has a red swollen bump on his thigh that comes and goes since Tuesday, its now Thursday.
His fever got up 105.5 on Tuesday night with ibuprofen. Then, he had abdominal cramping yesterday with no fever. Today he has no symptoms except for this red swollen bump on his thigh? The spider was brown with the eyes of a wolf spider two pairs of eyes with (i think four small ones under) the stripe on its back is lighter than its other parts so it is not a brown recluse. It has awesome eyesight. Hobo spider or wolf spider? Anyway, he acts fine so far but it really scared me and can’t wait for the bump to go away.
I hope there aren’t any more in my house and how did it get in here? I can’t spray any pesticide because they are not safe around my kids but Children are way more vulnerable to wolf spider bites and I would have to say that they could probably kill a small child especially if that child is sensitivity to those things. Are these normal symptoms for a wolf spider bite (high fever, abdominal cramping, stiff neck)?
I was going out to my garage before work on a warmer day than usual and saw a large spider on the cement floor. I stepped over it and wasn’t sure whether I could kill it or not because it was across a crack on uneven cement. I didn’t want it getting into my house because I have children and I just happen to find a jar and caught it.
My 4 year old daughter is very fascinated about bugs, with spiders being no exception. She grabbed the jar from me and named the spider right away. We took it to preschool for show and tell and it has been an interesting adventure. My daughter named it Ginger and we have since kept it as a pet. It lives in a critter keeper with vented slats and I have been studying it ever since.
She seems very happy and I have been feeding her crickets and watching her behavior. They are very smart, despite I’m sure what a spider’s intelligence could be. They need water and I have a pop bottle lid for a drinking bowl for it. It seems to rest or sleep with its whole body laying flat. My daughter would be devastated if I released it right now. So we continue studying it but do not attempt to pick up or handle in any way.
It is approximately an 1 1/2 in length. We are getting comfortable with her for now and will probably release when the weather gets warmer. I hear they can live for several years. I am fascinated with watching her and have enjoyed taking care of her. If we find them dead in our basements or garages, it is because they dehydrate; I had no idea they needed water like a pet but all living things do and Ginger will go to her water dish and drink like a dog, very entertaining.
I am doing everything possible to keep us safe and not get bit. I have had her now for at least 3 weeks and my daughter is very happy I kept her.
I live in the North Coast of Kwazulu Natal South Africa. I found these horrible large brown spiders in and around my house. I’m not sure if they are Wolf Spiders but they sure scare the daylight out of me. I would like to know where to post a photo so that someone could tell me what spider it actually is.
I need to know if wolf spiders live in all parts of Ohio? And all parts of Chicago Illinois? Someone please comment. I am already scared. Please comment back.
I live in SW Michigan, and was bitten last May, A large quarter size welt on the back of my neck, face started pealing, and a few days later, my eyes were swollen shut. Ended up in the hospital for 3 days on a Benedryl IV. Thought it may of been a Recluse spider, but now a Wolf spider seems more likely, as I have seen them in my basement.
Who here knows that the tarantula’s name actually originated from a type of wolf spider? P.S. Audrey de Awesome I live in UT too!
I have a pet Jumping Spider, and have owned a non-poisoness funnel webs spider (I live in UT).
It is a hobby I do, and people say I am crazy and stupid… :/ But I don’t think so.
Reading this, I am hoping that I don’t meet one of these Wolf Spiders again…
When I was 9 (I am 11 now) I was taking out the garbage with my one-year-old sister. So I opened the lid and this HUGE spider was on it. It fell down onto the side walk, and tried to bite my sister. I picked her up just in time, and told her to run. I distracted the spider by throwing rocks at, running around screaming my head off. When I heard Clara get inside, I sprinted towards the door.
Later I researched and found that I had come across a female Wolf Spider… *Shivers*
Thats why I only breed Jumping Spiders. I just started up again, I caught a female. She is a Household jumper named Venessa.
She lost a leg in a fight (I saw it happen, I got there to see her go for the kill) with a Widow. She won, but was injured. I took her in, and now she is friends. I am always careful to insure her fangs are not out when picking her up. I have owned her now for 48 hours with nothing wrong.
I wish that Wolf Spiders weren’t so bad, because they are fascinating creatures.
My 4 year old was bitten by a wolf spider at daycare. I’m assuming it crawled in her boot at recess because when we for home and I pulled off her boots I found it squashed to the front. The next day her leg had a place the size of a softball that was swollen and red and feverish. You can’t tell me that the wolf spider is harmless and you don’t need to go to the doctor.
