Agelenopsis, or American grass spiders, are so-called because they’re commonly found in grass and shrubs. They are quite small, with females being around 10 to 20 millimeters and males being slightly smaller than that.
They’re often mistaken for Wolf spiders, or even the more dangerous Hobo spiders because they can be quite similar in appearance – grass spiders have a similar color pattern on their cephalothorax or head region. They are tan in color, and have two darker lines running down on each side(though these lines aren’t quite as thick as the lines you’ll find on Wolf spiders). A distinctive pattern found on their abdomens that distinguish Grass spiders from Wolf spiders would be light chevrons, or inverted triangles. Another thing is if you find what you think is a Wolf spider near a funnel web, that may be a Grass spider as Wolf spiders live in burrows.
Unlike the Hobo and Wolf spiders that have very painful bites, the Grass spider does not possess venom poisonous or toxic to humans. In fact, their fangs are so small that they have difficulty penetrating our skin. They are very shy, and very fast – so Grass spiders rarely end up biting humans since they very quickly move out of the unsuspecting human’s way.
Grass spiders are a genus of funnel weavers, and belong to the family of Funnel Web Weavers, so-called because they build sheet-like webs with a funnel at one end. The grass spider then sits at the end of the web and waits for prey. Their web isn’t sticky, but Grass spiders make up for it with their speed in catching prey that stumble on their nest, scurrying to bite and paralyze its victim to later consume at its leisure.
Only female Grass spiders make funnel webs, while males spend their time wandering in search of females to mate with. Once they mate, they die shortly after. The females then bide their time and build their strength until they give birth in the fall, depositing their egg sacs in narrow areas such as between rocks near their nests. Sometimes the egg sacs can be found on the edge of their webs, but sometimes these eggs can be found beside their dried up mother, whose arms may still be clinging to her yet to hatch children.
When they do hatch in the spring, they will build their own nests spread away from one another, nests that will increase in size as the spider grows. These webs are most visible after a rain, when raindrops still cling to the silk and reflect light. Try spotting one in your own backyard. While they are commonly found among blades of grass, they can also be found on weeds, shrubs, ground covers, bushes, and brush piles to name a few.While they prefer the outdoors, you may find them seeking shelter indoors (and in your own home) in autumn when temperatures drop.
Grass spiders are considered beneficial since they are quite harmless to humans and feed on pests found in our homes – but if you do find yourself infested, don’t hesitate to reach out to a pest control company for assistance in dealing with Grass spiders and other pests.
Spiders don’t typically go around biting people. Almost always, they end up biting people as a form of self-defense and that usually happens when you go stumbling about and not see that you’re about to come in contact with one very frightened spider. Sometimes, you’ll feel a stinging pain and not see anything right away – for some people, visible symptoms may take days to manifest, or even weeks.
Most spiders you’ll find lurking around in your home, garage, or woodshed are pretty much harmless (though their bites can still sting!). However, if you suspect you’ve been bitten by one of the deadlier types of spider such as the black widow spider or the brown recluse, their venom can do nasty, even deadly things to our bodies so immediate medical attention is needed.
Some symptoms of these spider bites include severe swelling, intense pain, muscle spasms, fever, and chills. You may also get abdominal pain, vomiting, and experience difficulty breathing and have lightheadedness. Note that the very young and the elderly are especially vulnerable to feeling the effects of a spider’s venom. If you feel any of these, get yourself to a hospital or clinic right away.
The effects of a general spider bite from spiders that are less deadly may be inflammation, redness, mild pain, and itching, and for these you may want to try a natural, at-home treatment.
The first step in treating the general spider bite is by washing the bite area with soap and warm water. Then apply ice or a cold compress, for 10 minutes, taking small breaks as necessary, to reduce swelling. Repeat several times during the day, especially in the first 24 hours. Do not apply the ice directly unto your skin.
This common household item has a lot of uses, and that includes spider bite treatment. Mix baking soda and water until it becomes a paste (three parts baking soda, one part water), and apply it to the spider bite area with cotton for about 5 minutes before washing it off with lukewarm water. If the discomfort remains, repeat the process after an hour.
Salt has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic qualities, which make it helpful for treating spider bites at home. Wash the bite area and pour a little table salt on a damp washcloth, and wrap the washcloth around the bite area for at least 2 hours. This is equally effective using Kosher salt or sea salt. Reapply as needed.
Surprisingly, potatoes aren’t only very tasty and a great addition to many dishes, but they also have anti-irritating and soothing properties.
