The hobo spider recently introduced itself to the Northwestern states of the Pacific coast of the United States. Implicated in numerous cases of necrosis, this spider is the least known of the dangerous spiders in the United States. The other two common spiders that pose a health threat, at least in the United States, are the black widow and the violin spider. The black widow is present everywhere, while the violin spider is found only in the South and Southwest regions. Although much less common, the hobo spider is also known as the Aggressive House Spider. -west of the Pacific and also in various parts of Canada.
Steps
Step 1. Check the size of the spider
The hobo spider never grows more than 5 cm including the legs, and in any case specimens of this size are exceptional. So spiders longer than 7-8cm (about the width of a dollar bill) are certain that they are not hobo spiders or any other extremely poisonous species in the US. In fact, large spiders control the population of the deadliest spiders.
Step 2. Know the types of hobo spiders
Although this spider is a rapidly expanding species, it was not yet present in southern or northern California, or east of Wyoming until 2008. Remember this is an estimate, as its rate of expansion is thought to be around about 10-20km per year, and due to lack of funding, not much coordinated research has been done regarding the spider's current range. In 1996, a species of this spider was found in the state of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and in significant areas of Montana, Wyoming, and Canada. There are now reports that the spider is also present in Utah and Colorado. Therefore, if you live anywhere in these areas, there is a chance that the spiders you see are also hobos. Many have seen the hobo spider in southeastern states, such as South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
Step 3. Look at the abdomen, which is the bulbous part of the spider that all legs connect to
If you notice two distinct zigzag marks descending on the left and right side of the abdomen, it is likely a hobo spider.
Step 4. Examine the legs
If there are distinct rings around the legs, it is certainly not a hobo spider. This one has legs of uniform color.
Step 5. For more details you can visit the website:
www.hobospider.com/info/ or:
Advice
- If it has streaks or stripes on its legs, cephalothorax or the tips of the palps, it is by no means a hobo spider.
- If you are bitten by a spider, catch or kill it, but don't crush it completely or it cannot be identified.
- Do not kill any spider that may predate the hobo spider, the violin spider, or the black widow. The absolute best way to control the hobo spider population, without living in a plastic bubble, is to have other spiders around. More specifically, this spider is prey to the giant spider (Tegenaria Duellica), which reaches an enormous size, much larger than any hobo spider. As mentioned earlier, any spider with legs longer than a dollar bill in the United States is almost certainly a useful spider. You still can't get rid of all the spiders, so learn to live with them!
- Remember that there is no way to identify the spider with absolute certainty. You can only confidently discard the possibility that it is a hobo spider. Researchers studying spiders also need advanced equipment to make identification 100% certain.
- The hobo spider bite is believed to be similar to the violin spider bite, meaning it could lead to flesh rot. However, some anecdotal reports suggest that this spider's venom is not as lethal as that of the violin spider.
