Spider Identification & Prevention

All spiders, including those that actively hunt, are arachnids. That means they have two body parts and eight legs. Spiders are relatives of scorpions, ticks, and more. Hunting spider varieties specifically stalk their prey, much like big cats or wolves, making the wolf spider quite deserving of its name.

Wolf spiders even look a little like a wolf because they’re dark grey and hairy. Meanwhile, yellow sac spiders are light tan with a yellow abdomen, though they do have a similar body shape to wolf spiders, with long forelegs for catching prey. An ongoing pest control and prevention plan is the key to successfully ridding your home of spiders and their pest prey.

Yellow sac and wolf spiders live wherever their prey is. Wolf spiders will sometimes dig burrows or make holes under fallen trees or rocks, and other times they’ll set up shop wherever is convenient, such as existing holes or hollows. Yellow sac spiders, meanwhile, live inside “sac” retreats they build for themselves using silk.

All spiders are venomous, including these hunting spiders. However, neither the wolf spider nor the yellow sac spider is considered a threat to humans. Their bites can be painful, but unless you’re allergic, you’ll likely suffer nothing worse than what feels like a bee sting. You might have pain at the site of the bite and localized swelling, but your life won’t be in danger.

Wolf spiders and yellow sac spiders eat whatever they can catch – mostly crawling invertebrates like cockroaches, silverfish, crickets, and other bugs that are easy for them to chase down or ambush and overpower. Having a few of these spiders lurking around might not be such a terrible thing for scaring off cockroaches and other pests, but nobody wants a houseful of them.

Spiders avoid human contact and do not cause property damage, so their signs will be subtle. If you have a wolf spider problem, you may never know it because these spiders don’t weave webs and rarely come out in the open. If you have a yellow sac spider problem, you might start noticing sacs along baseboards, under furniture, or in ceiling corners.

The best way to prevent any spider infestation is to prevent a prey infestation. That means keeping out things that spiders love to eat, like cockroaches and silverfish. If you take measures like keeping your garbage covered at all times and storing your foods in airtight containers, that will go a long way towards avoiding attracting spider prey, which can help you avoid attracting spiders. Also, seal up all cracks and holes in your home’s exterior to prevent spider entry.

Getting rid of hunting spiders begins with getting rid of the infestations attracting them. The good news is we’re experts of pest control in Greenville and all throughout Indiana and Michigan here at SureShot Pest Control! We can help you not only get rid of the spiders infesting your home, but whatever infestation is drawing them in as well. Contact us to get started with residential and commercial exterminator services today!