Southern House Spider

Category Spiders

Actual Size: Females are 13 to 19 mm – males much smaller, around 9 to 10 mm

Characteristics: Range from brown to black in color; eight eyes grouped in a single cluster in the center of its head.

Legs: 8

Habitat: Lives in the Southern US, Central America, and parts of South America.

Habits:

  • “Crevice spiders” refer to a family of over 100 spider species; the Southern house spider is the most common one.
  • The southern house spider looks a lot like the brown recluse spider, but its venom is not dangerous to humans.
  • Instead of sticky silk, this spider has frizzy, “wooly” silk that entangles its prey.

Southern House Spiders in Florida

When people talk about crevice spiders (or crevice weaver spiders), they’re usually talking about the Southern house spider. This spider is one of over a hundred different species of crevice spiders but is the most common among them.

This spider is very frequently confused with the dangerous brown recluse spider; however, the Southern house spider’s venom is not dangerous to people. There are a few other things to differentiate the two; the Southern house spider is much bigger than the brown recluse and has eight eyes in one cluster on the front of its head, as opposed to the six eyes in three groups that the brown recluse has. The brown recluse also has a distinctive “violin” marking on its back, which the Southern house spider lacks.

Southern House Spider Habitat

As their moniker “crevice weaver spider” implies, this spider builds its web in crevices – whether they be cracks in tree bark, gaps underneath buildings, or holes in the ground. Their webs are flat with a hole in the middle, and rather than being sticky like most other spiderwebs, their webs are “wooly” and tangled. Rather than becoming trapped in sticky silk, bugs unlucky enough to stumble into a crevice weaver web will become entangled in soft, fuzzy silk.

Southern House Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Southern house spiders are a very shy species – as you may have guessed from their tendency to make their homes in crevices. They are extremely reluctant to bite people, and even when they do, this bite will not harm a human. The female’s large size – sometimes compared to a small tarantula – may be startling if you aren’t expecting it, but even if you’re bitten, you are very unlikely to experience anything more than some mild irritation or itching. 

Like many spiders, they are more beneficial than anything, as they do their part in keeping pest insects under control. You are most likely to see them indoors during fall and winter as they seek shelter from the cold – like many other creatures.

If you need spiders removed from your property for any reason, count on Arrow Environmental Services to take care of the problem.