Are wolf spiders dangerous?

Spiders will never be known as an attractive pest, but there is one that ranks among the ugliest and most terrifying looking; the wolf spider. Part of the horror of a wolf spider is its size, it’s a large spider.  Wolf spiders are one of the most common spiders in the United States. There are actually about 125 species of the wolf spider. Okay, the wolf spider is really scary looking, but not deadly. The bite will not kill you but can be painful. And even though it is not a poisonous spider, there are people that are allergic to them.

What does a wolf spider look like? A wolf spider can be anywhere from ½ an inch to 2 inches in size.  The wolf spider has 8 eyes. These eyes have 3 different sizes; 2 medium eyes are located on the top of the head, 2 large eyes in the center and 4 smaller eyes belong those. Now the wolf spider is like all other spiders and has 8 legs. But the wolf spider has 2 additional little legs that reach out in front. The coloring of a wolf spider is orange – brown or grayish brown with some splotches of color.

Wolf spiders do not have a favorite place to hang out, they will be found wherever there are insects to eat. You can definitely find them hiding in wood piles and in piles of leaves. They like to hang out around the door and windows in your home. The wolf spider isn’t a spider that has a web to trap its prey, it hunts them down. It is a nocturnal spider and does its hunting at night. The wolf spider can climb and even swim, but usually reserves this behavior for chasing down a meal.

How do you control these spiders? The wolf spider is a solitary spider, so removing one when you see it takes care of the problem. Seeing one does not mean you are infested with them. If you are squeamish about dealing one on one with a spider to remove it, you can resort to chemical means. There are pesticides that you can use to “fog or bomb” your home that will take care of existing spiders, but will not stop others from coming in later. If you are concerned about additional wolf spiders from living in your home with you, contact a pest control specialist for more intense products to solve the problem.