MISSOULA, MT (KTMF/CNN) - It's hobo spider season across the northwestern part of the U.S.
Imagine setting a spider trap in your home and coming back the next day to see it covered with spiders. That happened to one homeowner who shared photos but declined to go on camera.
Josh McCloud, owner of Holdfast Enviropest Solutions, said sights like that are fairly typical, especially since hobo spiders have no natural predators.
"They can just blow up in population, and I find that every home I walk into, there's evidence that there has been or there are hobo spiders there, so they are very common," McCloud said.
McCloud has seen hobo spider season get worse every year since he started his business in 2012, and he said he believes the weather may be playing a part.
"We had a 60-degree day in February, and we had some really warm winters, and I think that kind of contributed," he said. "That gives them a larger growing season. They tend to hunker down during the winter. You don't really see a lot of activity."
McCloud also said hobo spiders are not venomous, but their bites can introduce bacteria that causes skin to die. He said the easiest way to prevent hobo spiders from inhabiting your home is by keeping your home clean and decluttered.
"What I would recommend first thing is keeping laundry off the floor. For some reason, they like laundry. There's lots of voids and nooks in there for them to build a web. If you leave a shirt on the floor for a couple of days, you'll have a hobo spider under there."
Experts also say vacuuming and setting spider traps can help keep your home spider free.
I usually think of October as spider season, but I've found four spiders (of differing varieties) in our house in the past several days. Things are definitely starting earlier.
I usually think of October as spider season, but I've found four spiders (of differing varieties) in our house in the past several days. Things are definitely starting earlier.
The ants have been so goddamned bad this year I've been looking forward to spider season.
We've been finding spiders in our basement already, and I shudder to think of what we're NOT seeing. I really need to get some of those traps, and H needs to do some spraying this weekend.
I had one of these in my bathroom with me last week. When I went to squish it, it ran under the baseboard heater. I hope it went in the basement. That's where the BIG spiders live.
Post by karinothing on Sept 9, 2015 19:59:41 GMT -5
Ugh Today I Was playing with the baby on the play mat. Then a spider jumped on it out of nowhere. I may have screamed and grab the baby. I attempted to kill it but it got away from me and went under the couch
We've had way more spiders than usual in our house lately. I tried to do a google search to determine the type but all the creepy spider pictures cut my search short. I do think they might be grass spiders though.
Post by msmerymac on Sept 10, 2015 10:29:30 GMT -5
Last week I saw some cob webs in the living room in the morning. This made me nervous.
The next night, I walked into the house, laid down on the couch, looked up, and one of the top 5 biggest spiders I have ever seen was hanging in the window above my head.
My husband was not yet home, but thankfully my stepfather was here, so I got him to kill it. I was like, "TWO paper towels! It's a big one!"
I don't know what a hobo spider is, but I know I have definitely had way more spiders this year. I had one in the shower with me just last night. I'm sorry but a spider in the shower is more terrifying than the scene in Psycho.
My son also had one crawl on him in the bath a month or so ago. I heard him screaming and ran in because I knew the scream was a spider scream. You can just tell. I found him already out of the bath and he wouldn't get back in.
You cat haters can hate all you want, but I haven't seen anything aside from the occasional cobweb spider in my house in years. And Tubby gets bonus points because he also eats their little bug bodies before I even notice he killed one.