Please help! I’m terrified of Spiders and this was indoors. I’ve been bit in the past so it’s hard not to panic! Bites were in Colorado, no bites here in Idaho.
Idk what this spider is, but it is not dangerous. Spiders only bite in self defense like if their skin get pressed to hard in a way it hurts them, they will bite. I have held so many spiders in my life and never gotten bit. In fact I just held a Golden Silk Orbweaver 2day and didn’t get bit.
Congrats LilDame on holding a Golden Silk Orbweaver. I did it this year, it was quite a thrill! Not, for the spider, it was just tolerating me. I don’t know which Cellar Spider this is. IDontWantIt – they are some of the least dangerous spiders there are. I don’t know of anyone ever being bitten. They’re actually great at catching fruit flies that emerge from produce and house plants. They are docile and mostly do nothing but wait for food. I have them in my house and hang out with them.
Have you seen a spider biting you? Spiders sometimes get blamed for wounds from other things because they are what the person sees nearby in the morning. If it was me I would tape a glue trap to the foot area of the bed to see what it catches after changing the bedding. Sticky tape can be put on the floor around your bed. Have you showed your primary care your wounds? Possibilities include: fleas, bedbugs, a bacterial infection, an allergic reaction internal or external. Occasionally spiders get into beds and get trapped against a person and bite to try… Read more »
I’ve had confirmed spider bites by a doctor. And there’s always the two little holes next to one another that I can only assume are the fangs. That was in a spider infested house. Now I’m in another spider infested house but no bites luckily. We are co side ring bobbing the place because they are all different kinds and HUGE. Literally everywhere. What would to get these out?
Prevention is best for the long term. Lights left on at night near the exterior of a house attract nocturnal insects. Insects attract spiders. I have a motion-activated solar light mounted on my house that doesn’t attract anything because it doesn’t stay on long enough for that. Check for openings to the outside that insects and spiders can come in through. Check screens, window and door frames and their sweeps. Don’t forget basement windows and bulkheads. Look for openings in the basement walls and floor. It depends on the age of your house. My cellar has a partial dirt floor.… Read more »
That cellar spider was the best thing we’ve seen. We have seen several big nasty ones and I’m still waiting for someone to ID on this site. The house is extremely old and there are many cracks and holes were working on filling. No outdoor lights. We really DONT want to spray, we have small children. We are going to everything possible to trap them and spray if it doesn’t work. I know you say it’s rare to be but, but I’ve been bit svervwk times by spiders in Colorado. Not here in Idaho… knock on wood but we are… Read more »
The Cellar Spiders are family Pholcidae. https://bugguide.net/node/view/9608 The link is to Bugguide.net which is also a citizen science website. They specialize in the arthropods of North America. We specialize in spiders of the World. Neither site has the reference materials plus a specimen to be able to give you a certain answer to species level. None of the spiders in the family are dangerous. The one thing I know that hunts them is the False Widow spiders in genus Steatoda. They are equally harmless to humans. I know this from observing the Steatoda borealis killing the Pholcus phalangioides in my… Read more »
Thanks! I was confused, I thought you meant it as “the best culprit.” But it was weird because nobody has asked me about bug bombing Cellar Spiders before. I just glanced to my left where I used to have one that hung from my writing lamp, keeping me company while I do this. Hopefully, one of the current generation of spiderlings will take that spot. It matters a lot how a person is raised. My Dad has secret companion spiders in his workshop though he can’t help being a little afraid of them. What I fear are ticks and mosquitoes… Read more »
A “Barn Spider” is a common name for a species of Orbweaver, Araneus cavaticus, I believe. Sure, Cellar Spiders can be in barns, they are also found inthe upstairs of houses. We try to use the most common common names.
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Please help! I’m terrified of Spiders and this was indoors. I’ve been bit in the past so it’s hard not to panic! Bites were in Colorado, no bites here in Idaho.
