Below, we have information on the spiny orb weaver spider and how to go about exterminating it. As you read through, you will learn how to both prevent it from entering your home and also what to do if it still makes its way within your walls.
How to Recognize a Spiny Orb Weaver
There are so many orb weaver spiders in the world, they have the third-largest population of any spider family that exists. This is in part because there are so many different types of orb weavers adapted for many different climates and lifestyles. So, how would one recognize any one specific type over another?
This section will help you recognize both orb weaver spiders as a whole, as well as work out if what you are looking at is a spiny orb weaver. If it is, you can then follow the rest of the advice in this article.
Orb Weaver Spiders in General
Orb weavers tend towards the mid-range of spider sizes, between 1/4 and 1 inch. Though be aware this is only the size of the body, and the legs may stretch much further. These legs are often long and thin, with small spines along their full length that the spider uses to help it move around its web.
The abdomen, or back section, of the spider is often a roughly triangular shape, and they can vary a great deal in color. They often appear reddish-brown or grey. Still, you might also find orb weavers in bright colors depending on their breeding and environment.
Orb weavers are famous for their intricate, oval-shaped webs of sticky spider silk. They tend to hunt during the night and do so by waiting for their prey to catch themselves on the web. When this happens, the spider will envenom the restrained creature and start to devour it.
These spiders eat many different insects, including moths and flies. Though, sometimes the spider will get lucky with what it catches in the web.
It is not unheard of for an orb weaver spider to eat grasshoppers or even small birds or bats. Anything unfortunate to find itself caught in the spider's web is valid prey for the orb weaver.
Spiny Orb Weaver Spider
The difference between other orb weavers and the spiny-backed orb weaver is reflected in its name. It has six pointy spines that extrude from its abdomen. Instead of a triangular abdomen, you will often also find the spiny orb weaver sports an oval-shaped rear section.
Because of these spines, and their shiny or hard-looking shell, people often call them crab spiders. Despite this, they are not related at all to crustaceans and the similarities are only carapace-deep.
Spiny orb weavers are also a very different color from other orb weavers. They often sport bright patterns, such as in whites or yellows, with black or red spines. Though the exact nature of these spines and colors might be different depending on where you find the spider.
What Risks Do Orb Weaver Spiders Pose?
You will rarely find a time when orb weavers wish to interact with humans. They will tend to avoid people, as we are more of a danger to them than we are prey. Still, the orb weaver can bite people, though when they do so you should not expect it to pose any danger.
Should you receive a bite, it might feel around the same as if you were stung by a bee, wasp, or another small insect with low-impact venom. As such, you might feel a small amount of pain local to the bite, as well as a numb sensation in the area. It might also swell a small amount.
Of course, you should always be aware in case of allergic reactions. If someone receives a bite, you should watch them over the next few hours. Also, if someone is bit several times by one or more spiders, you should take them to a hospital in case it causes other effects.
If you or others start to react to the bite, either straight away or over 24 hours, seek medical attention.
Despite the possibility of small bites, there is likely no real danger to either you or your pets. You could instead think of them as having a positive impact on your home life. Spiders tend to reduce the number of insects in the area as they hunt them for food, so you will find fewer flies, moths, and other bugs in areas around spiders.
Still, likely, you do not want a large infestation, especially as spiders tend to breed large populations that spread out into the local area. This can lead to you finding them all over the house, triggering arachnophobia in sufferers.
Where to Look For an Orb Weaver Infestation
If you happen to come across an Orb Weaver web, whether it is spiny or not, you should recognize it from the shape the spider spun the web in. Their webs tend to be on the larger side, due to the spiders' larger size and their diet of small insects. They are often also oval, with the spider waiting for prey in the center of its mass, ready to pounce on anything that gets caught.
As for where you might find these webs, that can be harder to say. Orb weavers, even their spiny offshoots, are very diverse in the locations they might live in. As such, you might discover their webs anywhere in nature or in artificial structures.
The most likely locations you will find them in, though, are where their prey are the most abundant. They will also need somewhere to put up their webs, so unless the grass is very long and sturdy, they are unlikely to set up their home in the middle of a field.
They often also put webs close to lights, as insects find themselves attracted to the illumination and caught in the spider's sticky trap.
Within an area frequented by humans, you might want to start looking for the web in places where people will not pass by and disturb them. Examples include on fences, between tree branches, or up in rafters, especially close to lights.
Life Cycle
If you do see an orb weaver spider web, be aware it could have many baby spiders nearby. Most orb weaver spiders that spin webs are female, whereas the males travel around trying to find mates. Once a male finishes mating with a female, the father often becomes a meal for the female to help sustain them as they lay the eggs.
The female will lay the eggs in silky orbs, often hidden away. As these can contain many hundreds of eggs, you should seek these out and destroy them. If you do not, the offspring may spread throughout your home in the spring.
How to Get Rid of Spiny Orb Weavers
There are several ways to remove spiny orb weavers from your home. Although, the best method to resolve the situation is to ensure they never enter in the first place and they do not have a place to spin their web. Should that fail, creating a customized plan for the infestation in your home is often the best bet.
Prevention Tactics
To stop an orb weaver from making a nest in your home, you should start by clearing out all the clutter from your storage spaces. Keep your attic, basement, and garage free from debris or untidy boxes, and the spiders will not have many places to spin their webs away from prying eyes.
This does not mean you need to have no boxes or clutter at all. Though, you should give them a quick clean a couple of times each year to ensure they do not harbor any unwanted guests. You should also store any fabrics or clothes in plastic containers to reduce the number of places a spider could secrete themselves.
You can also go the extra mile and engage in DIY. Try to seal up any small cracks you have around the house, so spiders cannot get through and either hide or enter the home from the outside. They often feel the warm air coming from within and will follow it into your house.
DIY Pest Control
There are many professional outlets for pest control available, though many are very expensive. These options also require to you schedule a time for someone to come to your house, which can be incredibly inconvenient. Because of this, you are likely better off dealing with the issue yourself.
Our DIY pest control gives you a much greater ability and flexibility to focus on eradicating the pests around your home.
You also don't have to worry about someone else's scheule or letting a stranger into your whole home. Instead, you will receive regular shipments and professional advice to help you do the job yourself.
Get Rid of Your Infestation
If you have worries about the spiny orb weaver coming into your home and what it could mean for you in the coming years, we are here to help. We have professionals ready to offer you advice and discuss the best tools to get rid of these pests in the shortest space of time.
Sign up for your custom pest control plan today!