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I am new to Idaho and have encountered a few spiders. I tried doing research on the subject and only found a few species listed. I know about the hobo, the recluse, the black widow, the crab, and house spiders. Can you tell me what other types of spiders I might encounter here and if they are dangerous? Pictures would help. Thank you!!!

2007-03-23 08:06:07 · 4 answers · asked by shedevilnotunknown 3 in Environment

4 answers

Hi, I actually do live in Idaho and can give you some details. I live in Boise, I don't know where you live though. The most common poisionous spider found is usually the black widow around here. Whenever you will know by their thin black legs and obviously the red hourglass. They will be really long with legs and skinny with the body. They usually don't move if you encounter one, so slowly back up and what I do is spray them with insect spray which usually poisons them and then if still not dead stomp them hammer them with something.

The hobo spider isn't as common here, it usually if anytime is found during the summer when the temperature is very very high. They are found more out in the sagebrush foothills area of Idaho, but I don't think you will have a major issue with them. I only encountered one once and they are fairly big but it was outside. Another thing in Idaho to worry about if you live in the sagebrush area is rattlesnakes. There are many so be very very careful where you walk throughout the region.

There are also house spiders such as the the jumping but they are harmless. I see these all the times but it isn't that big of an issue. The Wolf spiders too aren't that bad.

There are daddy longlegs here but they are harmless.

Hope this helps and if there is anything else I can assist you with about Idaho just message!

2007-03-26 19:42:23 · answer #1 · answered by zach b 2 · 0 0

Only the hobo and black widow spiders are dangerous in Idaho, unless you are hypersensitive to spider bites. Most of the spiders that people see in Idaho homes are the giant house spider, crab spiders and several species of jumping spiders. None of these spiders readily bite people. Hobos occur in some houses, but giant house spiders eat hobo spiders, so the presence of giant house spiders usually means that hobos are not present.

2007-03-23 16:19:13 · answer #2 · answered by formerly_bob 7 · 0 0

Wolf spiders can sometimes cause a very nasty infection. All spiders are venomous but you have listed the only ones that are potentially dangerous except in cases of rare reactions. Even they will not likely bite unless provoked. They have antivenin for serious bites so there is not much actual danger from spiders if they are respected. I know this but I am still a bit of an arachniphobe.

2007-03-23 15:47:39 · answer #3 · answered by bravozulu 7 · 0 0

There are hundreds of different kinds of spiders and other arthropods that occur in Idaho. For the most part these animals are beneficial and are integral parts of the food chain. At times they become nuisances by finding their way into our homes. Some people just have a low tolerance level for any sort of "creepy –crawly". A few spiders, scorpions, etc are actually poisonous and care must be taken to avoid being bitten or stung. Examples of the most common spiders and other arthropods are presented here. There are many more not shown. They can be taken to any U of I county office for identification.







Crab Spider

Crab spiders are characterized by their longer front legs that they use for capturing prey. They wait on flowers or other places and let their dinner come to them. They can also change their color to match the substrate color on which they wait.

Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders run after prey and catch it. They do not employ webs to entangle insects. They have one large eye on each lateral side of their head for better vision. Adults will carry spiderlings on their back for a while. Some of our largest spiders in Idaho are wolf spiders.

Barn Spider

Barn spiders are also called "cat-faced" spiders because of the markings on the top of the abdomen and the two protuberances above them. They are orb weaving spiders and spin a web of concentric circles of silk. Most human encounters in Idaho occur when we see the mature females in late summer.

Banded Argiope

Argiope (pronounced " are-guy-a-pee) spiders can be quite frightening as mature females can spread out to over two inches in their web. The orb webs are usually between two shrubs or similar plants and are quite large. You can encounter them in a variety of habitats that range from gardens to creek bottoms.

Jumping Spider

Jumping spiders can be identified by their dark hairy body, two large eyes on the front of the head, white spots on top of the abdomen, and generally iridescent mandibles. They are commonly found on walls and fences. They turn like crabs from side to side and catch prey by pouncing on them instead of using webs.

House spider

House spiders belong to the comb footed spiders as do black widow spiders. They make irregular shaped webs to snare prey and are commonly found in garages, under house eaves, wood piles, etc. They are not poisonous to people or pets.

Black widow spider adult female

Black widow spiders are recognized by most people. They have a characteristic body shape, are black, and have the hourglass markings on the bottom of the abdomen. They like basement window wells, eaves, wood piles and similar places to live. They can be common behind furniture in houses that is not moved often. Their bite can be quite painful. People live with them all the time and chances of being bitten are slim.

Black widow immature female

Immature black widows are commonly encountered in the spring. As they mature they become black. The hourglass on the bottom of the abdomen is only spots or not present at this early stage.

Aggressive house spider (Male Hobo)

Many types of funnel-web spiders live around our houses. They wait at the back of the funnel for prey to become entangled in the web and then run out and finish of their prey. One funnel web spider, the aggressive house spider, is poisonous and has a bite like that of the brown recluse spider. They are commonly encountered in homes from mid-August until November.

Funnel web spider

Aggressive house spiders and other funnel-web spiders make these flat webs in shrubbery, basement window wells, wood piles, and voids under concrete.

Brown recluse adult female

Brown recluse spiders have not been positively identified in Idaho. They have only six eyes (most other spiders have 8) and a characteristic violin shaped mark on the top of the cephalothoraxes.



Club Spider

Club spiders, sometimes called yellow house spiders, are fairly common in Idaho. They are hunting spiders and can be found on the ground or on plants. Occasional bites have been reported from these spiders. The bite has symptoms like that of a bee sting.


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Other Arthropods
Pill bug

Pill bugs and sow bugs are land crustaceans that feed on decaying vegetable matter or young plants. Pill bugs roll into a small ball when disturbed. They are mostly nuisances when they get inside houses.

Millipede

Millipedes have two pair of legs per body segment. They feed in moist places and can attack root crops in the garden. They are also prone to migrate into houses and be found in basements. Once in the the house they usually desiccate quickly and die.

Centipede

Centipedes are flattened compared to millipedes and only have one pair of legs per body segment. They feed at night and are found under stones, leaves, or other types of debris during the day. They can inflict a painful but not fatal bite.

House Centipede

These common scutigera are called house centipedes. They are good runners and can be seen hurrying across floors in search of insects as prey. They are very agile and spend most of the time outside. In the fall they can be found in houses.

Solpugid

Although they look ominous sun spiders or sun scorpions have no poison glands. They are active at night and feed on insects. The mandibles move vertically instead of horizontally like other spider relatives.

Scorpion

Scorpions are easily recognized by their large pincers and segmented tail with the sting on the end. They are active at night and feed on spiders and insects. The sting is painful but the very poisonous scorpions live in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico.

Pseudoscorpion

Pseudoscorpions are very small (less that 5mm) with pincers but no segmented tail. The pincers have poison glands to help kill the small insects they eat. They are harmless to people and generally live under stones, in leaf litter etc.

2007-03-24 09:56:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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