Well, I can’t remember if I’ve seen a wolf spider in person. But I’m interested to see one (but it should be 25 meters away from me).
Wolf spiders are not such a menace as the article says… or we just crate another myth. Venom is studied and does not do more than a sting of a bee not even a wasp…Wasp sting can be allergic not from a wolf spider. if you got bitten ..that much unlucky or stupid… just ice pack and if you feel malaise just a simple analgetic and that’s all… the emergency and doctor calls or hospital are …BIG DEAL and EXAGGERATING get true facts and read…
Brown recluse can make skin lesions and necrosis but last defenceis topic surgery (very rare) not at all amputation… if you are diabetic that’s another story…
For all you have phobia try to search trust worthy sites for spiders cause most sites are misinformed not at all updated, myths are circling round and round, no external links are set to get other opinions. If you can’t stand sight or anything on them all i can say is that its not your fault but the way you learned as a child from family or school teachers. I don’t believe to much psychiatrists said about fear of them during involvement of human species through time and …. why then we are not still afraid of the moon coming down on earth, thunders and all natural phenomena… or other beliefs…..the reason why is learning and knowing real facts hence mature knowledge…
I came up with a mother wolf one the first floor of my apartment ( 8 meters from ground close to tress – Athens Greece) with all her babies at the back- left her alone – nothing happened even if some of her little left her back ..never came indoors. The fact that a wolf carries 50 little ones means nothing from the 50 little 1 or 2 or none will survive and mature and in rural areas none cause they have many predators….
thnx…
We have Wolf Spiders in Michigan, and I almost always see them outdoors.This year however I have seen 3 in my apartment! I woke up four days ago with my face in a lot of pain, and what felt/looked like a small cyst…apparently it is from a Wolf Spider bite….
so one tried sharing my bed.I have never liked spiders…the bigger they are, the more they freak me out.But after this I intend to speak with our landlord about having a company come out and spray… ONCE bitten by a wolf is surely enough for me!
My son just got bit by a spider about two weeks ago. He is 4. At first we thought he was bit by a mosquito. then the next day his leg was fevered, painful and swollen and a red rash-type had moved up to the knee and down to the ankle. He was crying from the pain. He was bit on the back of the calf. About a year ago I bought a kit online called “Brown Recluse Spider Kit” It is Activated Charcoal and a mixture of herbs that draw poison out of the body through the bite.
My husband had used Neosporin and all that stuff! Nothing seemed to really help. So I pulled this kit out, followed the instructions, and day by day I watched the poison being drawn out by this stuff! Within a day, the swelling and fever had gone away. The pain was much less and he only cried the first couple of days when I would clean it. I had to change the charcoal out every 2 hours in the beginning. The bite itself had actually opened up into a blister and the poison just began seeping out as the charcoal drew it out! He felt so much better once we began using the kit.
Best thing I ever purchased! I have two kits and will buy more! It works for poison ivy, poison oak and other poisonous bites. Go online, research it, keep one in your home. The next time you get a bite – use it! You will be glad you did!!! And no, I don’t sell it or work for the company. I just know it worked!!
We have tons of wolf spiders around our home in VA. I too am looking for any ways to keep them out of the house because our 1 year cat keeps going after them. He has been bitten several times on his lips and they swell up but, it seems that with each bite the swelling is becoming worse. We thought he would associate pain with them every time he sees them but, he apparently keeps forgetting what they did to him before.
Well it’s wolf season here in Ga. again. In late fall and and early spring every year I kill dozens in my basement which is a fully furnished one bed, one bath, full kitchen, in-law apartment. I have stepped on at least two dozen, late at night or first thing in the morning, with bare feet over the years. However, I have never been bitten. They don’t seem to be in anyway aggressive just big and ugly. I have used everything from chemicals to sprinkling cinnamon around the baseboards, to no avail.
This is the first time that I have googled them to see if they actually bite and how bad a bite could be. After reading up on their bite I will be trying the next best thing on the market, to try and get rid of them. Somehow, I think I am just stuck with the good old fly swatter method. If anyone has a tried and true method to stop them from getting in the house, I would appreciate any advice.
First off – BLECH! I hate spiders. Every fall I announce outside the front of my house that they are safe as long as they stay outside. They come in, however, and it’s ON!
Second – you can use shaved pieces of smelly soap around your ground level entrance ways and it will keep them out. My parents have a cellar way to their basement and they always seemed to come in there. Put the soap around the doors and windows, no spiders. YAY!
