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Spiders Found in Idaho

Idaho is home to many species of spiders, all which have unique characteristics. Some build intricate webs, while others hide and wait to pounce on their prey. Their movements and coloring also widely vary. Some are harmful and you should take precautions to avoid being bitten them, but most are helpful to the ecosystem.

  1. Inside Spiders

    • Although many people are not happy to find them there, it is common for many Idaho spider species to make their way indoors. The house spider is usually found in garages or other tight spaces like wood piles where there is not a lot of human traffic. Their webs are not symmetrical in shape. The black widow can be found in basements or behind furniture. The hourglass marking on the female's abdomen makes it easy to identify. The aggressive house spider, or hobo spider, is commonly found in homes and constructs a funnel web to catch its prey. The spiders, which can reach the size of a quarter, are brown in color. Wolf spiders are gray and black in color and look for warm places to make their home during the cold months.

    Outside Spiders

    • In Idaho's great outdoors is where most people would prefer to see spiders. Crab spiders capture their prey by hiding on flowers and then deploying their long front legs. Like a chameleon, this spider is able to change its color to match what it is standing on. The banded argiope are large spiders found in gardens or in more remote areas and make large webs between bushes. Jumping spiders use a crablike movement to attack their prey and are most commonly found on fences. Along the ground or in plants is where you may find a club spider. They are yellow and common in Idaho. Black widows and all funnel web spiders also live outside, usually in wood piles or shrubs. Wolf spiders can be anywhere outside as long as it is warm.

    Poisonous Spiders

    • Humans are not any spider's target, and bites are usually the result of accidental contact in which the spider feels a need to defend itself. Still, some of the spiders found in Idaho are best avoided because of their poisonous bite. Female black widow spiders are well known for their potentially (although rarely) lethal bite. It is not usually felt at first, but the eventual symptoms --- sore muscles, excessive sweating and swelling --- are painful. The bite of an aggressive house spider will immediately become red and will continue to kill the tissue until treated. The bite will blister and seep. Headaches usually accompany the other symptoms. Club and wolf spiders are much less poisonous and produce bee sting-like symptoms. Any bite from a poisonous spider should be monitored closely and receive medical attention if symptoms do not subside quickly.

    Nonpoisonous Spiders

    • The vast majority of Idaho spiders pose no threat to humans and are actually beneficial. They reduce the insect population in homes and sometimes target other pests like mosquitoes to make our lives a little easier. The house spider is the most commonly seen spider and which there is no reason to fear.

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