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black widow pest

Your Guide to 8 Common Spiders in Utah

Do you have unwelcomed guests—like spiders—starting to move into your home? If you let them stay, they may never leave. Read our guide to 8 common spiders in Utah to learn how to keep the creepy crawlies out of your home.

Black Widows

black widow pest
Black Widow Spider

Black Widows are easily identified by the red hourglass on their underside. Their bite is venomous and can be fatal to young children and seniors. Though black widow bites can be dangerous, black widow spiders are not aggressive and won’t bite unless threatened.

Some bites occur when people are cleaning out garages or moving wood because the spiders build their webs in these areas. Wear thick gloves when working to avoid a harmful bite. If you encounter a black widow, quickly contact a pest control company to get rid of the spiders.

If you’re bitten by a black widow, take the following steps:

  1. Wash the area with soap and water
  2. Apply ice to ease swelling and apply anti-itch cream if needed
  3. Seek medical attention (especially if you’re at heightened risk due to age or previous health problems)

Seek emergency medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms after a black widow bite:

  • A sharp increase in blood pressure
  • Severe pain (especially chest pain)
  • Uncontrollable muscle spasms
  • A high fever and/or chills
  • Nausea and/or vomiting

Cellar Spiders

Close-up of cellar spider/daddy long leg
Cellar Spider

Also called daddy long legs, cellar spiders are known for their extensive legs and small body. They often live in dark, cool places like cellars and basements. They build webs in corners of garages, eaves, sheds, and other small spaces. To prevent cellar spiders from invading your home, try the following:

  • Make sure windows and doors are sealed to keep the spiders out
  • Use yellow light bulbs outside the house because cellar spiders are attracted to white light
  • Keep your basement clean and tidy (especially if it’s unfinished)

Cellar spiders are harmless and usually only bite their prey, not humans. If you are bitten by a cellar spider, treat it like any other itchy spider bite:

  1. Wash the area.
  2. Hold a cool cloth to the area if needed.
  3. Apply anti-itch cream if needed.

Crevice Weavers

Crevice weavers make webs in small places such as wall crevices, porches, and eaves. People often mistake them for brown recluse spiders, but brown recluses (a much more dangerous spider) do not live in Utah. Contact a pest control company to eliminate crevice weavers and other spider species. To prevent this type of spider from moving in, follow these guidelines:

  • Frequently clean out crawl spaces, crevices, and other small, dark places where they like to hide
  • Properly seal doors and windows to block entrance points

Like most other spiders, crevice weavers have a harmless bite and generally don’t bite people anyway. If bitten, follow the pattern in the previous section to treat it the same way you would treat other spider bites.

Hobo Spiders

hobo spider exterminator | Stewarts Lawn Care
Hobo Spider

Hobo spiders look similar to wolf spiders, but they have slightly different markings and patterns of behavior. They have a wavy, striped pattern on their abdomen, and they weave funnel-type webs where they catch their prey instead of hunting it.

This spider is not aggressive and rarely bites. When it does, its bites are mild and not venomous to people.

Jumping Spiders

Jumping spiders are one of the most common indoor spiders in Utah. They are best known for their small size and their tendency to jump. Because their eyesight is better in sunlight, jumping spiders prefer to hunt their prey near windows, so their webs are often in the corners of windows. Even though these spiders bite, it’s not venomous to humans.

When you see a jumping spider in your house, you can vacuum up the spider and the web. After vacuuming, dispose of the waste outside in case the spider is still alive.

Wolf Spiders

wolf spider
Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders get their name from the way they catch prey. While other spiders build webs to catch prey, wolf spiders hunt. They stalk, chase, and pounce on their prey. Wolf spider bites are painful, but they are not venomous to humans. Try this to help alleviate the pain from a wolf spider bite:

  • After cleaning the area, cover it with an ice pack or a cold cloth.
  • Apply an anti-itch cream.
  • Take pain medication if needed.

Wolf spiders are most prevalent in the fall months, which is also when they start moving indoors. Inside, they live on main floor levels under couches and other sheltered places. Outside, they live under stones, wood, and leaves. To prevent wolf spiders from entering your home, make sure doors and window screens are secure and free of holes.

Wood Louse Spider

Woodlouse Spider

Woodlouse spiders are usually red with cream-colored abdomens. They hide in damp or decaying wood, preying on pill bugs, woodlice, and other insects that are attracted to decaying plants. If their food source wanders inside to escape the weather, then woodlouse spiders may follow them into your home. After invading homes, they usually stay in the basement near dark, secluded corners.

Like most other spiders, they are not aggressive and tend to avoid people. They may bite people when they feel threatened, but their bites are harmless. You can treat a bite from a woodlouse spider with anti-itch cream if needed.

Yellow Sac Spider

Yellow Sac Spider

Yellow sac spiders are usually light tan or yellow with thin, semi-translucent legs. You’ll usually find their webs in ceiling corners or other sheltered locations. Instead of building traditional-style webs for catching prey, they create tube-like webs to hide in during the day and hunt for their prey at night. The yellow sac spider diet includes a variety of insects and other spiders.

This spider has a painful bite, but bites do not cause lasting damage or hospitalization like black widow spider bites can. While yellow sac spiders tend to be more aggressive than other types of spiders, they also avoid people whenever possible. Most bites occur when the yellow sac spider feels trapped under clothing or under someone sleeping.

 

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