Giant House Spider Identification & Info

Hobo Spiders

The Hobo spider is part of the funnel web grouping. If you’ve encountered one of these giant spiders, it’s no doubt your anxiety has soared due to their impressive size. They have large eyes that seem to follow you around the room. Their brown hues cause them to be commonly confused for the recluse. However, they look more malicious than they are, and

Lifespan

The average lifespan of the Hobo is 2-3 years. Their lifecycle is very short as they go from egg to adult in a few days. One of the reasons why they live longer than most spiders is because they can quickly adapt to whatever environment they’re in at the moment.

Diet

The Hobo is an excellent web weaver, as they make very intricate webs of silk to capture their prey. They mainly eat what they catch in their webs. Once an insect comes into their net, they inject them with venom to kill them, so they can be eaten. These spiders are known to help capture harmful insects and help the ecosystem with natural pest control.

Habitat

The Hobo spider loves to be outdoors, especially in areas with shrubs, grass, and lush gardens. Consequently, they will come inside your home, too. They seek interior dwellings in the fall season, as the cooler temperatures and crevices to hide are appealing. They don’t like the cold weather in New Jersey winters, so coming into your home or business is a perfect retreat.

Toxicity

While the Hobo spider has venom, they are not dangerous to humans. Thankfully, their bites are rarely severe. Some sensitive individuals might experience localized reactions such as redness, swelling, and itchiness at the bite site. Severe reactions are relatively rare and usually occur in those individuals with allergies or sensitivities.

Orb Weavers

Of all the talented silk weavers in the spider world, orb weavers are among the best. They usually have fat, bulbous abdomens with a red hourglass shape on them. You’ll also notice unique banding on their legs. Above all, their large circular webs are intricately designed and serve them well as a home and a trap for tasty insects. While they prefer living in the fields around water, they can also spin a web under your porch or around your shrubs.

Lifespan

While some orb weaver species may live up to three years, most only survive for one. After mating in early autumn, the larger females kill and eat the smaller males. Then, they will spin a silky cocoon and lay their eggs in it. Adult orb weavers usually die as fall turns to winter, and their eggs will hatch in the spring.

Diet

Orb weavers aren’t picky eaters and will happily devour small insects caught in their webs. However, some species are large enough to capture and eat small birds or frogs.

Habitat

These skilled spinners make their home in every place except Antarctica. They feel home in New Jersey’s woodlands, open forests, and lush gardens. They tend to spread their circular webs in areas where insects are plentiful.

Toxicity

Despite their creepy and threatening appearance, orb weaver bites usually aren’t toxic to humans. The exceptions are those who have a sensitivity or have an allergic reaction to the bite. The good news is that they are relatively docile spiders and are more apt to scurry away from humans than attack them.

Harvest Spiders aka Granddaddy Long-Legs

If you’ve ever explored an old building or a damp basement, you’re bound to have encountered these long-legged crawlers. While most people call them spiders because they have eight legs, they are arthropods closely related to scorpions. They’re also nicknamed “harvesters” because they accumulate in large clusters during autumn.

Like so many creatures in the animal kingdom, granddaddy long-legs come with a legend. In the old days, they said that if you lost your cattle, you could find a granddaddy’s long leg and say, “Granddaddy, Granddaddy, which way did my cows go?” According to the tale, the spindly-legged fellow will point one of his legs in the direction you must follow to find your cows.

Granddaddy long-legs will often pause and lift one of their legs or two, but it’s doubtful they are trying to give directions. A fact is that if a granddaddy long leg loses a leg, it will regrow. Their legs double as antenna similar to that of an insect.

Lifespan

The granddaddy long-legs that live in the Garden State are Northern species, and they usually don’t live past a year. Those that live in the South have a longer lifespan and may live up to three years. There are some records of these spiders living up till seven years of age.

Each autumn, male and female granddaddy long-legs gather in huge clusters on trees and on the sides of buildings. After mating, the females lay their eggs under rocks or bury them in the dirt to stay safe and warm all winter.

The males die soon after mating, but the females may live two years longer. The young granddaddy long-legs hatch in the spring. They eat and grow and start the perpetual mating ritual when fall arrives.

Diet

These long-legged critters benefit the yard and garden because of their wide range of food preferences. Since they aren’t spiders, they don’t have spinners or spin webs. They will often attack and eat insect garden pests and some venomous spiders. They’ll also snack on dead bugs.

