Ask just about any Californian what one of the scariest movies they’ve seen is, and the conversation will eventually lead to the 1990 horror flick, Arachnophobia. The movie was obviously fictional, but there’s nothing fictional about people’s fear of spiders. As a homeowner, the last thing you want to spot scurrying across a countertop or bed is an eight-legged arachnid.

There are as many as sixty-six different types of spiders in California—some dangerous, some harmless. We’re going to touch on the five most common spider species found in Southern California, as well as tips for prevention.

As a homeowner, the last thing you want to spot scurrying across a countertop or bed is an eight-legged arachnid.

Here’s our list of the TOP 5 most common spiders found throughout Southern California (in no particular order).

Common Southern California Spiders

1. Black Widow
2. Daddy Longlegs
3. Yellow Sac Spider
4. American House Spider
5. Wolf Spider

1. The Black Widow

It’s easy to identify the infamous Black Widow by it’s hourglass-shaped mark on it’s abdomen. While these guys are quite venomous, they only bite in self-defense. Bites may result in systemic effects including extreme muscle pain, cramps, and muscle spasms, but are rarely life-threatening.

If you’re bitten by a Black Widow, seek medical attention. If at all possible, destroy and capture the spider (place it in a jar or bag) and take it to your doctor appointment. This way the physician will know for certain it was a Black Widow that bit you. If your child is bitten by a Black Widow, go to the emergency room right away, as these bites can be more serious for young children.

Prevention Tips: The best way to prevent Black Widows is to eliminate their food source. Removing as many grasshoppers, flies, moths, and earwigs from your home will help reduce their numbers.

Another way of discouraging Black Widows from roaming onto your property is to keep your property free of clutter. This would include: stacks of firewood, tall grass, garden bags, and trash heaps.

2. Daddy Longlegs

Daddy Long-Leg spiders (otherwise knowns as Shepherd spiders), are identified by their long, thin legs. They enjoy the night life and shake violent when disturbed. Contrary to popular belief, Daddy Long-Legs are not venomous, and pose no threat to humans.

Prevention Tips: Daddy Long-Legs enjoy hanging out in gardens during spring and summer. They prefer dark, damp places which would include garages, basements, and crawl spaces. They are scavengers, and will eat dead—and live—insects. While it can be beneficial to have these guys in our garden, we don’t want them in our home.

Keep Daddy Long-Legs out of your home by cleaning up clutter, debris, and wood piles. Keep plants trimmed, and seal any cracks around your home’s foundation, doors, and windows.

3. Yellow Sac Spider

The Yellow Sac spider is one of the most common spiders found in Southern California. While the Sac Spider is venomous, it’s bite is rarely life-threatening. People have described Yellow Sac Spider bites as being somewhat painful, with discomfort lasting anywhere from one to two hours.

These critters can be found along baseboards, on ceilings, and behind furniture. Outdoors, Sacs can be under stones, beneath the bark of trees, around door frames, and under window sills.

Prevention Tips: The best way to prevent Yellow Sac Spider infestations is to limit or remove heavy vegetation near the home, install tight-fitting screens on attics and foundation vents, and seal holes and cracks around the exterior of the home.

4. American House Spider

American House Spiders are often reddish-brown or light-brown in color, have chevron markings on their body, and are typically between 5 to 8 mm in length. Males measure lightly smaller at 4 mm. House Spiders like to hang out in musky, dark areas, such as attics, crawlspaces, closets, and basements.

American House Spiders usually only bite if they are threatened. The venom from their bite rarely causes people problems, but let’s be real . . . no one wants to be bitten by a spider.

Prevention Tips: Just as with the spiders we’ve mentioned above, American House Spiders are attracted to other pests, as well as dark, humid areas, wood piles, and leaves. Keep the interior and exterior of your home free of clutter and other pests, and you shouldn’t see too many spiders.

5. Wolf Spider

Wolf Spiders can grow so big, they are sometimes mistaken for tarantulas. They are fast, and unlike most spiders—they do not spin a web. Seeing one of these large hairy creeps running across your floor at night can be quite disturbing.

Wolf spiders will bite when cornered, and their bite can be painful. Fortunately, their bite usually doesn’t have any serious or long term effects.

Prevention Tips: The best way to prevent (or get rid of) Wolf spiders is to rid your yard of debris and clutter. You can also remove outdoor lighting, seal cracks and openings in the outer wall of your home, and eliminate their food source; which include months, flies, crickets, and other insects.

Conclusion

Spider pest control isn’t rocket science. But there are situations that call for professional help. This is where Source Pest Control can really help. We dislike spiders as much as anyone, so assisting you in your effort to prevent spiders from entering your home or business is our pleasure.

Schedule an appointment today.