Third – ALWAYS SHAKE OUT YOUR SHOES! Years ago I got bit on the big toe because he was curled up in my fuzzy barn boot. Hurts like a mother and swelled up big time. No lasting effects, though. Well, except for him – he got the boot treatment all right – I was like the kid from A Christmas Story – just whacking away well after he was sufficiently squished.
Four – now I got the heebie jeebies so I’m outta here. I love fall, otherwise.
I have now had 4 serious “go-rounds” with spider bites….I do not know what kind of spider bit me, but I suspect the “Wolf”……I woke up last Tuesday morning with the right side of my face sore and swollen, my jaw bone was so sore, I could barely move it and could not chew….my inner ear was also swollen and it was hard to hear on the right side….as the days went on, the “poison” seemed to move over my entire skull, causing glands all over my head to swell and become sore, and within a day my right eye became swollen….it is now almost a week, and the “poison has moved from the right side to the left side, and for the past 2 days, my left eye has been terribly swollen
This is only the second time in a few years that I was bitten at home, and always the same reaction….the other 2 times I was evidently bitten near a local lake…I live in upstate New York
I just brought one to school that was the size of a half dollar and it was so worrying because i almost cried in guilt for scaring someone with it but otherwise this stuff was awesome
Someone asked how to get rid of them. We have our home sprayed by a professional every six months. Only cost about $150.
Last October I saw one in the living room, had the pest guy come, and saw no more. Saw one again tonight. It’s time to call pest control again for another douse. I WILL NOT LIVE WITH THOSE THINGS. Blek!
I teach preschool in a ground-level classroom with three exposed walls. In my classroom alone we catch 1 or 2 wolf spiders daily. We send them “home to their families.” We catch several a day in the hallway and other rooms, as well. They always run away from us, never attack, and it is sometimes difficult to catch them. We saw a mom with her babies on her back two weeks ago, and all were fascinated- children, parents, and staff.
The only time I get bites in the school is when I open my classroom after being closed up for the summer. As I disturb the webs of other spiders (not the wolf spiders), I get several bites each year. If they are not spiders, what are they?
Wolf Spider (Family: Lycosidae)
Wolf spiders or lycosids are fairly common predators that feed on large insects and other spiders. They are not known to be aggressive, but they will bite in self-defense if handled roughly. Their venom is not particularly dangerous.
Most lycosids do not construct snares (webs) but hunt their prey on the move like wolves do (hence their common name). Some live in burrows in the ground and ambush their prey as it crawls past the opening of the burrow. Wolf spiders are usually a shock to people who are unfamiliar with them because of their large size and some have mistaken them for an escaped pet tarantula. Others are concerned that they might be the brown recluse spider which is not known to occur in Michigan. Most wolf spiders hunt at night but occasionally they can be found during the day. Female wolf spiders carry their young on their backs for a considerable time after they hatch. Wolf spiders normally enter the house near ground level and are normally encountered in basements, crawlspaces, and breezeways. These spiders occur in very low numbers, and usually homeowners encounter only one or two of them.
Chemical control is not necessary unless large numbers are found. Treating basements and crawlspaces with a residual insecticide (like Bayer Advanced Home or Ortho Home Pest Defense) may reduce their numbers.
Be sure to read and follow all instructions and safety precautions found on the label before using any pesticide.
I just found one of these. It scampered underneath my couch. When I caught him in the light, he was easily 3-4 inches long toe to toe. If not longer. We killed him because my mother and I are both scared of spiders. Is it normal for a wolf spider in Alabama to reach this size? Right now I am scared to go to sleep due to the possibility of another one of these roaming my house. Haven’t put my feet back on the floor since the incident either.
I have found 6 in the basement and 10 on my back porch in the past week! I have sprayed around the basement and outside the house. I wish I knew where they were coming from, we’ve never had this problem before! I feel like I’m living in the Arachnophobia house!!! GROSS!!! Any idea how to keep them away? It doesn’t help that my husband is just as afraid of them as I am.
i just caught a MM wolf spider last night. i was looking at my pet tarantulas, and i looked over under my bed and there he was, just hanging out by an old pair of my shoes. he was about an inch and a half from toe to toe. since i have little critter keepers from when my T’s were little, i cleaned one out and put him in it for the night. i fed him a cricket and he seemed happy. i put him outside this morning and he scurried away.
I never knew about these until I moved here to Florida. Now I have seen 2 with my own eyes. It has completely freaked me out for the rest of my life.
