If you’ve ever seen a spider in your house, there is a good chance it was a common house spider. These small spiders, which mostly live outdoors but sometimes sneak inside buildings, can be found in homes all over the world. While they don’t pose any real danger to people, they can create an uncomfortable living situation if they aren’t dealt with properly. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how the common house spider got its name, some of its unique features and behaviors, and how to go about identifying them and keeping them away from your home.
Common House Spider Description
The common house spider, scientifically known as Parasteatoda tepidariorum, is a small arachnid that is found all over the world. They are typically light brown or gray in color. Despite their somewhat unsightly webs, common house spiders are harmless to humans. They do not bite unless provoked, and even then, their bites are usually just minor irritation. In fact, they are actually quite beneficial, as they help to control the populations of other insects in and around our homes. Identifying a common house spider is relatively easy. They have eight legs, two body parts, and two small fangs that they use to inject venom into their prey. They also have eight small eyes that are arranged in two rows of four.
Common House Spider Habitat
The common house spider is a ubiquitous arachnid found in various habitats all around the world. They make their home in a variety of places including fields, forests, and gardens. However, they are most commonly found in human-made structures such as homes, barns, sheds, and other outbuildings. These spiders are extremely adaptable and can survive in a wide range of environments. They are well-suited to living in areas with low humidity, and can even thrive in dry climates. They can also withstand extreme temperatures, meaning they can survive in cold environments, such as basements and attics, or warmer climates like tropical areas. As mentioned earlier, the common house spider spins messy, tangled webs that are often found in corners, crevices, and other hidden areas of a home. They use these webs to catch their prey and to provide a place to lay their eggs. The sticky nature of their webs also provides protection, as other insects can get stuck and become easy prey.
Common House Spider Diet
The common house spider’s diet primarily consists of other small insects, such as mosquitoes, flies, ants, and moths. These spiders use their venomous fangs to paralyze their prey before consuming them. Common house spiders are known for their voracious appetites and can eat several prey items in a single day. This allows them to quickly replenish their energy reserves and continue spinning messy webs to catch even more insects. Despite their reputation for being pest controllers, common house spiders will sometimes catch and eat beneficial insects such as ladybugs, bees, and butterflies. However, this typically only occurs when other prey is scarce. Overall, the common house spider’s diet is an important part of its role in the ecosystem. By feeding on other insects, they help control pest populations and maintain the delicate balance of nature.
Common House Spider Size
The common house spider is a small spider species that typically ranges from 3 to 8mm in body length. Females are usually larger than males, with some reaching up to 12mm in size. One distinctive feature of the common house spider is its elongated legs, which are covered in tiny hairs that aid in their movement and provide grip when climbing on surfaces. Their bodies are also covered with fine hairs that help them sense their surroundings and detect prey. Although small in size, common house spiders are powerful predators that can subdue prey much larger than themselves. With their venomous fangs, they are capable of incapacitating insects that are twice their size. The size of common house spiders can vary based on their geographic location, climate, and habitat. Studies show that spiders living in cooler climates tend to have larger bodies than those living in warmer regions. This is likely due to the need to conserve heat by increasing their surface area-to-volume ratio.
Common House Spider Lifespan
Common house spiders have a lifespan of around 1 to 2 years. However, this can vary depending on several factors such as their diet, reproductive success, and environmental conditions. Female common house spiders tend to live longer than males due to their larger size and ability to store more nutrients for egg production. In comparison, male common house spiders have a shorter lifespan of only a few months after reaching sexual maturity. Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity can also impact the lifespan of common house spiders. Being cold-blooded creatures, they are susceptible to harsh weather conditions, and extreme temperatures can reduce their lifespan significantly. Furthermore, diet plays a crucial role in the lifespan of common house spiders. A varied diet consisting of different insect species can help in providing essential nutrients required for reproduction and maintaining metabolic functions. In contrast, a limited diet can lead to malnutrition, affecting their overall health and reducing their lifespan.
Common House Spider Behavior
Common house spiders are known for their impressive hunting abilities, but their behavior goes beyond just capturing prey. These spiders are highly adaptable and can live in a variety of environments, from homes and gardens to forests and fields. One interesting behavior of common house spiders is their ability to create webs. These spiders are expert web builders and can create a variety of web structures for different purposes. For example, they may spin webs to capture prey or construct egg sacs for reproduction. Common house spiders are also highly territorial creatures, and will fiercely defend their webs against other spiders or predators. They use their venomous fangs as a means of defense and will not hesitate to attack if they feel threatened. Interestingly, common house spiders also exhibit social behaviors. Certain species of these spiders have been observed living in colonies, with multiple spiders sharing the same web. In these colonies, individuals may share resources and work together to capture prey. Another notable behavior of common house spiders is their ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Common House Spider Speed
Common house spiders are known for their impressive speed and agility. These spiders can move quickly, allowing them to capture prey with ease. The speed of these spiders depends on a variety of factors, including their size, weight, and the terrain they are moving across. Generally speaking, smaller common house spiders have been observed moving at speeds up to 2 meters per second (about 4 miles per hour). Larger specimens can reach speeds as high as 5 meters per second (approximately 11 miles per hour). In addition to their running speed, common house spiders also possess remarkable jumping ability. They can leap up to 20 times their own body length in just one jump! This allows them to quickly capture prey or escape predators. Finally, common houses are also capable of swimming. While most species don’t prefer to do so, some have been observed moving across the surface water. Overall, common house spiders possess impressive speed and agility.
Common House Spider Hunting
Common house spiders use a variety of hunting strategies to capture prey, including ambush and pursuit. When an unsuspecting insect comes within range, the spider will quickly pounce on it, using its long legs to ensure a secure hold. In addition to their physical speed, common house spiders also possess impressive sensory capabilities that allow them to detect potential prey or predators from a distance. They have excellent vision and are capable of detecting movement up to 30 cm away. Additionally, they can sense vibrations in their webs that indicate the presence of an intruder and respond accordingly. Combining these two strategies allows common house spiders to effectively capture prey with minimal effort or energy expenditure. They can easily adjust their tactics depending on the situation, which helps them survive and thrive in their environment.
Common House Spider Controlling and Preventing Infestation Tips
If you find common house spiders in your home, there are a few steps you can take to prevent or control an infestation. First, try to eliminate the sources of food and water that the spiders may be attracted to. This includes removing clutter, keeping countertops clean and free from food particles, sealing any cracks or crevices around windows and doors, and ensuring that garbage containers have tight-fitting lids. Second, use sticky traps around edges and corners of rooms where spiders may congregate. Finally, introduce natural predators into your home such as geckos or lizards which will eat adult spiders as well as eggs before they hatch. By taking these preventive measures, you can keep common house spider populations at bay and avoid the hassle of dealing with a full-blown infestation.
Common House Spider Reproduction
Common house spiders reproduce through a process known as courting. During this process, the male spider will approach the female and perform an elaborate dance to show off his physical strength and agility. If successful in winning her favor, he will then insert a sperm sac into her body which she can use to fertilize her eggs when ready. Once fertilized, the female spider will lay her eggs in clusters of several hundred within a silk-lined egg sac that she attaches to a nearby surface such as the ceiling or wall. After hatching, the young spiders disperse to find their own territories where they may stay for up to several years before moving on.
Conclusion
Common house spiders are an important part of our ecosystems. They possess impressive speed and agility, allowing them to capture prey with ease. Additionally, they use a variety of hunting strategies that allow them to adjust their tactics depending on the situation. By understanding their behavior and ecology, we can better appreciate these spiders and work toward their conservation and protection.
Frequently Asked Question
