Size: |
House spiders (American house spiders, domestic spiders)
have an adult female body length of about 3/16 to 5/16 in (5-8 mm),
including abdomen. The adult male is smaller. |
Characteristics: |
Rounded abdomen in female; elongated abdomen in male. |
Color: |
House spiders have a yellowish brown carapace. Abdomen is dirty
white with a few dark spots, or sometimes even a triangular spot,
to almost black with several dark stripes in a V-shape, like army
sergeant stripes. Male has orange legs, female has banded yellow legs. |
Geographic Range: |
The American house spider, house spider or domestic spider is found
throughout the world, and is common throughout the United States and
Canada. |
Comparison with other species: |
Other species of Achaearanea do not have V-shaped markings on the
abdomen. Other spider species do not have serrated bristles on the
last tarsal segment of their 4th pair of legs, nor do they have 8
eyes with 2 lateral pairs almost touching. |
Habitat: |
Outside in protected places, around windows and under eaves with
some light to attract prey; inside in garages, sheds, barns, warehouses,
in corners and closets, under furniture. |
Food: |
Insects, but spiders can go for weeks or months without eating. |
Biology: |
Female lays 250 eggs in a brownish silky sac with a tough, papery
cover, about 1/4 to 3/8 in (6-9 mm) in diameter. It usually is placed
in the middle of the web, but it may be moved to a warmer or cooler
place. There may be more than one sac in a web at the same time. She
may produce up to 17 sacs in her lifetime. Eggs hatch in 7-10 days;
1st instar spiderlings stay in the sac until after the 1st molt. 2nd
instars come out, ballooning down; there are 6 or 7 molts to maturity.
Adults live 1 year. |
Damage: |
Dust collects in their many spider webs, built in trial and error
fashion.
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