Common Spiders In Des Moines And What To Do About Them

What are the most common spiders in Des Moines?

Iowa is pretty lucky since the deadly spiders native to North America are actually pretty rare in our fine state. However, there are still over 40 different varieties that call it home. Those spiders include:

• Common House Spider
• Black and Yellow Garden Spider
• Grass Spider
• Fisher Spider
• Wolf Spider

Common House Spiders

As their name suggests, these are the most common type of spider that you will find in your house. House spiders like enclosed areas like buildings as the adjoined edges that make up corners are the perfect place to weave their webs. Their small size and brown color allow the common house spider to go majorly unnoticed by most.

Black and Yellow Garden Spiders

While their striking black and yellow coloring may suggest they are poisonous, they are actually harmless. If you spot these spiders, it's probably females. They are four times larger than males and have more aggressive coloring. Luckily, these spiders enjoy the outdoors, weaving their webs in gardens and fields and only really being active on sunny days with no wind.

Grass Spiders

Have you ever walked outside on a dewy morning and noticed the spider webs in the grass? Those will be from grass spiders.  These arachnids can also be found indoors, but prefer low areas to build their webs. The unpleasant feature of this spider is the bigger the web it creates means the bigger the spider has become.

Fisher Spiders

Aside from the house spider, the fisher spider is Iowa’s most common eight-legged resident. With larger eyes, they don’t make webs but instead use speed to chase down and pounce on prey. While they are not venomous, they do bite, which makes them a huge nuisance.

Wolf Spiders

Like the fisher spider, the wolf spider doesn’t use webs to catch prey, instead, it chases them down. While they prefer tall grass or shrubs with an abundant supply of prey, if your house fulfills that need, they will move right in. Unlike the fisher spider, the wolf spider is venomous, but its bites aren’t lethal.

While you're more likely to find wolf spiders in your yard or house, you may spot black widows and brown recluse spiders. This is rare event but they are two of the most venomous spiders in North America and have been spotted in Iowa. They only end up here if they were brought in accidentally from places where they are more prevalent.

How to get rid of spiders in Des Moines

One of the easiest ways to control spiders, especially if you have a lot of them, is to call a pest control expert. We actually have a lot in common with spiders. They take care of pests, we take care of pests. We just aren’t creepy about it like your typical spider and won’t invite ourselves to stay at your house.

While we have tools to get rid of spiders, the key to preventing them from coming back is to make your house less tempting. This means getting rid of their food source – insects. So by contacting Miller Pest Control for your Des Moines spider problem, you are not only getting rid of spiders but probably a lot of other nuisance insects that have infested your house.