Wolf spiders are big – and bite, but not poisonous

By Marilyn McKinley

Ohio certified volunteer naturalist

I will never forget my first encounter with a wolf spider. It was a screaming, heart-pounding experience. I moved a box in the basement and there it was: big, brown and hairy.

My first thought was it’s a brown recluse – a very poisonous spider. Not so. It is much smaller than the wolf spiders we generally encounter here in the Valley. The wolf spider will bite if threatened; the venom is not harmful, and there has never been a reported case of injury. Its bite is like that of a bee sting.

The wolf spider is a robust and agile hunter. It does not form a web. It is mostly solitary and hunts alone. It waits, watches with large eyes for its prey to pass by, then lunges for the feast. It feeds on insects, grasshoppers, ants and other spiders.

Wolf spiders build retreats (holes or tunnels) in the soil, under boards, firewood, stones, or in other protected places. They come out at night to hunt.

The color is most often brown, but can be gray or black, making for excellent camouflage. Males are lighter in color than females. And boy are they big! The Ohio wolf spider can range from about a half-inch to over an inch and a half. I would have sworn the first one I saw was at least 3 inches – not counting the legs.

Ohio has 580 known species of spiders, and just 9 percent are identified as wolf spiders. They mate in the fall, the males die, and the females overwinter and lay their eggs in the spring.

Correct identification is the most important recommendation for controlling spiders in the home. The best thing to do is to control the food source, which includes insects. You may assume that where insects roam so will spiders. Entry points into homes, such as gaps in doorways, around windows, openings around windows, cracks in foundations, openings around pipes and wires. Inspection for these “leaks” and sealing them will greatly reduce the spiders’ ability to enter the home. Remember, outdoor lights attract insects (aka spider meat). Try directing lights away from windows and doorways. Replacing white bulbs with yellow ones may help also.

Hedge apples from the Osage tree are an insect and wolf spider repellent. Scientists at Iowa State found that the natural concentration of the compounds in this fruit was too low to be an effective repellent. So don’t be fooled and expect the placement of hedge apples (Osage oranges) around your home will keep you Wolf Spider free.

To learn more about spiders and for identification photos, visit http://go.osu.edu/spiderguide. To learn about controlling spiders in your home, visit http://go.osu.edu/spidercontrol.