Idk what this spider is, but it is not dangerous. Spiders only bite in self defense like if their skin get pressed to hard in a way it hurts them, they will bite. I have held so many spiders in my life and never gotten bit. In fact I just held a Golden Silk Orbweaver 2day and didn’t get bit.
The spider I help today was half the size of my arm almost.
Held*
Where is this??? Oh dear
Congrats LilDame on holding a Golden Silk Orbweaver. I did it this year, it was quite a thrill! Not, for the spider, it was just tolerating me. I don’t know which Cellar Spider this is. IDontWantIt – they are some of the least dangerous spiders there are. I don’t know of anyone ever being bitten. They’re actually great at catching fruit flies that emerge from produce and house plants. They are docile and mostly do nothing but wait for food. I have them in my house and hang out with them.
I learned this earlier today. Officially friends 🙂
Whenever I get bites it’s during my sleep so that’s confusing?
Have you seen a spider biting you? Spiders sometimes get blamed for wounds from other things because they are what the person sees nearby in the morning. If it was me I would tape a glue trap to the foot area of the bed to see what it catches after changing the bedding. Sticky tape can be put on the floor around your bed. Have you showed your primary care your wounds? Possibilities include: fleas, bedbugs, a bacterial infection, an allergic reaction internal or external. Occasionally spiders get into beds and get trapped against a person and bite to try… Read more »
I’ve had confirmed spider bites by a doctor. And there’s always the two little holes next to one another that I can only assume are the fangs. That was in a spider infested house. Now I’m in another spider infested house but no bites luckily. We are co side ring bobbing the place because they are all different kinds and HUGE. Literally everywhere. What would to get these out?
Prevention is best for the long term. Lights left on at night near the exterior of a house attract nocturnal insects. Insects attract spiders. I have a motion-activated solar light mounted on my house that doesn’t attract anything because it doesn’t stay on long enough for that. Check for openings to the outside that insects and spiders can come in through. Check screens, window and door frames and their sweeps. Don’t forget basement windows and bulkheads. Look for openings in the basement walls and floor. It depends on the age of your house. My cellar has a partial dirt floor.… Read more »
That cellar spider was the best thing we’ve seen. We have seen several big nasty ones and I’m still waiting for someone to ID on this site. The house is extremely old and there are many cracks and holes were working on filling. No outdoor lights. We really DONT want to spray, we have small children. We are going to everything possible to trap them and spray if it doesn’t work. I know you say it’s rare to be but, but I’ve been bit svervwk times by spiders in Colorado. Not here in Idaho… knock on wood but we are… Read more »
The Cellar Spiders are family Pholcidae. https://bugguide.net/node/view/9608 The link is to Bugguide.net which is also a citizen science website. They specialize in the arthropods of North America. We specialize in spiders of the World. Neither site has the reference materials plus a specimen to be able to give you a certain answer to species level. None of the spiders in the family are dangerous. The one thing I know that hunts them is the False Widow spiders in genus Steatoda. They are equally harmless to humans. I know this from observing the Steatoda borealis killing the Pholcus phalangioides in my… Read more »
I think you misunderstood. The cellar spider was the safest that we have seen… least harmful anyway.
It sounds like you’re a spider lover of sorts and I admire that.. Not for me so much.
Thanks! I was confused, I thought you meant it as “the best culprit.” But it was weird because nobody has asked me about bug bombing Cellar Spiders before. I just glanced to my left where I used to have one that hung from my writing lamp, keeping me company while I do this. Hopefully, one of the current generation of spiderlings will take that spot. It matters a lot how a person is raised. My Dad has secret companion spiders in his workshop though he can’t help being a little afraid of them. What I fear are ticks and mosquitoes… Read more »
Some species of cellar spider
Barn spider
A “Barn Spider” is a common name for a species of Orbweaver, Araneus cavaticus, I believe. Sure, Cellar Spiders can be in barns, they are also found inthe upstairs of houses. We try to use the most common common names.