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If you've seen a brown spider in your Nashville home, you probably want to know what kind of spider it was. A brown spider could be a brown recluse spider, and there are many reasons to not want brown recluse spiders around. Do you know what a recluse spider looks like? Can you tell the difference between a brown recluse and a wolf spider? Some people can't. But there are a few simple ways to tell these two spiders apart.
Brown Recluse Identification
These spiders are usually only about the size of a quarter—between ¼ and ½ inches long. They appear hairless. They are light brown to dark brown in color. But the most important characteristic to look for is the dark brown violin marking on its back, just below its head. The base of the violin shape will be toward the head and the neck of the violin will be toward the tail end of the spider.
Wolf Spiders
There are many species of wolf spiders. The species that are brown can be mistaken for brown recluse spiders, though they really shouldn't be. Wolf spiders are hairy. They may be 1 to 2 inches long, which is much larger than a brown recluse spider. And they don't have a violin marking. A wolf spider has two dark lines on its back that run lengthwise. And on its abdomen, it has one thick dark line running lengthwise. If you were to set a wolf spider next to a brown recluse spider you'd laugh at how different they look. They aren't even close. But it is hard to distinguish a spider when you only get a quick look at it or when you don't have another spider sitting next to it as a reference.
To Web or Not to Web
If you have brown recluse spiders inside your home, you may find tangled webs created in low spots. They create these webs to retreat into. Look for these webs in storage areas and in nooks or crannies. Wolf spiders don't make webs. So you're not going to see any signs of a wolf spider infestation until you actually see a wolf spider. When you see a wolf spider, it is likely to be in a spot that is damp.
If you need assistance with spider identification or you'd like to not have spiders crawling around in your home, remember that All-American Pest Control provides industry-leading pest control service in Middle Tennessee, and we offer specific programs to address brown recluse spider threats. Reach out to our pest control company in Nashville today for immediate service.