I can not tell you how many customers I have that are scared to death of spiders, but it is a lot. As a pest professional, we make sure that we know the life cycle, habits, and all other behaviors of a pest to know the best way to keep customers happy.
So, If you’ve ever had a hard time sleeping at night because you think a spider is going to attack you, this article is for you.
Ok, so do spiders attack people unprovoked? No, although spiders are predators, they will not attack people without a justified reason in their minds at least. Whether you know you did or did not provoke a spider it does happen and a spider may react giving you an unwanted result.
Read the next section to see more about spider behaviors, or skip to almost the bottom to see treatment options.
Do Spiders Attack Humans For No Reason?
Spiders do not attack humans with intent. Spiders are hunters but they are not out to hunt human beings. Spiders, for the most part, are unaware of our existence.
When a spider does attack a human it has been provoked severely. A light human squeeze to a spider can feel excruciating to them, and if they are picked up to be examined, they will find this threatening and probably bite so they can getaway.
What Do Spiders Attack?
Spiders generally attack other spiders, moths, butterflies, bees, flies, ants, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, bed bugs, dragonflies, crane flies, termites and many other insects.
Do House Spiders Attack Humans?
Common house spiders pose almost no threat to humans. In almost every situation a spider will not attack a human. Spiders will hunt arthropods, and other insects, but not humans.
Spiders usually only bite humans in defense of their web or protecting their egg sacs, caught it off guard and as a reactionary measure they may bite you, or they were inside an article of clothing that you just put on and it scared them.
If a house spider does bite, the venom is usually not enough to even cause a reaction to humans maybe an itch at most.
The most common house spiders that you may find would be:
With over 4000 species of house spiders, these guys made the top of the list.
- American House Spider – They are a light brown color with dark gray patterns along their abdomen. They are found in moist places: unfinished basements, cellars, crawl spaces and weep holes.
- Cellar Spider (Daddy Long Legs) – I usually see these spiders under vinyl siding, in basements, garages, and crawl spaces. You will usually find these spiders in places with lots of moisture.
- Domestic House Spider – These are decently sized they have dark lines on their legs and are an orangish-brown color.
- Hobo Spider – Will build funnel webs as they wait at the mouth of the hole for their prey to enter. Most species are brown in color, however, there are some that are an orange cream color as well.
- Jumping Spider – There are so many species of jumping spider. The way to know it is a jumping spider is it will have short hair all along its body with short springy legs, and they come in many colors.
- Wolf Spider – These guys don’t build webs. They are fast to chase down their prey and are of a good size. Wolf spiders look intimidating, but can actually make as good of a pet as a tarantula. Wolf Spiders are usually tan in color with a block lined design along its body and legs. They blend well out in the elements and are fierce predators. They prefer dark damp places under rocks, under woodpiles, in crawl spaces and basements, sheds and any place it can find a meal. They will dig burrows in the dirt to protect themselves from other predators as well.
- Yellow Sac Spider – True to its name the yellow sac spider is yellowish in color their front legs are longer than the other six. Yellow Sac Spiders like hiding in upper corners of rooms where walls touch. They can be found in attics under furniture and along baseboards.
Do Spiders Attack You In Your Sleep?
No, spiders will not usually attack people in their sleep. I have had customers tell me that a spider bit them while they were lying in bed at night.
They will show me the mark and it usually is one red dot on their arm. When spiders bite it will leave two equal-sized marks on you skin from where their fangs bit into you.
Fleas or bacteria were most likely the cause of their skin irritation.
I would worry more about a bed bug attacking you than a spider, that would be a lot more likely to happen.
Do House Spiders Attack Each Other?
House spiders are territorial if they are not catching the insects they need to survive. When food sources are plentiful they won’t mind if another spider makes their web in very close proximity to each other. But when food is scarce and another spider comes along the original web spinner will defend it’s home and attack a newcomer.
If you see two spiders on the same web in your home, it’s the mating season and this is the only time you’ll see a shared web between spiders.
The female spider will eliminate the male usually after mating by attacking him, in some cases the male may getaway before the female devours him, but if you see a spider during mating season that is no longer living it was either a male spider or it was a competing spider that caused this.
American black widow spiders will not usually attack the male after mating because she is so mesmerized by the silk that the male has placed all around her just before he has mated with her.
Most other species, however, the male won’t get away so easy before becoming the next meal.
There are two spider mating seasons are in the late Spring – early Fall. depending on species, and I say that because there are spiders that mate all year long.
Do Spiders Really Crawl On You At Night?
This would be a really rare occurrence if it happened at all. The possibility is within the realm of reality, however, if a spider managed to crawl on your skin you would probably scratch and kill it or roll onto it rendering it lifeless.
It is rare that a spider will come across you on your bed, this may happen a handful of times throughout one’s lifetime and will probably go unnoticed. If a spider does crawl on you or drop from the ceiling it is unlikely that they would bite you, they will likely travel around looking for a good place to get food.