Peel a potato, wash it, and grate it. Place the wet potato shreds on a cloth and tie it, and rub it on the affected area. Leave it for half an hour before washing the area with warm water. Reapply with a fresh batch and repeat the process until the symptoms are gone.
Lemon juice helps lessen itching and swelling – simply extract the juice from the lemon and apply it to the bite area using cotton balls. Once dry, rinse the area with water.
It neutralizes the venom and has powerful anti-inflammatory qualities that control swelling and inflammation. Make a paste with 1 to 2 aspirin tablets by soaking it in water. Once paste-like texture is achieved, simply apply it to the bite area and leave it for about 2 hours. Then rinse the area with water, and repeat until symptoms are gone.
If the bite area gets worse or spreads, if the person bitten experiences difficulty breathing, severe pain, or you’re unsure if the spider was venomous or not, seek medical attention right away. It’s also possible to experience an allergic reaction to a spider bite, and symptoms of this include swelling of the lips, throat, tongue or eye area – seek medical attention right away.
Please note that the information in this article is for informative purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. If you suspect that you have spiders on your property, get in touch with a pest control company right away to keep you and yours safe.
These spiders are found in the hot and humid desert environments of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. Recluse spiders are known to have a violin-shaped mark on their backs, but with the Desert Recluse spider, these markings may be a bit more difficult to see as they’re mostly a uniform tan or brown in color.
Wolf spiders, commonly mistaken for recluse spiders, have 8 eyes whereas the Recluse has 6 eyes arranged in three groups of two – this separates them from a lot of other spider species since most spiders have 8 eyes.
They’re ¼ to ½ inch long, and spin irregularly shaped webs where they spend most of their day in, before going out to hunt for food during the night. They feed on small insects but will occasionally dine on a large insect if it’s already dead.
They’re rarely found indoors, and prefer the outdoors in dark, undisturbed places. They may be found in dead cacti, wood, and may even stay in rodent burrows where they may also have a steadier stream of insect food.
If found indoors, like most other spiders, they may be found resting along cracks and crevices on your walls, or even under an undisturbed pile of laundry or other debris.
They typically live for 2 to 4 years, and may produce over 100 spiderlings a year.
Desert Recluse bites may cause reddened skin that may develop blisters, and the bite site will be quite itchy for the first few hours. Their bites, while perhaps not immediately painful for all bite victims, are necrotic and may cause a breakdown of tissue several days after the bite, which may then take several weeks or months to heal.
Other symptoms of a Recluse bite may be fever and chills, skin rashes, vomiting or nausea, or even joint pain.
Necrotic flesh is black, dead tissue, so if you suspect that you’ve been bitten by a Recluse spider, seek medical attention right away.
If possible, try to capture the spider that bit you so you can bring it in for positive identification by professional staff.
Now if you’ve found a Recluse spider in your home or property, you may want to get in touch with a professional pest control company to have them come and take a look – there may be more Recluse spiders in your home that you haven’t discovered yet. Professionals can remove these dangerous spiders and other pests to help ensure your safety, and companies like Watchdog Pest Control will put in measures to prevent them from coming back.
Measures you can put in place to prevent Desert Recluse spiders from finding your home appealing are sealing the cracks along your walls that they can use as entry points. You may also want to invest in screens for your windows, and place steel mesh on any outside vent.
These measures would also help deter other pests from coming in to your home, and remember, since Desert Recluse spider feed on insects, the less you have in your home, the less appealing it is for them to stay there.
Spiders are quite common in Arizona, whether they’re in houses or apartments spinning their webs or traipsing through the desert – there are about 26 different species of spidersthat call Arizona their home, and these are some of the most common spiders you’ll see in the state:
Tarantulas are one of the most common spiders you’ll see scuttling about in Arizona. While there are many species of tarantula, the ones you’ll see are usually brown in color and can grow to 5 inches in size. They’re hairy and large, and while they have been known to go into houses, they’re typically found outdoors. While many people find tarantulas frightening, they’re actually quite shy and only bite if they feel threatened. They possess only mild venom, and people who’ve been bitten by tarantulas say the pain is similar to that of a wasp’s sting.
Check out our dedicated entry for tarantulas here.
Often mistaken for the more dangerous Brown Recluse, wolf spiders are typically brown to gray in color. They have distinctive markings on their backs – but not the violin-shaped marking behind the head of a Recluse Spider. They rarely show aggression to humans, and while they’re venomous, their venom is not toxic to us. Same as a number of other spiders like the tarantula, they only bite when threatened.
Wolf spiders don’t spin webs and spend the night hunting for food. They carry their egg sacs with them, and once hatched, the spiderlings will climb onto their mother’s back and stay there for several days.
