Interested in other Western Pest Services blog content?

Huntsman Spiders

Huntsman Spider Control: Protect Your Home or Business

Facts

  • Some call this pest a housekeeping spider due to its insect diet. Others call it a banana spider, because it sometimes hides within supermarket produce.
  • Large huntsman spiders are frightening to many people. Fortunately, they are not aggressive or dangerous.
  • These arachnids thrive in tropical and temperate climates in states like Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas, and California.

Appearance

Often mistaken for brown recluses, huntsman spiders have large, flattened bodies that are about an inch in length. Their leg span can reach up to five inches wide, which contributes to their impressive size. While similar in color to a recluse, these pests have a distinct yellow band encircling their heads. Their black-spotted legs also have a few noticeable spikes of hair.

How Do Huntsman Spiders Get Inside Buildings?

Huntsman spiders enter homes, sheds, and cellars to find prey. Thanks to their flat body shape, these arachnids can squeeze into tiny crevices to rest until they emerge at night to hunt. These pests cannot survive cold weather and may wander indoors for warmth.

In warmer parts of the country, apartment buildings and houses with laundry rooms, storage areas, and basements may have problems with the pests. Boiler rooms and warm kitchens are prime locations for huntsman spiders avoiding the cold.

Signs of a Huntsman Spider Infestation

  • These arachnids are ambush predators that chase and take down their prey. Other than making egg cases for their young, they do not spin webs.
  • Finding more than one huntsman spider often means the building has an infestation of cockroaches or other insects that they like to eat.
  • If you notice one of these arachnids laying on top of a large white ball, that is an egg sac. Inside this silk case are up to 200 spiderlings ready to hatch and disperse.
  • These pests are active at night. If you spot a huntsman spider running across the floor or wall, it is most likely targeting an insect for a meal.
  • The arachnids like to hide behind wall hangings and in quiet corners during the day.

Problems Caused by Huntsman Spiders

Although they are venomous and have strong jaws, huntsman spiders rarely harm people. However, mishandling the pests can result in a painful, bee sting-like bite. Huntsman spiders inject venom to subdue insect prey, but it has no effect on humans.

In the Mid-Atlantic states, you are unlikely to have issues with huntsman spiders, as they cannot withstand colder temperatures. However, the arachnids sometimes lurk in crates of fruit and produce, which brings them into grocery stores as well as homes. Retail and warehouse employees receiving imported goods may also discover the pests from time to time.

Prevention Tips

Residents in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania have little to fear from huntsman spiders. Repairing foundation cracks, gaps around doors, and torn screens is the best way to keep any pest outdoors. Inspecting overseas deliveries and vegetables before bringing them home is a good idea, too. For help with any spider or insect issue, contact the experts at Western Pest Services.

Get help with spiders

* All fields are required