3/8 in.

Tan or light brown with darker markings on the abdomen.

Cephalothorax and globe-shaped abdomen, eight legs with dark markings and eight eyes.

Male adults deposit eggs, approximately 400 at a time, into a silken sac. In a lifetime, which averages about 1 year, the female will lay around 4,000 eggs. The gestation period for eggs is one week. Offspring go through a series of “instars,” or transformations where the spiderlings molt and develop before reaching maturity; male offspring go through six instars, while females undergo seven. After hatching, house spiders use “ballooning,” a process by which spiders release silk from their spinnerets into the air thereby allowing the wind to carry them to another locale, to leave the nest.

House spiders weave large, intricate webs made out of silk that serve as nesting and feeding sites. Webs often can be spotted inside homes in ceiling corners, around windows, beneath light fixtures and so forth. The house spider liquefies captured prey using its saliva before consuming it.

Spring / Summer / Fall

Sanitation is the best preventative measure for controlling house spiders as well as “cobwebs.” Likewise, caulking cracks around your home will help prevent house spiders from invading. On that note, house spiders are natural predators of many other pests, including houseflies and mosquitoes. If your home is overrun with spiders, however, please contact a pest control professional to properly identify the species of spider. Do-it-yourself, store-bought chemical pesticides often are ineffective and can harm the health of your family and pets if administered incorrectly. Find out more about spider control options for your household.