ORLANDO, Fla. – Seeing more spiders lately?
From August into September, many homeowners begin to notice an uptick in spiders. There’s a reason. Whether you see more webs or find them inside the house, the weather plays a role in why the arachnids are seen more frequently.
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While Florida doesn’t see big temperature swings to define the seasons like our northern friends, spiders know when summer is coming to an end and fall is approaching. It’s their biological clock ticking. It’s mating season.
Spiders hatch in the spring. By the time late summer and early fall roll around, the population is in full force for these critters. With over 250 species of spiders found in the Sunshine State, according to a publication from the University of Florida, you’re likely to see them.
Spiders thrive in temperatures around 70 degrees. While it’s hot, they’re still around, often inside homes seeking a cool, dry spot to hang out.
Spiders don’t like the boiling heat in the summer, nor do they like the rain. That’s when they find relief inside homes or around them in shady areas. Not only are the areas in and around homes cooler but at night, the lights attract food, like moths and other insects.
Late summer into early fall, male spiders come out of their hiding spots to find a mate. They look for dry places to do this, and since we tend to see rain in September, with the dry season usually beginning in October, spiders venture into homes.
While this might not be the favorite location for homeowners, just know most species are harmless and do more good than bad. Yes, they can become a problem in your home so treating your home for spiders is a good practice, but they do eat other pests, like roaches, mosquitoes, earwigs, flies and moths. They’re like Mother Nature’s pest control and are often more scared of humans and try to avoid interactions with people.
Being afraid of spiders isn’t uncommon. According to the British Psychological Society, an estimated 6% of the population suffers from full-blown arachnophobia.
So which spiders do you need to beware? In Florida there are two main types of venomous spiders: recluse and widow spiders.
There are four species of widow spiders in Florida. They are the southern black widow, the northern black widow, the brown widow, and the red widow. According to the FDACS, the most likely time the widow will bite is when it’s trapped against human skin or when someone reaches and grabs an object that the spider is hiding under.
They’re very timid and only bite out of self-defense. They’re identifiable by the shiny abdomen that resembles a globe, slender legs, and the iconic black and red color. They can have lateral stripes and even be a bit pale in color.
There are three species of recluse that include the brown recluse, the Mediterranean recluse, and the Chilean recluse. These spiders are brown with a violin mark that can be darker or lighter depending on the species.
More common spiders to see in yards in Florida are orb weavers, house spiders, and jumping spiders that come in several colors and sizes. The wolf spider can spin a web, but many species live in shallow burrows or tunnels. The females carry the egg sac behind them attached to the spinnerets which can look like a pebble. Once they hatch, the female will carry the young spiderlings on its back until they are big enough to fend for themselves. If the female is attacked or squished all the baby spiders will flee the mother’s back and there can be up to one hundred of them.
The bolas spider is a little different from all of the spiders listed above. Have you ever passed a leaf and seen a random blob of bird poop on it? It might have been the bolas spider. During the day this species will rest on leaves and mimic bird poo to evade predators.
The bolas spider also uses a ball of sticky glue to hunt. According to researchers at the University of Florida IFAS Extention, the bolas spider will swing the ball of glue from a silk line often mimicking pheromones produced by female moths to lure in male moths looking for a mate to snag its meal.
So, there you have it! If you start to notice more spiders in or around your home from August through September, just know it’s spider mating season. Whether it feels like fall outside or not, these critters will be out looking for love.
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