Common Indiana Spider Species

Indiana’s climate is suitable for a number of spiders, which inhabit gardens and wooded areas and sometimes find their way into homes. These species range from venomous spiders to harmless arachnids that are commonly found in this part of the Midwest. The ability to identify these common crawlers will help people realize when to be cautious.

The brown recluse is a poisonous spider often found in Indiana that is yellowish to brown in color and has a leg span of approximately 1.5 inches. This species tends to stay hidden in dark places, hence the name, and are often found in woodpiles or in crawlspaces under housing. Despite their rare appearance, they are quite numerous in the area.

This spider is also known as he "fiddle back" spider because of the markings on it cephalothorax and abdomen. This dark spot on the spider often resembles the shape of a violin.

A bite from a brown recluse causes extreme damage to the skin tissue and will form an open lesion. This sore may take considerable time to heal. The venom may cause vomiting, nausea, stiff joints and fevers in some people. If left untreated, a brown recluse bite can cause kidney failure, according to venombyte.com.

A wolf spider is common in Indiana and looks much scarier than it is. This spider is venomous, but its poison isn’t usually dangerous to humans. The large, hairy spider can grow to 1.2 inches in diameter in body only. Including the legs, this spider is often up to 4 inches across. They are brown in appearance and are most easily identified by the bristles on their legs and body.

The wolf spider is unique in that it hides and hunts for prey and will crush other insects instead of waiting for them to become entangled in a web. These spiders are also very fast, moving up to 2 feet per second in short spurts.

These spiders are not aggressive, but may mistake fingers for insects, which can sometimes lead to a bite. A wolf spider bite is painful, but is not particularly dangerous in most cases. Usually the pain from a wolf spider bite will fade in about 10 minutes, according to wolfspiders.org.

The yellow garden spider, sometimes called the common garden spider or black and yellow spider, is often seen in Indiana gardens where they spin a zigzag-shaped web and feed on insects that prowl around the flowers.

The spider ranges from 5 to 28 millimeters in diameter, but the bright alternating yellow and black stripes on the long-legged spider make it easy to identify, according to the Insect Identification website. This harmless species is helpful in a garden environment and will take care of a great deal of pest control.