Baby brown recluse - Ask Extension
I live in North Carolina about 45 minutes from Appalachian State University. I recently bought a house and I'm seeing these spiders everywhere. Al...
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Baby brown recluse #383875
Asked February 01, 2017, 11:54 PM EST
I live in North Carolina about 45 minutes from Appalachian State University. I recently bought a house and I'm seeing these spiders everywhere. Always underneath blankets,clothes, etc. that are in the floor. Is this a baby brown recluse spider? I do know that we do have them around here. Please help! I have small children and I'm very worried! Thank you very much, look forward to a response from someone! God Bless
Caldwell County North Carolina
Expert Response
Thank you for your question. It can be difficult to make a positive identification of a spider based solely on a photograph. This is because the key characteristics you need to check to determine the identity are usually not visible in the average photograph. You can sometimes make an educated guess based on what you can make out in the photograph, or, at least eliminate species based on what you see. Your spider is definitely not a brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) or a black widow (Latrodectus mactans).
This spider looks like one of the false black widows (Steatoda grossa). It is also known as the cupboard spider. Some individuals of this species are completely bluish-black and have no markings, and people mistake them for the true black widow, and that is believed to be the source of their common name. They are in the same family as the black widow, Theridiidae, but they do not have the characteristic red/orange hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen. This spider is not aggressive and their bite is not considered to pose a significant health risk to humans, however, it is possible that someone could be allergic to this spider's venom and have a more severe reaction to a bite, in much the same way that a small percentage of us are severely allergic to bee stings. Also, some accounts of bites have indicated symptoms similar to, but much less severe than, those of a black widow bite.
This spider builds a 3-D cobweb, generally, near the ground. The silk is not sticky, but, because of the way the strands are placed, insects easily get tangled up when they get in the web. They sometimes build their webs in cupboards which has led to another of their common names. They are usually found in homes, outbuildings and other man-made structures, but are occasionally found outdoors.
Here are some links where you can find additional information and photographs of this species:
http://www.spiders.us/species/steatoda-grossa/
https://u.osu.edu/rose.891/2015/07/09/steatoda-grossa-aka-the-false-widow/
http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/false-black-widow
Hope this answers your question, and thank you for contacting Ask an Expert.
Jim
This spider looks like one of the false black widows (Steatoda grossa). It is also known as the cupboard spider. Some individuals of this species are completely bluish-black and have no markings, and people mistake them for the true black widow, and that is believed to be the source of their common name. They are in the same family as the black widow, Theridiidae, but they do not have the characteristic red/orange hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen. This spider is not aggressive and their bite is not considered to pose a significant health risk to humans, however, it is possible that someone could be allergic to this spider's venom and have a more severe reaction to a bite, in much the same way that a small percentage of us are severely allergic to bee stings. Also, some accounts of bites have indicated symptoms similar to, but much less severe than, those of a black widow bite.
This spider builds a 3-D cobweb, generally, near the ground. The silk is not sticky, but, because of the way the strands are placed, insects easily get tangled up when they get in the web. They sometimes build their webs in cupboards which has led to another of their common names. They are usually found in homes, outbuildings and other man-made structures, but are occasionally found outdoors.
Here are some links where you can find additional information and photographs of this species:
http://www.spiders.us/species/steatoda-grossa/
https://u.osu.edu/rose.891/2015/07/09/steatoda-grossa-aka-the-false-widow/
http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/false-black-widow
Hope this answers your question, and thank you for contacting Ask an Expert.
Jim
Thank you Mr.Burke for your response. I hope you have a great weekend. Again thank you so much. Definitely gave me a piece of mind now.
You're very welcome. Contact us any time.
Jim
Jim
