About
Oregon Spiders: Oregon probably
has at least 500 species of spiders. Most
spiders are small and rarely encountered, often
living in forest litter, rock crevices, rotten
logs, and similar habitats. There are a dozen or
so that are frequently found in or near
residences. There are a few common
spiders you can see throughout the state of
Oregon. They are the
Hobo Spider,
Black Widow, Yellow Sac Spider, Jumping/Zebra Spider,
Grass Spider, Cellar Spider, Writing Spider,
Cross Spider, Trapdoor Spider, Wolf Spider, and the
Crab Spider
to name a few.
The Hobo Spider
can be found
wherever people live in Oregon. This is because
they prefer living in and around homes and
because they "hitchhike" on people's belongings
when people move. Most of these spiders are
found in the late summer through early fall
because the males have emerged from their normal
shelters to look for females with which to mate.
When these spiders are seen in homes they are
usually somewhere on the floor, but they can
also be found on walls and ceilings or in
cabinets, tubs, and showers. These spiders do
not make obvious webs and search for prey at
night.
The
Black Widow
are most common in
southwestern and eastern Oregon. They are much
less so in northwestern Oregon, although they
are present, most often on south facing slopes
that are rocky and bare of dense trees. They can
also hitchhike when people move from other parts
of Oregon to areas where black widows are
uncommon. Black widows prefer dark places such
as garages, basements, and crawl spaces. They
make messy looking webs in tight corners and
crevices near the ground or behind and
underneath furniture or other items. Once they
make a web, they rarely leave it unless
disturbed.
The
Yellow Sac
Spiders are
small spiders that are pale yellow to yellow
green, with few other markings. Yellow sac
spiders don’t make webs but actively search for
prey at night. These spiders can be found
outside during the day in silken sacs under
objects such as planters, firewood, and rocks
and on plants in curled up leaves. When they
enter homes (usually during cooler weather),
they hide in white silken sacs where the ceiling
meets the wall or other similar corner. These
sacs are also often found along windowsills.
The
Jumping/Zebra
Spider
are also
very common throughout Oregon. This spider is
not dangerous but will usually attack if it
feels threatened. The spider is called the
jumping spider because it will leap large
distances at times. The jumping spiders that
reside in Nevada tend to be brown or black and
no more than a couple of inches in length.
The Grass Spider
are mostly found outdoors. Very common around
homes and edges of foundations. They commonly
build a funnel shaped web. They can be teased
out by gently touching the outer web with a
stick. Their venom is toxic but is much less
than severe than the Brown Recluse. The most
common symptoms are local swelling, redness and
itching.
The Cellar
Spider
will gladly inhabit the dark corners of your
cellar or basement, where it hangs upside-down
in its messy, haphazardly constructed web.
The
Writing Spider's
pattern of banded
silk
is pure white, and some species make an "X"
form, or a zigzag type of web (often with a
hollow center). The spider then aligns one pair
of its legs with each of the four lines in the
hollow "X," making a complete "X" of white lines
with a very eye-catching spider colored bright
yellow on a field of black or variegated red
white and yellow stripes forming its center.
The
Cross Spider
can be up to 18 mm in
length, which is pretty large for spiders. The
thing they all have in common is their
cross-symbol located at their back. The cross is
actually formed by white dots which are closely
attached and shaped into this perfect cross.
The Trapdoor Spider
is difficult to see
when it is closed because the plant and soil
materials effectively camouflage it. The
trapdoor is hinged on one side with silk. The
spiders, which are usually nocturnal, typically
wait for prey while holding on to the underside
of the door with the claws on their tarsi. Prey
is captured when insects, other arthropods, or
small vertebrates disturb the 'trip' lines the
spider lays out around its trapdoor, alerting
the spider to a meal within reach. The spider
detects the prey by vibrations and, when it
comes close enough, leaps out of its burrow to
make the capture.
The Wolf Spider
are robust and agile
hunters with good eyesight. They live mostly
solitary lives and hunt alone. Some are
opportunistic wanderer hunters, pouncing upon
prey as they find it or chasing it over short
distances. Others lie in wait for passing prey,
often from or near the mouth of a burrow. Wolf
spiders will inject
venom
freely if continually provoked.
The
Crab Spider
is a hunter. It does not build a web, but
instead spends its time lurking on flowers and
vegetation, waiting for butterflies, bees or
other insects to wander into its vicinity, at
which time it strikes, quickly paralyzing its
prey with deadly venom. Interestingly, the crab
spider is quite the chameleon, possessing the
ability to change its color to match the flower
on which it lurks.
If you don't see your Oregon spider on this page, please let us know
so that we can help you identify your spider
species.
We are very confident that the
ET Pest Control
with its High Impact Repelling, will demand your
Oregon Spider Problem to leave your home with
positive results.
We have created this page to help you identify
your Oregon Spider Control Problem. |