You can get spiders under your bed and in corners, and under furniture.
Another myth that we swallow 8 spiders a month or 3 spiders in our lifetime, again it is possible, but not probable.
Like I said above, though it is possible for spiders to crawl on you in the night, it is not probable that you will be bitten from the encounter.
Where Are Spiders Usually Found On or Within My Home?
- Attics
- Crawlspaces
- Basements
- Under Furniture
- Near Flood Lights
- On Downspouts and Siding
- Weep Holes – These are the holes between the brick along the lower part of the exterior wall outside.
- Under Large Appliances – Refrigerator, Stove/Range,
- Windows and Window Guides – If there are no other entries to your home a window is the easiest way for a spider to gain entry.
There are many more places you can find spiders but these would be the most common places to find them.
Why Do Spiders Come Into The House?
Some spiders are attracted to moisture, so they take shelter in basements, crawl spaces, and other damp areas inside a home. Other species of spiders prefer drier environments such as; air vents, high upper corners of rooms, and attics. Most common house spiders actually spend their entire lives living indoors.
Spiders will make their way into your home because they assume there is a food source for them inside. In extreme weather, a spider will look for a place that is suited to their needs.
Some spiders prefer a warm dry place up high while others house spider species want a cool damp area that serves them better.
How Do I Keep Spiders Out Of My House?
To keep spiders out of your house can be achieved with proper sealing of your home and application of chemical.
There are other things that can help such as plants you can grow outside, and keeping a healthy green and manicured lawn.
First and foremost I would make sure that anytime you see a spider web that you grab a broom or a cobweb duster and brush the web away. This is the first thing I do when I go out to service someone’s home.
Sealing Your Home
To seal your home you will want to make sure there are no worn seals on doors and windows, make sure that all the wiring leading into your home has a thick bead of silicone or caulk enclosing it. Make sure that your vents in the crawl space are sealed off. Make sure that your home has no leaky pipes or water issues in your crawl space, the most common way your home will get most bugs, in general, is because of moisture issues.
After you have done this it is time to look at the yard and the foliage.
Manicure Lawn and Trees
Keep trees and bushes trimmed back four feet away from your house, this will prevent most infestations and help ensure that the right of passage is blocked in most cases for pests.
Make sure that your lawn is free of debris and keep woodpiles at least a few feet away from the foundation of your home.
It really helps to keep weeds and foreign plants from growing in your yard, this will help you with most pests that can come onto your lawn, remember that spiders need other bugs to hunt.
Once you have the lawn and home under control if you would prefer to do this naturally there are some plants that spiders do not like at all.
Grow Natural Plants That Repel Spiders
Spiders don’t like citrus plants so anything citrus will help.
Here is a list of some good plants you can use:
- Lemon Grass
- Lemon Thyme
- Lavender
- Eucalyptus
- Mint
- Chrysanthemums
- Pitcher Plants (Carnivorous Plant)
And as if all this was not enough we can definitely add a commercial chemical that works very well on spiders to top it all off.
Chemical Treatment
The chemical I recommend is called Demand CS. There are several other chemicals that can do the job but this is the very best one to use for spiders. Demand CS Is used by more than half of the industry to treat for spiders inside or outside your home.
The reason is Demand has microencapsulation properties that eliminates pests on contact while still wet, and once it is dry it seals the chemical into millions of microcapsules. So when a bug walks across the chemical after it dries they will break some of the capsules releasing chemical onto the bug and kaboom it works well.
You can see Demand CS in more detail by clicking here to my recommended products page.
Make sure that if you decide to use this chemical that you read the label before deciding to do so.
It is unlawful to use a commercial chemical in any manner that is not consistent with it’s labeling.
It can be a productive and safe process if you wear the recommended safety gear and be vigilant in doing it right.
If you are worried you can always call a pest company to do the service for you. I know several companies that do amazing work.
Thank you for reading my article today and I wish you the best of luck in your pest endeavors.
Summary
So, spiders do not attack humans, they can and will bite under the right circumstances. Spiders are afraid of us and will hide when they are not out protecting their webs and egg sacs from predators. You can prevent spiders from getting into your home with a little integrated pest management between you and your pest company or on your own completely.
Related Posts
What Time Of Year Do Spiders Lay Eggs?
What time of year do spiders lay their eggs? The brief answer is spider multiply all year. Even though they will appear less active in the winter and fall they will still mate, lay eggs and feed.
Why Do I Have Spiders In My Home?
So, why do I have spiders in my home? The answer is spiders need a specific climate that is conducive to their comfort not to dry, too wet, too hot or too cold. They usually make their way inside your home when it isn’t sealed properly or because you have other pests that spiders like to eat. Spiders have an enate sense of survival.
