Are All House Spiders Female – The Answer WILL Surprise You

Are all house spiders female? No, not all house spiders are female. There is a common misconception that all house spiders are female. The truth is that they are the most dominant in houses because they love to stick to one place. That’s why you are more likely to see them.

So, if the spiders have infested one location, you are more likely to find females as males move a lot in search of new territories.

That being said, there are some fascinating and surprising differences between female and male house spiders that surprised even me! Keep reading and I’ll share them all with you…

Why Do We Assume That There are Only Female Spiders?

A common question that you are bound to come across is that are all house spiders female? This isn’t true and as a matter of fact, there are more male spiders than females.

The main difference is the males move a lot while searching for new female mates.

Are Male House Spiders More Aggressive or Passive Than Females?

In terms of behavioral traits, are male house spiders more aggressive or passive compared to their female counterparts? Males are considered to be passive based on how they interact with females.

There are instances where they first have to signal the females that they want to copulate or else they will be considered preys and eaten.

A study that was done by Live Science indicates that the females are aggressive and have high levels of appetite and that’s why they are larger than their male peers. This study was done to establish how a selected group of spiders can react to a buffet of beetles.

What Exactly Is A House Spider?!

They are a small species of spiders that have fully adapted to indoor living conditions. They thrive because of the almost constant climate, water supply, and more food variety.

These species tend to find new establishments through eggs that are carried in building materials and furniture among other things.

They usually appear large in number during the hot summer months. It should be noted that their presence also coincides with the mating season so what you get to see are the sexually mature males.

So, what does that mean in relation to female house spiders? Well, we will find out more about this below.

What are The Common Characteristics of House Spiders?

These bugs like to live in house-based areas such as barns, basements, attics, and sheds. You can’t miss their webs in the corners of most rooms.
House spiders are generally smaller in size compared to other species. Females are generally larger in size than males
They are mostly brown in color although some of them have white or brown spotting on their abdomens
They have dark leg rings with the rings getting darker at the joints
They are normally considered beneficial bugs because they love to feed on other insects such as mosquitoes and flies
Females normally produce multiple eggs sacs annually. You can easily find the egg sacs in summer as they reproduce a lot during this period.

What’s the Difference between Male and Female House Spiders?

A lot of times people often report spiders as “he” because they can’t differentiate between the two. There are also female house spiders and it’s important that you tell the difference.

Here are some of the characteristics that can help you tell them apart.

i.Body-color

Male spiders, in general, have brighter body colors. In fact, in most species, body-color is normally used as an instant clue to determine the sex. However, you can still not be so sure about the color.

This is because lighting as well as perception can influence your deductions.

ii.The Size

This is one of the surest ways to tell the gender of the house spider. You will notice that the females are significantly bigger in size than their male counterparts.

Due to their small body size, male spiders easily become prey. Females might decide on feast on them when they are hungry or simply eliminate them for control.

That’s why males have to constantly signal the females that they belong to the same species and that they are not predators or food. This is quite tricky and you find that the male population normally reduces to lower levels after the mating season.

iii.Females live longer

Some of the things that generally eliminate spiders include predators and diseases. That’s why most of these bugs usually live for quite a few months only. However, females usually take advantage of their body sizes and, therefore, outlive the males.

Besides that, they move less frequently and tend to stay stagnant in one place. Due to their “captive” nature, they are less likely to be exposed to predators or harsh elements of weather. That’s why in some species, females can live for up to ten more years.

Note: even though most house spiders are harmless, females have more venom and may easily cause allergic reactions.

What Species Are Likely To Be In Your Home?

There are around seven common species of house spiders in the US. Even though there are species that are harmful to human beings, these ones are actually harmless and they include:

1.The American House Spider

It’s definitely the most common in this region. It’s considered as a comb-footed solder thanks to its web.

The American house spider belongs to the group of cobweb spiders and they normally build their webs in places such as crawl spaces, basements, and closets.

This species loves to create messy webs even though it’s harmless. You can easily identify the spiders with their brownish or greyish patterns and rounded bottoms.

2.Sac Spiders

These ones don’t even make webs and they love to live on high walls and near the ceiling. They have an oval body and measure almost half an inch long. Sac spiders are also harmless and they are active throughout the year.

3.Hobo Spiders

They are also known as funnel weavers. They are among the most aggressive species because they love to build webs that resemble funnels. Even though they are not dangerous, some people may experience skin irritation after bites due to allergic reactions.

Hobo spiders have oblong bodies and measure almost half an inch long. They have solid body colors, either tan or brown, without any markings.

4.Jumping Spiders

These spiders sting like bees even though they are harmless. However, allergic children may experience mild reactions. Due to their jumpy nature, you can easily spot them across the wall, screen doors, and windows.

They love surfaces that are exposed to sunlight. Jumping spiders have longer front eggs, compact one-inch size, and have grey, brown, or black colors.

5.Wolf Spiders

They are quite large compared to the other species of house spiders. Wolf spiders are harmless even though they might trigger unwanted side effects to those who are allergic to spider bites.

They normally find their way into homes via windows and cracks in the foundation. Besides that, they may attach themselves to the garage.

Their name is derived from the fact that they are good hunters. Some people even consider them as pets because they normally eat damaging insects. Wolf Spiders have hairy, elongated legs and come in colors such as black, tam, and brown.

6.Long-Bodied Cellar Spiders

They are sometimes referred to as the Daddy Longlegs. Well, this is because they have legs that resemble daddy longlegs. Long-Bodied Cellar Spiders usually build their webs in areas such as garages, cellars, basements, and crawl spaces.

They are highly attracted to darkness even though they are harmless. You can find them in grey, tan, light brown, and beige colors. Besides that, this spider species features long and skinny legs while the body is usually small and round.

7.Brown Recluse Spiders

It’s quite shorter than the other house spider species and only measures around 1/3-inches long. Brown Recluse spiders love highly humid climatic conditions such as Florida as well as arid desert regions such as Arizona.

Besides that, you can find them in large numbers in cooler temperate regions such as the Midwest.

They establish their webs in between clothing, crawl spaces, basements, between walls, and attics. This type of spider species is normally transported to new grounds via bags and boxes.

Its bite is quite toxic as it tends to cause the cytotoxic effect. As a result, a person may end up suffering from nausea, chills, fever, and rash.

These spiders have oval bodies with greyish or brown colors. Besides that, they have three pairs of eyes in addition to markings that are shaped like a violin.

If you’re enjoying this post on male and female spiders, checkout my article do male spiders spin webs?!

Why do Female House Spiders Eat Males?

This is a creepy type of cannibalism that’s found in most spider species. You will find that females tend to eat the males, especially after sex. Well, there are lots of complex reasons that studies link to this.

The most dominant factor relates to evolution and it tries to interlink the benefits and costs of males, esoteric-sexual selection, and sperm competition.

If we look deep down into this, then it all goes down to the size of the males. They are smaller compared to females. Their sizes make them appear as prey and they are easier to catch.

The bigger females eat them because they are hungry or simply because they just want to do it.

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All the best

Steve