House Spiders
Monday, August 19, 2019 10:26 AM
Cellar Spider Education
Habits
Cellar spiders construct loose, irregular webs in areas with higher relative humidity and moisture, such as homes, sheds, barns, and warehouses. Within these structures, cellar spider webs are typically found in dark and damp locations, including but not limited to the corners of eaves, windows, and ceilings in cellars, basements, crawlspaces, and garages. In commercial buildings, cellar spiders tend to spin webs in corners near doors that are left open.
Cellar spiders prefer to hang upside down in their webs while waiting for prey, which typically consists of other spiders and insects. When disturbed, a cellar spider will repeatedly pulse its body to vibrate its entire web, entrapping any insects that have approached the web and becoming the spider’s next meal.
Unlike species that expend their webs and then construct new ones, or clean their webs to reuse them, cellar spiders will continue to layer additional, new webs on top of their old ones. As a result, the webs can accumulate in excessive volume over a relatively short period, creating a noticeable cobweb appearance in the home or building.
Female long-bodied cellar spiders may produce up to three egg sacs each, containing 13-60 eggs throughout their lifetime. The sacs are constructed from a thin layer of transparent silk and resemble an unripe blackberry. The females carry the egg sacs in their mouths until the eggs hatch, unlike other spider species that rest their eggs in their webs. Female short-bodied cellar spiders produce a similar egg sac containing 10-27 eggs that they also carry in their jaws. The emerging spiderlings often cling to their mother for a short period. There are five molts before the spiderlings reach full maturity, a process that takes one full year. Adult long-bodied cellar spiders typically have a lifespan of approximately two years.
Cellar spiders, characterized by their elongated bodies, are often regarded as nuisance pests primarily due to the unsightly nature of their extensive webs within residential and commercial establishments. Historically, cellar spiders have not been associated with human bites, thereby eliminating any potential health risks.
Is Cellar Spider Venom Poisonous?
Despite widespread belief, cellar spiders lack evidence of being poisonous. A prevalent myth suggests that their venom is among the most lethal, and their relatively short fangs prevent them from injecting this fatal substance into humans. However, scientific research has refuted this claim, providing no substantiation for such assertions.
This is origainally from the National Pest Management Association. Identify a Bug Here