If you suffer from arachnophobia the last thing you want to see is a creepy, hairy eight-legged creature crawling across the floor in your home. While most spiders are harmless, you still don’t want them in your residence. Today A-Tex Pest Management will talk about wolf spiders. They are called wolf spiders because they stalk and hunt their prey just like wolves do.
Wolf Spider Identification
Wolf spiders are often confused with tarantulas because of the way they look, their size and how quickly they can move. There are more than 3,000 species of wolf spiders in the world. The wolf spiders you will come across in the United States can be ¼ of an inch to over two inches in size. Most are mottled gray or brown in color with light stripes. They have eight hairy legs that are strong. Strong enough to propel them to move fast and accurately. They also have two sharp horizontal fangs. Uncommon with spiders, they have eight eyes that are arranged in three rows. Two large eyes in the middle with two smaller eyes above those and four below. Wolf Spiders don’t need to create webs to capture prey because they can attack and capture prey on their own. They will enter your home in search of small insects to eat. They have keen night vision for nocturnal activity. If they enter your home, they will stay because there isn’t much competition and they can find everything they need to survive.
Wolf Spider Bite
As scary as wolf spiders look, it’s good to know that they aren’t interested in humans- we’re too big! They are venomous to insects but not to humans unless. If you provoke them or handle them directly you are likely to get bitten. The bite can be venomous and more dangerous to children and the elderly because their immune systems are not as strong. If you encounter a wolf spider it will try and run away from you- if you try and trap it, it will feel threatened and will most likely strike back. Most people describe the pain of a wolf spider bite as that of a bee sting. The skin will around the bite becomes red, may swell and might itch.
How to Get Rid of Wolf Spiders in the House
If you find a wolf spider in your home, it made its way in through an entry point while searching for prey. How can you keep them away in the future? Because wolf spiders don’t create webs, they will typically come into your home on the ground level rather than crawling upwards. For this reason, you will need to pay extra attention to basement windows and caulking areas at ground level. Apply weather stripping and/or use door sweeps. Make sure you seal openings and cracks around electrical wiring, cables and plumbing. You can also lay down spider traps. These are great at catching spiders and any other insects that crawl over them. Pesticide use should be left to the professionals.
Spider Inspections, Control & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park, Texas
Like all spiders, wolf spiders are great at keeping insect populations in check, but most homeowners don’t want to live with them. Contact A-Tex Pest Management for effective spider control.