Don’t Give The Hobo Spider A Home This Season
What You Should Know
The Hobo Spider is one of the most dangerous spiders found in Utah. They are most active and commonly found from August through October when they are mating and preparing for winter. The females search for a warm place to lay their eggs which is why they are found in homes during fall and typically more aggressive. Don’t wait for a serious bite or infestation to occur, call Beeline Pest Control today! Now is the time to make sure these dangerous spiders don’t setup camp in your home this winter.
Here are a few facts about Hobo Spiders:
- They build funnel webs to catch their prey.
- They are not good climbers, rarely above ground.
- They are quick, long-legged and considered swift runners.
- Difficult to distinguish from other brown house spiders with the naked eye.
- Began to appear in northern and central Utah in late 1980’s, by 1993 large numbers of this species emerged in logan and other cities.
- Can run distances of 17 inches to 40 inches per second.
- Most commonly found in homes in the cooler months from August through October looking for mates and laying eggs.
Spider Description
- Because these spiders are harmful it is important to be able to distinguish them from other spiders.
- The front of the Hobo Spider where the legs are attached to the body is brown with darker brown markings and brown legs.
- The spider’s abdomen, which is the second region, has very distinctive yellow markings with a grey background but the pattern is difficult to see with the naked eye.
- A mature female spider can range between 9.5-16.5mm long.
- A mature male spider can range between 7-13.5mm long. The males have enlarged pedipalps located near the mouth that resemble short legs and make them distinguishable.
- Many brown spiders resemble the Hobo Spider so it is important to identify the correct species by knowing what the other species are or by looking under a magnifying glass.
Hobo Habitat
- Prefer to be in holes, cracks, or recesses to support their webs.
- Most build funnel-like webs but when the habitat is not suitable, they construct flat webs.
- Typically ground level due to poor climbing abilities.
- Frequent timber or log piles, rock piles/borders/retaining walls, or where tall grass meets the foundations or crevices where they can create their funnel webs.
- Commonly found in the basement of homes or on the ground level because they are not good at climbing smooth surfaces. Also commonly found in bathtubs and sinks because the porcelain is too slippery for them to climb out of.
- Most commonly found in homes August through October while looking for mates and then again in the springtime when looking for web sites.
Life Cycle
- Warmer coastal region Hobo Spiders typically live one year.
- Inland populations of Hobo Spiders, like Utah typically live longer spanning two-three years.
- Eggs deposited in Fall begin to hatch in the Spring.
- Males seek out females for mating during the summer and most die before October.
- Females start laying their eggs in mid-september, with one to four eggs produced over the period of four weeks.
- If temperatures are cooler than normal or food is limited there will be less egg sacs produced.
- If temperatures are too cold, egg production will be permanently terminated by females.
- Most females will die off in late autumn but some will live through to the next summer.
Bite Signs & Symptoms-
- The bite will feel warm for the first few hours and then resemble a mosquito bite for the first 24 hours.
- A blister can form caused by the bite, the bite will break open within one to two days and form an oozing open ulceration.
- A lesion can form, most bites are minor but a lesion can erupt or flesh hole which is a result of dead tissue.
- The size of this lesion can vary between the size of a pea to a half dollar. Sometimes it is even bigger.
- Underlying tissues of the bite can be seen after the dead tissues eventually peel off.
- Can take weeks or even months to recover.
- Venom symptoms include:
- Immediate redness
- Headache
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Temporary Memory Loss
- Vision Problems
- Weakness
- If bitten by a Hobo Spider one should stay calm and see a physician as soon as possible. Treatment for these bites is similar to the process or envenomation.
The Hobo Spider population is constantly growing in Utah, and especially bad during the months of August through October. Beeline Pest Control will come out and survey your property to give you the danger level, cost, and the amount of time the extermination will take. Let us put you at ease, call us at (801) 201-9134 or visit our ‘Contact Us’ page.