While they may be found indoors near doors, houseplants, basements and garages, these spiders prefer to be outdoors near sources of water.
Also commonly mistaken for the Brown Recluse is the American house spider, also known as the common house spider. As the name suggests, they’re typically found indoors in homes, garages, and sheds. They have yellow brown bodies and grey brown abdomens with short hair.
These spiders are not known to be dangerous to humans, though they will bite if threatened.
Perhaps the most common spider in the state, Black Widow spiders are also one of the more difficult spiders to detect early since they hide in dark, low-lying places. While it’s difficult to spot them before they bite you, they’re one of the more easily identifiable spiders as they have shiny black bodies and a distinctive red hour-glass shape on their backs.
They’re not aggressive spiders, but they are venomous and their bites may cause extreme pain. If bitten by one, it is important to seek medical attention, especially for the young and elderly or those with compromised immune systems.
Recluse spiders have a violin-shaped marking on their bodies, however with Desert Recluse spiders, these markings may be hard to see. Theyare tan or yellowish-tan in color with light brown abdomens. They’re a bit more aggressive than the other spiders on thelist and their bites are painful and may be necrotic – that is, tissue-destroying. If you suspect that you’ve been bitten by a Recluse spider, seek medical attention.
If you have a spider infestation in, you may want to get in touch with a professional pest control company. Not only does Watchdog Pest Control get rid of spiders on your property, but we make sure they don’t come back!
The Arizona Brown spider is the most famous of the recluse spider group, and it is commonly mistaken for the Desert Recluse because of how similar they look. These spiders are commonly referred to as violin spiders or fiddleback spiders because of a telltale violin-shaped mark on their bodies.
They also have 6 eyes instead 8 that are typical in spiders. These eyes are arranged in groups of 3, known as dyads. They have long, thin legs covered in fine hair which also covers their abdomen. They are uniformly colored light tan to dark brown. There are no spines on their legs. Their body length is about 1/3 inch and their leg span is 1 to 1.5 inches, and Brown Recluse males are slightly smaller than females.
Same with the other Recluse spiders, these spiders prefer areas that are not regularly disturbed by humans. They like to hide away under rocks, desert debris, and wood piles. They can also be found on piles of leaves, or if they’re indoors, in dark closets, basements, or attics. Bites from these spiders typically occur when they’re unknowingly trapped against us, such as putting on shoes or slippers left outside or someone reaching into an unseen area to try and grasp something.
People react differently to their bites – some people only experience a reddish bump that they can treat on their own, and others need to seek medical attention because the bite has caused tissue damage, which is worse when the bite occurs in particularly fatty areas of the body. Very young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to the effects of this spider’s bite. Other symptoms may include chills, fever, nausea, joint pain, weakness, and in more extreme cases, seizures or a coma.
These nocturnal creatures typically feed on ants, especially carpenter ants that are active at night. They may also eat larger insects if those insects are already dead.
If you live in an area that’s known to have Arizona Brown spiders, than be wary of picking up items that have been left unattended on the ground. Piles of laundry or clothing or toys may be a temporary refuge, so make sure to carefully shake each item before you put them away.
If you’re putting on shoes, especially ones you don’t regularly use, make sure to carefully inspect them – spiders and other small insects could have claimed that as their resting places, and many bite victims have stated that it was because of carelessly putting on shoes or clothing items that they’ve been bitten.
Things you can do to keep them out:
- Properly dispose of trash and other rubbish – woodpiles, storage boxes, tires etc. are safe havens for spiders
- Keep the perimeter of your house free from shrubs which insects can use as bridges to get to your house
- Make sure to keep your grass trimmed
- Always check clothing or other items that have been outside before using them or bringing them indoors – spiders (and other insects) may have temporarily taken refuge in them
- Seal gaps or cracks on your walls
- Invest in screens or mesh for windows and vents
- Consider weather stripping for doors and windows
- Remove webs and egg sacs as soon as you find them
Pesticides only work when directly sprayed on the spider, so if you’re doing your own pest control, make sure you wear protective gear.
Yes, and there are about 30 species of tarantulas that can be found in Arizona.
The Desert Tarantula, also known as the Arizona blond tarantula or the Mexican blond tarantula, is one of the most common spiders that can be found in the state of Arizona.
The wet monsoon and early fall is mating season for these tarantulas, and it’s during this time that you would see male tarantulas out and about – when they leave their hidden burrows once a year in search of a mate.
