Common Spiders in the House

While most spiders inhabit woodland areas, gardens and fields, some spiders choose to live in the house and some even lay their eggs indoors. Many common house spiders are found during the autumn when temperatures drop and the harsh outdoor climate becomes inhospitable for them. While many people consider household spiders pests, spiders can be beneficial because they prey on bothersome insects like mosquitoes and flies.

Like its name suggests, this very common spider is found throughout homes in North America. American house spiders, or Achaearanea tepidariorum, are quite ordinary looking, usually yellowish brown or grey in color. These spiders like to occupy damp, dark places in the home such as attics and basements as well as barns and stables. Both males and females grow to about 1/4 of an inch long, though males tend to be a bit smaller. The lifespan of an American house spider is about one year, during which time the female will spin web and hang her egg sac.

A member of the family agelenidae, the funnel weaver is commonly found in fields and inside homes. There are more than 400 different species of funnel web spiders in North America alone. Funnel web spiders are light brownish gray with white streaks on their abdomen. They usually have eight tiny eyes in two parallel rows, but some varieties have fewer eyes in curved rows. Funnel web spiders spin distinctive sheet webs of non-sticky silk with a small funnel where the spider hides to surprise its prey. The spider pops out of the funnel, drags its prey back into the funnel and feeds.

These notorious poisonous spiders can cause a lot of damage if they bite you. Though they generally prefer the outdoors, northern black widows do appear in homes during late autumn. Black widows are pretty easy to identify, with their jet black abdomen dotted with bright red blotches. Females, usually around 1/2 an inch full grown, are larger than males, usually 1/4 of an inch. Northern black widows are generally more common on the east coast as far south as Florida, though they are considerably more common up north. Northern black widows will attack when provoked and their bite can be quite painful, though fatalities are extremely rare.