The first time, we had just moved into a home, I saw a huge spider. Naturally I would squish it. However it was so big I was running around the house trying to figure out what to squish it with. I found a rubber made tub from Walmart that I had, and threw it over, but when the air hit her, something feel off her.
I thought she fell apart. I looked and it was a tiny tiny baby spider. Then I saw 1000’s on her back. When my husband came home, he went to spray her, killing her but releasing her babies everywhere, all over the living room. I let the spider have the house, ran out side, grabbed my keys and went to the park.
The second time was the other night, we just moved into this house how, and of course there she is. Moving so fast around 11pm at night in the living room. I jumped on the couch while my husband sprayed her, and out came 1000’s of babies everywhere. Spraying those too, a few got away, but not many. Since then each light has been on in the house, and I have been staying in one spot.
The one thing I do not like about them, is when you squish the females out come all these babies. It’s overwhelming to say the least. Especially since I have a huge phobia already about spiders.
I work in Sonoma where i believe is the wolf spider tenant area… It is the nastiest thing to work in an are infested with these things. luckily and (knock on wood) I have not been bitten yet? 🙁 They are gross and I wish they were never around. Out here where I work they almost look like Tarantulas, well, they are as big…
What can I do to keep them from coming into my space I work in? Is there something I can do to keep them out? Any sprays or chemicals that would help them sense there is danger and not to go in
? Please help!!!!!
I was just hanging out in my room listening to music tonight. Then I looked up and saw this HUGE hairy spider on my curtains. I tried to get my brother to kill it but it was to fast and we lost it. I’m scared to go back in there. I’m sleeping in my living room. I am guessing it was a wolf spider. I’m praying it isn’t a female. I HATE spiders. I cried when I saw it..!! And its almost fall so I’m worried I am going to see them even more..! Eeeek! );
i recently found a very large specimen in my bed, i woke up with two annoying bites in my arm and i killed it. This was about 2 weeks ago…
Yesterday i found another one before I went to bed and it was not as big as the other one but still looking scary, so i killed it… But today in the morning I found a third one also in my bed…
does it mean there is a spider nest around? or is it normal to find many wolf spiders in a place?
I just got bit by one on my inner upper thigh. It really hurts and has a sort of buzz feeling to it… I’m afraid to go back up to my room. What if there are more!?? Urghh
I love this website, it’s very informative! Although I wish they were more pictures, they would’ve been a lot more helpful. Anyway, two days ago I discovered a small scab along the right edge of my left knee cap. The scab was a slight gold, but I had thought nothing much of it until yesterday. In the morning, I saw that my scab was swelled 2 cm across.
It was very red around the center and gold oval seemed a little deeper. My first thought was that I had been bitten by a wolf spider, but wasn’t sure, so I asked my dad. He said it could be that or I could just have an infection from shaving my legs. I decided to not worry much about it so I put a bandage on the wound and went to sleep. Today, my knee hurt immensely, causing me pain to walk, bend my knee, or sit on it.
I went to the office after my first period class and put some Neosporin and a new band-aid on it. Again, I repeated the process after fourth period. Just before seventh, I went to get more Neosporin because my knee was aching like crazy. The nurse was finally back so she took a look at my knee, and discovered that I, indeed, had an infection. She said that I would need to take anti-biotics but I haven’t had to now. After school, I went home and drained the pus out. My dad said that I had been bitten by a wolf spider and that it was the cause of my infection.
I guess I just want to tell people what to do if they do have one. First, drain the pus. Secondly, apply Neosporin to a band-aid and bandage the bite. Thirdly, later on take a shower and cleanse the wound thoroughly. Next, rub lotion on the skin around the bite. Repeat Step 2. If it still insanely hurts, take a couple of Advil. That’s what did. Oh, by the way, I know we blame spiders for a lot of things but I swear this is a wolf spider bite. I swear it is. Guess that’s everything.
I was taking a shower rinsing myself off when I looked down to see a HUGE wolf spider on the shower floor close to my foot. As if seeing the giant nasty thing didn’t scare me enough(I hate spiders) the thing started crawling towards my toe!! I screamed and jumped out of the shower and that thing started charging across the floor in my direction..
When I finally backed completely out of the bathroom, it settled into a corner and cleaned itself. I told it to stay away from me and I’m pretty sure I saw it laugh at me and then it turned around and started crawling out of the shower towards me.. I finally got a shoe and threatened it and it ran behind the toilet. When I got back from class I called my grandfather and he came over and with just a glove rummaged through the bathroom and picked it up. He’s taking it home with him so he can study it and set it free..
