There are different spiders often found indoors. But among the true house spiders, brown spiders are one of the most common. Besides that, they are often mistaken for other poisonous spiders.
So, getting rid of them is quite tricky. However, in this article, we’ve compiled all the easiest steps worldwide for getting rid of brown house spiders.
What Are the Brown Spiders in Your House?
Brown spiders are just one of the color brands of spiders often found in homes. There are others as well, ranging from black to grey and even yellow.
In fact, some brown spiders are not primarily house spiders. Instead, their primordial habitats lie in outdoor areas like grasses, ponds sides, shrubs, and many more.
Considering that, we’ll discuss the different spiders in two classes. The first class will group the original brown house spiders. The other will comprise those brown outdoor spiders that occasionally wander into the house. Let’s begin, shall we?
The Original Brown House Spiders.
- The American House Spiders.
As the name implies, the American house spider is the most common type of cobweb spider found in US homes and buildings.
Often, they can be as big as a United States Nickel coin when all their legs are out. And in terms of color, they range from brown to tan. Although, sometimes, their bodies can come with dark brown markings.
However, their markings alone are not enough to identify them. So, you need to look at the shape of their abdomen. For American house spiders, the abdomen is often spherical. And you are most likely to find them entangled inside their ruffled cobwebs.
American House Spiders Vs Brown Recluse Spiders.
Because of their similar brown color, people usually confuse American house spiders with brown recluses. However, two things set them apart.
For one, we rarely find the house spiders outdoors. Whereas, brown recluses are majorly outdoor spiders that enter houses in search of food.
Then again, brown recluses have more painful bites that often require urgent medical attention. Whereas house spiders’ bites are relatively painless, especially if the victim is not allergic.
- Cellar Spiders.
Besides brown, cellar spiders also come in grey or tan colors, which become darker around the leg joints. These legs are very thin and long, stretching out of their similarly thin bodies.
When these legs are completely outstretched, a cellar spider may be as big as a U.S half-dollar. And like their name, cellar spiders are found in cobwebs and nests built near ceilings.
If you want to know how to get rid of these spider nests, you can visit this article for more info.
Cellar Spiders Vs Other Spiders.
Because of their long legs, cellar spiders are often confused with another group of spiders called harvestmen, aka, Daddy-long-legs.
But daddy-long-legs are actually not true spiders. Instead, they belong to a family called the Araneomorph spiders.
Likewise, cellar spiders have no venom glands or any other chemical means for paralyzing their prey. So, unlike the general tale common to Daddy long-legs and Cellar Spiders, they are not venomous.
However, because of their brown skin, cellar spiders are mistaken for brown recluses. But because of their long legs and no-venom feature, cellar spiders are far from the brown recluse groups.
- Funnel Weaver.
There are several species of funnel weavers. Amongst them, the most common ones found indoors are the Hobo spiders, aka the European House spiders.
Out there, some people confuse these hobo spiders with the Australian funnel-web spiders. However, unlike the Australian species, Hobo spiders are not aggressive.
In the world today, only the Australian web spiders are considered to be actual aggressive species.
As for the Hobo spiders and other funnel weavers, they spin their webs near ceilings, doorways, and window sills. They bite, although the bites from hobo spiders are not toxic to humans.
- The False Black Widow.
These spiders look more or less like black widow spiders. But unlike black widows, they are brown and they do not have any special markings on their underbellies.
Like other web weavers, the false black widows, aka Steatoda Grossa, hang themselves upside down within their webs. Often, these webs are found in garage corners, crawl spaces, wall cracks, and any other unused places near the ceilings.
- Yellow Sac Spiders.
Yellow sac spiders have long legs and are nocturnal. That means they are most active at night when they hang around ceilings and walls.
Like the name, yellow sac spiders are often brown. But around their abdomen, they carry a sac that can either be yellow, dark brown, or white.
The Brown Outdoor Spiders Found inside Houses
- Wolf Spiders.
When you combine their bodies and fully stretched legs, wolf spiders can be as big as a U.S silver dollar. They come in different colors. But they are mostly brown, whether light or dark. Sometimes, they are even striped.
Like woodlouse hunters, wolf spiders don’t make webs. Instead, they walk and are quick. Despite their scary name, bites from wolf spiders inflict only mild pain.
But this even depends on how big the wolf spider is. Though things may grow worse if you’re allergic to their venom.
- Brown Recluse spiders.
Brown recluse spiders are outdoor spiders found in logs. However, they venture into houses as well.
Indoor, you are more likely to find Brown recluse spiders near cardboards, wall cracks, and shelves. They are venomous. And on the adult bellies, they often have a dark marking shaped like a violin.
- Woodlouse Hunters.
