Spiders
Spiders are arachnids, not insects. Spiders have two body parts (head and abdomen), chelicerae with fangs for injecting venom, eight legs, six or eight eyes and spinnerets on their abdomen that produces silk.
Spiders are carnivorous, making them important to the ecosystem because they eat insects and other arthropods, which in turn keeps the insect population in check. This is also beneficial to farmers, gardeners, and horticulturalists. Spiders also kill other arachnids and spiders which helps keep their own numbers in check. Spiders have a positive medical benefit due to the chemicals harvested from their venom, which is used to help control and treat several diseases.
Spiders are also venomous, but only a few species are dangerous to people. Spiders use their venom to paralyze their prey and will only bite people in self-defense. For the most part, spider bites produce effects like a bee sting, although there are two spiders in our area whose bite can be a serious medical issue. These spiders are the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow. The Black Widow venom is a neurotoxin and causes muscle aches and nausea, as well as making breathing difficult. The Brown Recluse bite is very painful and forms a small blister which can turn into an open ulcer. Other symptoms include fever, restlessness, and difficulty sleeping. Not all bites will react the same, so it’s very important to seek medical treatment and, if possible, to take the spider with you for identification.
Common spiders in our area of NE Mississippi are listed below:
House Spider
House spiders are considered a nuisance pest more for the number of webs it makes than the actual spider. The female is 3/16 to 5/16 inches in length and the male is 1/8 to 3/16 inches in length and yellowish brown in color. The abdomen is a dirty white color with several dark stripes meeting at an angle across the back. House spiders prefer high humidity areas and will build their webs in upper corners, under furniture, around windows and door frames, basements and in crawlspaces. They will likely be found inside structures such as barns, sheds, garages, and warehouses. Outside, they are often found around windows and under eaves, near light sources.
Brown Recluse
Brown recluse spiders are 1/4 to 1/2 inches in length and have long legs. They are light brown or flesh colored to dark brown in color and often identified by the violin shaped mark that begins behind the eye and continues onto the upper portion of body. The brown recluse will build their nests in hidden, secluded locations that are warm, dry and dark. Outdoor locations are typically around rocks, utility boxes, woodpiles, under bark, etc. Indoor locations include areas such as old newspapers, boxes, seldom used clothes and shoes, basements, closets and attics.
Black Widow
The body of a black widow is about 1/2 inches in length, glossy black, with a globe-like abdomen that has 2 triangular red spots on its underside resembling an hourglass. Black widow spiders are shy in nature and prefer to build their webs in dry, protected locations where their prey is likely to travel. Outdoor nesting locations may include under stones and decks, in firewood piles, hollow tree stumps, barns, sheds, meter boxes and henhouses. Indoors, black widow spiders prefer places in sheltered, dimly lit places such as basements, garages and in crawlspaces.
Wolf Spider
Female wolf spiders are 3/8 to 1 3/8 inches in length and the males 1/4 to 3/4 inches in length. They are usually dark brown, often with paler, or sometimes yellow stripes or markings. Wolf spiders are often big and hairy but are primarily nuisance pests. Wolf spiders do not hunt with webs, instead they actively hunt at night and chase their prey using their fast running ability. Outside they can be found under stones, landscape timbers, firewood, leaves and other debris. Wolf spiders may enter indoors in search of prey, but will remain at floor level along walls and under furniture.