Giant House Spiders Have Interesting Lives

Giant house spiders
Summary: Giant house spiders are intimidating pests, but are they actually that scary? This blog dives into the lives of giant house spiders, which tend to be more introverted. Each section is dedicated to a different aspect of the spiders, including their appearance, habitat, webs, and bites. Pointe Pest Control provides reliable spider control in every season.

Any critter with the word “giant” in its name sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen. Case in point: the giant house spider.

This arachnid loves living in our homes, but not anywhere near people or animals. Their main motivations for getting indoors are food, mates, and shelter. Some people encourage everyone to leave house spiders alone since they provide natural pest control. But the last thing we want to do is spend any time with these giant furry spiders!

Let’s dive into the relentless yet introverted lives of giant house spiders and see why they aren’t the friendliest houseguests.

Here’s The Facts

Since they’re common in the PNW, you’re probably familiar with these nightmarish pests already. But it’s still worth mentioning their features so you know exactly what they look like, as compared to the more venomous species.

The physical features of giant house spiders include:

  • Dark brown coloring
  • Mottled gray markings on the body and legs
  • Hairy bodies
  • A length of 1/2 of an inch (males) to 3/4 of an inch (females)
  • 2-inch-long legs

Giant house spiders can technically be a year-round pest, but only if they invade a house or building before the harsh winter. They’re more common in the fall because the current generation is fully-grown and ready to mate. This leads the males to explore their surroundings in search of a female spider, which can eventually lead them indoors.

Home Is Where The Spider Is

Whether they’re indoors or outdoors, giant house spiders love to hide. They’re so introverted that they try to avoid contact with anything larger than them at all times. When they’re outside, giant house spiders hide under natural materials, like rocks, wood, and bricks. They also invade wooden fences, sheds, and barns.

It’s basically the same story when the spider actually gets inside a house. They slip through cracks and small gaps in the exterior, then search for an isolated space to hide. This leads them to the attic, bathroom, basement, and large furniture. They can also hitchhike on cardboard boxes and firewood, so keep an eye on what you bring inside!

Hunting vs. Web-Making

One sign that you have a giant house spider in your home is their unique webs. Although they can hunt their prey, these spiders also create traps out of their messy webs. They make a sheet-like web that has a funnel on one end. The expansive web is useful for catching small prey and storing the spider’s egg sacs. Each sac has 40 to 50 eggs, which is too many for our liking.

Giant house spiders often hide in their webs during the day. At night, they go out to search for mates or food sources. Their favorite foods are roaches, ants, fleas, earwigs, flies, and moths. Giant house spiders can go months without food when they need to, but they would prefer to eat regularly — like any creature.

When Spiders Bite

It might be a small comfort to know that giant house spiders don’t want to bite us. They’re not aggressive and don’t go looking for a fight. These spiders would rather hide or run away from danger. They definitely have the advantage of speed; giant house spiders can run 1 mile per hour! We can catch them, but slower pests should keep an eye out for these monsters.

Anyway, giant house spiders only bite us when they’re cornered or handled. Their bites are compared to bee stings in terms of pain and symptoms. The bite is usually red, swollen, and itchy. If you’re bitten, wash it with soap and water before using an ice pack. It should go down within a day since the venom of giant house spiders isn’t fatal to humans.

It is possible to be allergic to spider venom (like bee stings), so please seek medical attention if your bite starts feeling worse.

Is It Worth It To Leave Them Alone?

We can hear many of you answering this with a resounding “No!” without reading on, and we don’t blame you for it at all. Some people are fine with keeping giant house spiders around because they provide natural pest control. They also keep other spiders — like hobo spiders — away because they have competition for food.

Like we said earlier, giant house spiders won’t seek you out just to bite you. But we also don’t love the idea of keeping a spider in our homes. Our suggestion? Eliminate the spider and rely on pest control services for effective treatments. The longer that you leave a spider alone, the more likely they are to reproduce — and that means more trouble for you.

How To Prevent Giant House Spiders

All of that being said, there are some easy ways to prevent spiders and other creepy-crawlies from invading your space. Our favorite tips are:

  • Seal entry points — Check your house’s exterior often for any cracks and gaps. Seal smaller ones with waterproof caulk, and stuff larger holes with steel wool before lining with caulk.
  • Inspect items  — Before you bring anything inside, give it a quick once-over to make sure there aren’t any hidden spiders. This applies to packages, firewood, and storage containers.
  • Disturb their space — It’s not technically “their” space, but cleaning the areas that spiders like to hide does keep them from staying there. Clean the floors with your method of choice, making sure to get in the corners and under furniture.
  • Remove webs — Spiders can reuse old webs, so remove any spiderwebs you find ASAP. Use a duster or vacuum to remove the webs without touching them.
  • Solve pest problems — Spiders only want to stay where their food does, so eliminating their food sources lowers the chances of spiders invading. This is where professional pest control comes in handy!

Protect Your Home With Pointe!

After reading about these spooky spiders, you might be wondering how to keep them from using your home as their own habitat. Well, Pointe Pest Control has the answer! Our licensed technicians know all of the typical habits, preferences, and life cycles of PNW pests.

We don’t waste time with inefficient treatments that don’t do anything. Our long-term solutions not only eliminate current pests, they also prevent future invaders from causing more problems. Thanks to our personalized treatment plans and expert advice, we provide the most detail-oriented services around. Contact us today for a free quote on our reliable pest control!

Citations

Five not-so-fun facts about the giant house spiders of Seattle. (n.d.). Insight Pest Solutions. Retrieved January 15, 2025, from https://insightpestnorthwest.com/five-not-so-fun-facts-about-the-giant-house-spiders-of-seattle/

Giant house spider. (n.d.). The Wildlife Trusts. Retrieved January 15, 2025, from https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/spiders/giant-house-spider

Giant house spider facts & information. (n.d.) Orkin. Retrieved January 15, 2025, from https://www.orkin.com/pests/spiders/giant-house-spiders

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