Virginia is known for many lovely things, like flowering dogwood trees, majestic Northern Cardinals, and…spiders? We might not appreciate the spiders of Virginia as much as we do the other, more conventionally appealing aspects of our ecology, but these furry friends play an important role in our local ecosystem. So, what are the most common spiders in Virginia? Which spiders tend to stay outside, and which might end up in your home or business? If there is a spider infestation on your property, Loyal Termite & Pest Control can eradicate it at its source. But before we do that, it could help to know the species of spider you’re dealing with, which may affect the way we treat it.

1. Wolf Spider

Can be found outdoors under leaf litter, or indoors in closets, basements, and garages.
Hunt on foot as opposed to building webs.
Females are known for carrying their young on their backs.
Can move quickly, up to two feet a second.
Larger in size, but less commonly seen indoors.

2. House Spiders

Found indoors and outdoors in quiet and undisturbed areas. This may be backyards as well as sheds, attics, and other man-made structures.
Can live up to seven years.
Hunts through webs of crisscrossed, sticky silk. If one web doesn’t bring in enough food, it is abandoned in favor of another location.
The most common species of spider in North America.
Are not traditionally aggressive and will only attack if provoked. Even then, they are not venomous.

3. Sac Spiders

Mainly inhabits gardens and organic debris but will come inside during the cold season.
Builds tube/sac-shaped nests where walls meet ceilings or other walls.
Often mistaken for the brown recluse but lacks the shape of its counterpart.
Bites can be painful and some sac spiders have venom strong enough to harm humans.
They are fully nocturnal and only hunt at night.

4. Orb-Weaver Spiders

Creates webs as wide as six feet in diameter.
Found everywhere on earth but the Arctic and Antarctica.
Large and often very colorful.
Not aggressive and seldom bite human beings.
Have poor vision and wait for the vibrations of insects caught in their web.

5. Black Widow Spiders

Known for irregular webs built in undisturbed locations.
The most venomous spiders in Virginia, but are typically not aggressive.
Often found outdoors in nests built near the ground.
Symptoms of a bite will set in within 20 minutes.
Prefers to inhabit areas with lots of clutter.

6. Brown widow

Only female brown widows bite
All “widow” spider species avoid human interaction.
Similar shape to the black widow, only with a lighter coloring
Venom is twice as potent as that of a black widow but brown widows are believed to inject less venom.
May be found indoors, in empty containers and vacant corners, or outdoors in woody vegetation.

7. Brown Recluse Spiders

The most common recluse spider in North America.
Known for the violin-shaped markings on their dorsum.
Can be found in outdoor crevices, under rocks, or in the loose bark of dead trees.
May also spin webs in closets, basements and garages.
Bites can potentially cause necrotic skin damage.

Loyal Termite & Pest Control for Spider Removal in Virginia

A majority of spiders in our area are not actually harmful to interact with. However, some can be quite venomous, and it can be difficult to differentiate between species with just the naked eye. You don’t want to take a chance in determining whether that black-bulbed arachnid under your awning is actually a false black widow, or if you have brown widows or sac spiders in your garden. You need a spider exterminator in Virginia that’s familiar with the different species common to our area. With Loyal Termite & Pest Control, you’re getting 60 years’ worth of experience in combating spider infestations both big and small. With our help, you’ll have one less thing to worry about so you can get back to loving everything else Virginia has to offer.

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