House Spiders
Lactrodectus spp.
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Theridiidae
Size: House spiders (American house spiders, domestic spiders) have an adult female body length of about 3/16 to 5/16 in (5-8 mm), including abdomen. The adult male is smaller.
Characteristics: Rounded abdomen in female; elongated abdomen in male.
Color: House spiders have a yellowish brown carapace. Abdomen is dirty white with a few dark spots, or sometimes even a triangular spot, to almost black with several dark stripes in a V-shape, like army sergeant stripes. Male has orange legs, female has banded yellow legs.
Geographic Range: The American house spider, house spider or domestic spider is found throughout the world, and is common throughout the United States and Canada.
Comparison with other species: Other species of Achaearanea do not have V-shaped markings on the abdomen. Other spider species do not have serrated bristles on the last tarsal segment of their 4th pair of legs, nor do they have 8 eyes with 2 lateral pairs almost touching.
Habitat: Outside in protected places, around windows and under eaves with some light to attract prey; inside in garages, sheds, barns, warehouses, in corners and closets, under furniture.
Food: Insects, but spiders can go for weeks or months without eating.
Biology: Female lays 250 eggs in a brownish silky sac with a tough, papery cover, about 1/4 to 3/8 in (6-9 mm) in diameter. It usually is placed in the middle of the web, but it may be moved to a warmer or cooler place. There may be more than one sac in a web at the same time. She may produce up to 17 sacs in her lifetime. Eggs hatch in 7-10 days; 1st instar spiderlings stay in the sac until after the 1st molt. 2nd instars come out, ballooning down; there are 6 or 7 molts to maturity. Adults live 1 year.
Damage: Dust collects in their many spider webs, built in trial and error fashion.
Environmental Policy
The employees of American Pest Management are committed to improving the quality of life for all of our customers by providing the safest and most effective treatment for the management of pests which pose a threat to their health, property, and food supply. History has shown that neglecting to control pests such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, rodents, and ticks, and the misapplication of pest control products are equally dangerous.