Female tarantulas usually stay by their burrows, which are typically small holes in the ground about the size of a quarter. If the nest is active, there would be strands of silk on the opening, and it is on these strands of silk the male tarantula would dance to entice the female to mate. Whether he woos the female successfully or not, he may become its next source of protein if he does not get away fast enough when she decides to take a bite.
During winter, their nests are plugged with silk, soil, and even rocks while they wait for summer.
They can live anywhere from 12 to 25 years (approximately 12 years for male tarantulas, and 25 for female tarantulas), which makes them popular pets for the more adventurous individual. While they’re venomous and would attack anything it can subdue for food, their bite is harmless to humans, typically at most causing pain no more than that of a bee sting.
Aside from its bite, they have barbed hairs on their abdomen that may cause irritation, and when attacked, these tarantulas have been known to fling these hair strands as a form of self-defence.
They can be up to 3 inches long, and 2 to 3 inches tall with a leg span of 3 to 5 inches. Male tarantulas are slimmer than female tarantulas and are covered in black hair while females have a tan or light brown color.
Despite their feared appearance, these are docile creatures and only bite under extreme duress.
Arizona is home to many different fearsome creatures, some of which have fangs and stingers, and that creep, crawl or slither. The black widow spider is one of the most common inhabitants of the valley which contains 22 different kinds of these arachnids.
The Black Widow is a creature that receives its name for its particular reproductive pattern and cannibalism: females, which are larger and stronger than males, eat their mates after copulating. These females can be easily identified by their characteristic 1.5-inch-black bodies with a red dual triangle-shaped mark on their abdomen. Males are smaller and weaker as their only function is to inseminate the females. Black widows search for dark, cool places to build their spider webs and lay their egg-sacs, usually on corners, on the floor, under patio furniture, around a barbecue, inside mailboxes, toys lying on the floor, and also in the outdoors, inside shrubs or vines. Black widows spread very fast as a female can lay up to 750 eggs (inside up to 9 egg-sacs) several times throughout summer. However, only some of the spiderlings survive, as the fittest prey on their weaker siblings.
Contrary to popular belief, these spiders actually hide from humans and do not attack unless they feel their shelters or offspring are being threatened. In case someone accidentally puts their hand in a black widow’s web, the spider will automatically bite that person. Black widow bites consist of two red spots that mark the area where the spider pierced the skin and injected the neurotoxin into the nervous system. The symptoms are mainly pain, muscle cramps, nausea and in extreme cases, trouble breathing. In order to prevent these unfortunate encounters, it is useful to learn how to identify these venomous spiders and to keep the house and surrounding vegetation clean and free of debris and clutter.
Though black widows are the deadliest spiders in the USA, they inject a little amount of venom when they bite a human, so people do not generally die from these bites. Nevertheless, if you are bitten by a black widow, call the local authorities immediately for help. In order to keep these creatures away from your home, make sure you keep others pests away, such as crickets, roaches, and mosquitoes, their favorite meals. In cold weather and drought, black widows look for refuge indoors, so make sure you keep your floors free of clutter!
Are you afraid of spiders? Do you like crushing these arachnids when you see them? Or do you immediately get out of a room if you see spiders there? Maybe you are one of those people who cannot sleep with any type of bug in their bedrooms because you are afraid one of them will crawl into your mouth.
You shouldn’t be afraid of admitting it. You are a small part of the population that most likely suffers from arachnophobia. It means that you are afraid of spiders. The problem with this phobia is that, of course, it’s not very logical. After reading this article you will realize that you can sleep tight: it’s not true that spiders can crawl into your mouth while you rest!
First of all, spiders avoid being in contact with human beings as much as possible. The fact that you are asleep does not make you a probable victim. These small creatures do not see you as a harmless body and would not take this as a chance to attack you. In addition to this, the possibility of a spider getting into your mouth is very small.
It’s not very common for people to sleep with their mouths open. If they do, they are probably snoring. It’s not possible for a spider to want to enter into a mouth that’s moving air and resonating. Especially because a lot of vibration is produced by snoring. This kind of resonation is one of the things that repels spiders the most because it is a sign of danger for them.
If this information is not enough to make you feel better, let’s take a look at some statistics regarding spiders. Following some associations like the Poison Control Center, only two people died from spider bites between the years 2000 and 2004. And these species do not even live in the United States.
Even though it is true that there are some cases of people who have suffered in the hands of spiders (like the case of a Chinese woman back in 2011, who discovered she had a very small spider living in her ear canal), this is not common. As you can see, the chances of eating a spider while you’re sleeping are minimal. Rest assured that these arachnids will never try to enter into your mouth. You are far scarier for them than they are for you.