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• House Spider

The common house spider is widely distributed throughout most of the world, particularly North and South America. They are not aggressive and rarely bite people. They are commonly found in human structures such as barns or homes. They prefer dark, damp areas and tend to live in crawl spaces and basements. Outside, they can often be found under objects such as rocks, boards, and other similar objects. They do not wander much unless it is to find a new area in which to build a web. These spiders are known to frequently abandon its web to build a new one nearby and they are capable of producing many webs in a short period of time.

Common house spiders are dull in appearance, with patterns or chevrons in shades of brown. This can sometimes give the spider a spotted appearance, particularly on their legs. The dull, spotted appearance can act somewhat as a camouflage; allowing the spider to blend into its surroundings and escape when necessary. Females are usually a yellowish-brown with a dirty white to brown abdomen and yellow legs. Females are larger than males; usually 5 to 6 millimeters in length. Males tend to have more orange legs and are smaller than females (typically 3.5 to 4.5 millimeters in length). Their diet consists of household pests such as flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects that wander into its web.

Both male and females can be found year round and will co-exist in the same web, mating repeatedly. A female can produce 12 or more egg sacs in her lifetime, each containing 100-400 eggs. The egg sacs are usually brown with a tough paper-like cover and can be 6 to 9 millimeters in diameter. Hatchlings only remain for several days before moving on to establish new webs nearby. Lifespan is typically 1 year.

While these spiders can be beneficial due to their diet of other insects, they can also be considered a nuisance pest. A call to Long Pest Control can develop an Integrated Pest Control program to eliminate the sightings and provide an environment free of unwanted pests year round.