While many spiders are common occurrences outside and in sheds, garages, and basements, some spider species primarily populate households.
Southern house spider infestations are common for many in proof.’s service areas. While usually harmless, these pests are undesirable houseguests you won’t want to keep indoors.
Keep reading to learn about these arachnids and how to eliminate an infestation!
What are Southern House Spiders?
While most spiders seen indoors are considered house spiders, there are actually distinct species classified as house spiders. The common house spider primarily lives indoors or around humans, unable to survive solely in the wild.
Southern House Spiders vs. Brown Recluse Spiders
Because these pests resemble brown recluses, you may accidentally confuse the two.
Southern house spiders are usually larger than the other species, with large brown bodies covered with a fuzzy sheen of hair. These pests aren’t the largest spiders in the United States but are generally bigger than the dangerous brown recluse spiders.
Brown recluse spiders are easily identified by their signature violin-shaped markings on their abdomens. Plus, brown recluse spiders lack the long wiry hair that many other spiders have decorating their legs and bodies.
With their large legs and furry abdomens, southern house spiders may resemble large wolf spiders, but they’re much smaller than the other arachnids. Wolf spiders spend most of their time outside, while southern house spiders are solely indoor pests.
Are These Spiders Dangerous?
While any spider bite can cause complications, southern house spiders aren’t known to cause any lingering effects unless you’re allergic to the venom. Plus, a southern house spider won’t bite you unless threatened.
Males are the only of the two that patrol around homes. The females stick tight to their web, only moving around on the structure to catch bugs, eat their feast, and take care of their children.
Avoid handling or provoking the spider when you see one of these pests roaming your home. They aren’t usually aggressive pests, but they may attack you if they feel threatened by your presence.
Because they look similar to the brown recluse spider, you may not know which arachnid you see in your home. Of course, southern house spiders aren’t dangerous like brown recluse spiders, with their bites typically only causing swelling and pain.
If a southern house spider bites you, contact a doctor and monitor your symptoms.
Eliminating a Southern House Spider Infestation
Whenever you have multiple spiders in your home, you’ll want to act quickly to eliminate them before their population grows. Because all house spider species live indoors, they’ll continue to breed and populate your property!
Here are our favorite tips for removing southern house spiders!
Eliminate Other Pests They Eat
Spiders flourish indoors primarily due to the available food sources spread throughout your home. Southern house spiders will stick around to eat a bite if you have ants, earwigs, silverfish, cockroaches, or other smaller spider species.
One of the easiest ways to eliminate spiders inside your home is to remove whatever they consume. You can stop other pesky insects living in your house using proven pest control methods and techniques!
Clean Up Your Home
When you have a southern house spider infestation, you can always tidy up to reduce the number of pests lingering indoors.
Giving your kitchen a quick clean can remove insect food sources and eliminate a spider’s primary nourishment. Whenever you have an insect infestation, cleaning up around your home is often the best way to prevent recurrent problems.
Sweep up old crumbs and mop your floors to remove any latent messes. Wipe off your countertops with your favorite kitchen cleaner too. We suggest using a citrus-smelling option, as many insects shy away from fruity scents.
Don’t forget to grab your duster too! Male southern house spiders may roam your halls, but female spiders will sit tight on their webs. Keeping corners and baseboards clean will help remove cobwebs and keep up with current spider activity.
Use Sticky Traps to Catch Spiders in the Act
Because male southern house spiders roam around your home for food or a mate, you can usually use sticky traps to keep these creepy crawlers contained.
Place the glue sheets wherever you’ve spotted spiders lingering around. As the spiders crawl over the sticky sheet, they’ll be stuck in place and unable to move. You can add some spider bait to entice the arachnids to come over too.
Avoid placing these anywhere where your children or pets may populate. Imagine pulling a sticky glue sheet off of your arm or out of your hair. Ouch!
While this option may not work as well for female spiders, it can prevent male spiders from finding a mate and breeding future generations of annoying pests.
Rely on proof. Pest Control for Additional Help!
DIY pest control methods can be complicated, and sometimes you need more help to eliminate a tough pest infestation. Consider contacting us whenever you struggle with recurrent pests like southern house spiders!
We treat for multiple spider species and can handle any infestations, from brown recluse spiders to southern house spider invasions! Contact us via our online form for spider removal services.