I JUST KILLED A FEMALE WOLF SPIDER ON MY CLOTHES IN THE WASHROOM IN THE GARAGE. BABIES WENT EVERYWHERE NOW I HAVE THE HIBBY JIBBIES. DOES SEVEN DUST,
AND BUG SPRAY KILL THEM? AND DOES WASHING THE CLOTHES KILL THE BABIES?
OK, me and a couple of my girls ( one boy ), were hanging out in some abandoned house, and my friend Brien showed us were pond with huge fencing around it ! we all jumped the fence, he said there were wolf spiders there but i didn’t believe him! so we started moving . i ended up finding a huge one that SCARED ME TO DEATH!
I was in my basement doing laundry and my friend yelled and pointed at the wall. So I got a jar and caught it. I don’t see how spiders are so scary. I’ve played with spiders and snakes since I was a little kid.
Sitting in my kitchen my niece came up to me and said there was a “pider” so I went a checked this spider out and it was a wolfy one Alright….scared the living daylights outta me! I went to that booger and it rared back and started after me! I cried. My brother came and saved us from this traumatic event!!! He smashed her and a flood of babies covered the floor!! We were saved!!!! Thank goodness for big brothers!!
i have found multiple wolf spiders in my bed and i think they bite me through out the night. is it possible to die or get seriously injured from too many of there bites?
That’s OK Monica, the reason I’m on here is because there was a swarm of the monsters on my porch last night and I wanted to verify what they were. I ran back to my car and refused to get out for an hour. The only reason I didn’t drive away is because my husband had the keys. Sigh. Now to find a good exterminator.
I think my cat was bitten by a wolf spider. This happened yesterday, and this morning he is just lying in his basket, and for a cat who wakes us up at 5am in the morning for breakfast there must be something wrong. Think I might just take him to the vet to get checked out anyway. Stupid spiders!
I just found a wolf spider in my dinning room. I jumped up on a chair and yelled until my son while laughing at me killed it. This is the second one that we have found since we moved into this house. I hate spiders and if my son wouldn’t had been home I would have been stuck up on that chair until someone came to my rescue. I pray we see no more this year they are creepy, ugly, and scare me to death.
My husband was cleaning the pool and on both sides of the stairs we found two female wolf spiders with their babies attached to their backs. We couldn’t believe the amount of baby spiders they carry and didn’t really know what it was till we caught them with metal claws and put them in a plastic bottle. One of the females was about one inch in the body the other about two and a half.
I hate spiders so I immediately went on the computer to find out what it was. I will be calling my Terminex guy in the morning to have him respray the inside and out of my house, especially with them having babies….no thank you!! Oh and my husband thought it would be funny to have me get a close look at them before he told me what I was looking at, needless today I freaked out!
I just saw one for the first time! I was moving rocks in my new backyard and there was the biggest spider I have ever seen, with babies moving all over her back! I freaked, and tried to get my son to find a cup to catch her in. I would not kill her, unless she were very poisonous, since I have kids and pets. But, she ran under my deck. I also have a black widow under my siding, and I hope to dispatch it soon. I put spiders I find inside outside, since I know they are beneficial, but not ones that can make my family ill. My teenage son is afraid of spiders, so he may never help me move rocks or sit on the deck again! I never knew spiders in Oregon carried their babies!
I was about to take a shower when a wolf spider pops out of nowhere and I freaked out then I trapped it but it almost bit me.
all i have to say is i hate spiders.
I stepped on a wolf spider last night and the babies swarmed my leg. I felt a pinch on my knee and swiped the spiders off as fast as i could. by midnight last night my knee was swollen and painful. the bite began to fill with puss. I drained it and went to bed i woke up this morning and it is much worse my whole knee is now red and swollen not just the bite mark. I drained it again (SUPER GROSS) then applied ice. I called my doctors office because i cant really drive right now since it is my right knee and it is painful to move that knee at all. They informed me that all though the poison will not kill me it is poison non the less, and wolf spiders as well as all spiders can carry bacterial infections. When my husband gets home tonight we will be going to the er as my doctor informed me that i may need antibiotic via iv and a steroid shot for the swelling.
I usually leave these guys alone unless they get in my way and then i crush them, i don’t like spiders but if they leave me alone i will leave them alone, living in Texas i usually leave spiders alone as they eat other bugs and well most of the bugs here are HUGE!!!
A SPIDER BITE NEARLY ATE A HOLE THRU MY DOGS LEG A FEW YRS. AGO. COULD’VE BEEN MUCH WORSE. NOW ALL BIG SPIDERS IN HOUSE DIE!!