The woodlouse hunters are just as big as the American house spiders. But on their mouthpart, woodlouse hunters have a pair of dark-brown pincers. These are called fangs and they are flat and used for hunting.
Unlike most house spiders, woodlouse hunters don’t make webs. Instead, they live in logs and rocks where woodlice (their food) are plentiful.
But during scarcity, woodlouse hunters can venture into houses. But aside from their mighty and scary fangs, the bites from these spiders are not that painful.
How Often Do Brown House Spiders Eat?
Like most spiders, brown house spiders, whether or not poisonous, eat anything like their wild counterparts.
These can include flies, ants, fleas, earwigs, roaches, and other smaller bugs they find in the household.
They can do without eating for weeks. So, they don’t need to eat very often.
Are Brown House Spiders Poisonous?
Well… earlier, we clarified some spiders find indoors are not true house spiders. Some of them just scrambled their way indoors in search of food.
Now, the thing is; that most of the common house spiders don’t have venom glands. Take the Cellar spiders and Daddy-long-legs for example.
But despite that, almost all house spiders can bite. Since most of them lack the venom glands, their bites only cause very mild pains; if at all.
Sometimes, the bites from house spiders can swell up. In fact, redness and itchiness may occur around the bite area. However, that’s just about the height of it. Matters can only get worse if you’re allergic.
But while the common brown house spiders inflict only numb pain, some are actually very dangerous. Good examples are the brown recluse spiders.
Sometimes, the black widow spider, which is one of the most dangerous outdoor spiders, also finds its way into our homes.
How to Get Rid of Brown House Spider.
When you notice a few brown spiders, their nests, webs, and egg sacs near ceilings, walls, and boxes. There’s a high chance that you have a house spider infestation to deal with.
Here, we will discuss some of the effective tips you can follow.
But First, What Are the Natural Agents for Getting Rid of Brown House Spiders
- Lemon Solution.
If you squeeze about 2 or 3 lemons into a can, you will make a lemon solution. To us humans, this solution gives a soothing taste and is good for our digestive system.
To spiders, it’s a good repellent that keeps them far away from our houses. Besides lemon, you can use any oil of citrus available.
- Baking Soda.
Baking soda is another household agent that wards off spiders. To use it, you don’t have to mix it with water.
Instead, you just need to sprinkle a handful of baking soda on areas where the brown spiders visit the most. Such places can be your shelves and storage rooms.
However, you should be sure to keep your pets away from these areas. This is because baking soda can induce a side effect on pets that consume it raw.
- White Vinegar.
For centuries, white vinegar has always been a universal household agent. To use it, just dilute it with water that’s about twice its amount. Then, bottle it up and spray as needed.
According to some people, this vinegar solution can kill spiders when sprayed directly on them. However, so far, there has been no scientific evidence for this. Although, the vinegar still works as a repellent at least.
- Read More: Early Signs Of Spider Mites.
How Can You Get Rid of Brown House Spiders Without Hiring a Pro?
- Start by blocking all crevices.
While some spiders are indigenously bred within homes, a good number of them come from outside. To get in, they crawl under the doors, window sills, wall cracks, chimneys, vents, and any other available holes.
To block those holes, you can use caulk or insect screen mesh where appropriate. As for worn-out window screens, replace them.
- Turn off security lights when not in use.
Normally, spiders are not directly attracted by light. However, light attracts the insects that serve as food for spiders. So, when these insects show up, the spiders reveal themselves as well.
So, to cut down the number of spiders struggling to enter your house, you can switch off such lights during the daytime. You can also block the reflection of indoor light with dark or ash curtains.
- Keep vegetation away from doors and windows.
Grasses and other plants serve as great hiding spots for outdoor spiders. So, transport them to a farther location.
You can also remove all stones, logs, and other debris near the house. That way, you’re making your property unwelcoming to spiders.
- Use residual insecticides.
Visit your hardware store. Purchase an indoor-safe, pet-safe, and kid-safe spider killer. Use as instructed in the labels.
Spray all corners and ceilings. Make sure you apply directly to the spiders, spider nests and spider webs. In case you don’t know, spider nests are webbings that house both the spiders and their egg sacs.
- Vacuum your entire house.
Vacuum everywhere. You can broom down cobwebs you sprayed with insecticides.
After vacuuming, remove the trash bag, freeze it for a while and then dispose of it somewhere far from your house.
Final Thoughts.
So far, we clarified that some house spiders are naturally bred within houses and some of them were transported indoors.
Out of these two groups, spiders like brown recluses are among the venomous brown ones. Others include the Hobo spiders, the American house spiders, the yellow sac spiders, and others.
To learn how to get rid of these brown spiders, we’ve made this article a step guide for you.