Habitat

No trip through the woods is complete without seeing a few of these skinny-legged creepers. They are adept crawlers and climbers because of their thread-thin legs. Granddaddy long-legs enjoy relaxed, damp environments, and often infest basements, attics, and bathrooms. They usually hang on the sides of houses, buildings, and trees, and they can cause quite a stir if they drop on someone walking by.

Toxicity

An urban myth surrounding these spider-like creatures is that they are the most toxic spiders in the world. As the story goes, their fangs are too small and fragile to break human skin, so they’re harmless to people. You can easily debunk the myth once you know more about granddaddy long legs. First, they aren’t spiders, and second, they don’t have venom glands. The only truth to the old tale is that they can’t hurt you.

Dark Fishing Spider

The next time you’re fishing in one of New Jersey’s abundant ponds, lakes, or streams, you may not be the only one casting in a line. Dark fishing spiders are named for their dark colors that blend well with the foliage. They spin webs close to the water’s edge.

Lifespan

Unlike most spider cousins, female dark fish spiders rarely kill their male partners. After mating, the female lays eggs in a silk egg sac she hides on vegetation around the water. She will guard the egg from predators as she hunts for prey daily. Baby fishing spiders stay in the egg sac briefly after hatching.

They will soon emerge from the sac and stay around their mother. Each time they grow, they molt from their exoskeletons. Adult males and females go out independently to hunt prey and find a mate. Depending on the species, these spiders may live up to two years and complete one to two mating cycles.

Diet

These arachnid anglers capture and eat a variety of insects, reptiles, small aquatic life, and even small birds or mammals.

Habitat

Dark fishing spiders cast their silken tent around any body of water that will be a food source. It includes creeks, ponds, and lakes. They are skilled hunters on land or water. The hairs on their bodies allow them to effortlessly skim across the water or dive to catch prey.

Toxicity

If one of these spiders feels threatened by you, they can and will bite. Their venomous bite is usually no worse than a bee or wasp sting. On the other hand, it can cause a life-threatening situation for those who are allergic.

Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders are aptly named for their hairy, imposing body, fast legs, and fearless attacks on prey. This ferocious species hunts like hungry wolves, unlike most spiders that catch prey in webs. Their rich color variations serve as camouflage, protecting them from predators and concealing them from threats.

Lifespan

After mating, many female wolf spider species become aggressive and kill and eat the male. The females will weave a silk sac and deposit their eggs in it. Instead of leaving the egg sac to fate, they attach it to their body and protect it fiercely. When the baby spiders hatch, they still cling to their mother and depend on her for protection and food.

Over a short period, they molt, mature, and learn to hunt independently. Soon, they’ll become adult wolf spiders and will search for mates. Depending on the species, wolf spiders may live up to two years. Some that live in captivity as exotic pets have lived to be up to three years old.

Diet

Wolf spiders are one of the gladiators of the spider world and aren’t afraid to fight predators or prey more prominent than they are. They will stalk and attack insects, other spiders, and arthropods. Many of the wolf spider’s favorite treats are considered pests in the home and garden.

They use their strong legs to viciously attack and subdue their prey, then administer a lethal bite. Enzymes in the wolf spider’s venom quickly liquefy the internal organs of their prey, allowing them to consume it.

Habitat

These adaptable spiders are often found in grasslands, forests, deserts, and even your New Jersey backyard. Wolf spiders don’t spin webs and depend on thick vegetation and plant debris for shelter and hunting. You can often find them in leaf litter, under rocks, and crevices. They are nocturnal and solitary hunters. During the day, they stay hidden in brush and other natural hiding places.

Toxicity

Wolf spiders have a venomous bite but aren’t usually toxic to humans. Their venom is toxic enough to paralyze and digest their prey. If you were bitten by one, you may have localized pain, redness, and a slight swelling, like a bee sting. However, the bite may be severe if you have an allergic reaction.

Getting Help with Arachnoids

If you live in the Garden state, the most poisonous arachnids you need to be careful around are the yellow sac, brown recluse, wolf, and black widow spiders. While the wolf spider might leave some redness and a mark behind, they won’t do near the tissue damage of the black widow or brown recluse.

There are plenty of people who have these spiders move into their home or outdoor areas, which causes a threat to anyone that frequents the location. Getting help for these spiders is of the utmost importance.

Even though most spiders in New Jersey are beneficial outdoors, they can be a nuisance if they infest your property. Our professional and experienced pest control technicians know how to treat invasive spiders, giving you and your family peace of mind. Call us today for a consultation when one of these eight legged wonders become commonplace around your home.

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