Wolf Spider

What is a Wolf Spider?

The name spider is enough to give you the creeps, but when it is the wolf spider that is in question get ready to feel scared. These spiders have earned their name from their characteristics to stalk a prey before they eat it. These spiders resemble lone wolves, who have all the potential needed to hunt a prey and then eat it.

The wolf spiders possess several kinds of personalities, and that is possible within the same type of species. They live their lives far away from others including their own kind. Wolf spiders come in contact with female wolf spiders during the mating season.

These spiders are highly venomous, which means they kill their prey with the venom present in their body. The venom of a wolf spider is enough to paralyze their prey. They don’t pose a lot of threat to humans unless they feel cornered and threatened. Read along to see what wolf spiders are capable of.

Size and Appearance

Wolf spiders vary from one another in size. Their size usually lies between a 1/4 inch to one and a half inches. Sometimes they grow as big as two inches.

Just like a wolf, the wolf spiders take a leap at its prey after chasing them around. The wolf spiders have as many as eight eyes distributed in three rows. There are four small eyes in the bottom row, two huge sized eyes in the middle row and on the top row; there are two more eyes which are medium sized. The wolf spiders are nothing like the other arachnids; they have a powerful vision. Their body is covered in hair which helps them to detect touch.

These spiders carry around their own eggs. The egg sac is globular in shape and hangs from the end of the abdomen, and they are connected with the spinnerets. This helps the spider carry its unborn babies everywhere it goes. No matter how many eggs the female wolf spider is carrying, it will still be fast enough to catch its prey.

The wolf spiders care for their young ones like no one. Soon after the eggs hatch, the spiderlings are born and hang on to their mother’s legs. The wolf spider is known for their camouflage body color. Their body color fits perfect with the surroundings.

The female wolf spiders are much bigger than the male wolf spiders. The body of a wolf spider is divided into two parts. One being the cephalothorax and the other is the abdomen. The reproductive and the digestive system is present in the abdomen part of the body. Just like any other spider, these come with eight legs. The legs are all connected to the cephalothorax. The front portion of the cephalothorax has the fangs, mouth, eyes, pedipalps (or the mini legs).

They can be black, orange, brown and even grey in color.

Where do the Wolf Spiders live?

The wolf spiders have the ability to survive in different types of habitats. There are as many as 2300 types of wolf spider species alone in the world. They can be found in the inlands, coastal areas, woodland, shrublands, alpine meadows, wet coastal forests, suburban gardens, as well as residential areas.

The spiderlings move in an aerial way. There are wolf spiders that have specific habitat needs like gravel beds, herb fields, and specific type of temperature. Some wolf spiders dig burrows and live inside them. There are wolf spiders that cover their nests with pebbles and leaves when the monsoon starts. This will prevent water from entering their holes.

What does a Wolf Spider Eat?

These spiders with their excellent eyesight and fast running skills hunt down the prey. First, they locate their prey, then they attack and pounce on them. They use their jaws to bite. Their diet consists of crickets, small insects, earwigs, grasshoppers, flies, and ants.

How Dangerous are the Wolf Spiders?

Wolf spiders are known for their keen senses. They use it to protect, hunt and engage in mating. They are sensitive to vibrations which means they know when there is movement around them. They use their camouflage to hide from their preys and predators.

Wolf spiders are famous for their venom that they use to paralyze their prey. The wolf spiders flip on its back and grab its prey with all its legs. After that, they bite it with their powerful jaws to kill it.

However, they don’t bite humans unless they feel threatened. Their venom is deadly for their prey but not for humans. If you are allergic to their venom, then you may face serious symptoms otherwise it is going to hurt like a bee sting. The most common symptom is the redness along with swelling. If the symptoms get worse, get medical attention immediately.

Difference between Wolf Spiders and Brown Recluse

The Brown Recluse is commonly found in the southern east parts of the United States of America, especially in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Kentucky. A lot of similarities exist between the brown recluse and the wolf spiders.

The Brown Recluse has a typical design on its neck which sets it apart along with its light brown color. The presence of these markings in brown recluse set them apart. They are venomous and love to live in the dark. Their venom is highly poisonous and can cause tissue damage.

However, the wolf spider is found all over the world. They have basically a brown and grey color body color and show no signs of any markings. The bite of a wolf spider is not anything serious. However, anyone suffering from wolf spider bite can experience extreme causes of muscle pain, redness, swelling, along with pain in lymph nodes. These symptoms are rare and only show in case of an allergic reaction.

Ways to Get Rid of Wolf Spiders from your Garden

Spiders are one of the creepiest creatures that live on the Earth. Especially if it has eight eyes, a hairy body, and several pairs of legs. It is scarier than we can imagine. These spiders are not a direct threat to humans; however, it is not wise to have spiders crawling around in your backyard. If you think it is time to deal with the wolf spider infestation, then follow these steps.

Start by cleaning

The first step is always easy and quite necessary. You have to start off by cleaning your garden. Get rid of mulch, compost, leaves, firewood, and grass. Wolf spiders don’t like light and love to be in the dark. Expose your garden to a lot of light. Don’t leave behind stones, empty planters, and anything they can hide in.

Install screens to cut out insects

Use fine mesh to cover every opening and vent. Anything that opens your house to the outside world should be tightly sealed. These spiders live on the ground and enter your home from vents or any other small space. So, inspect your house properly and put a screen on these places.

Change the outdoor/front light

Lights are very attractive to every kind of insect. This includes moths, flies, insects, and other such kinds. When these insects come to your home, be sure the wolf spider will follow. Turn off your front lights if it is possible. This will prevent insects from coming to your house. Keep your blinds and curtains closed. The inside light will not attract the outside insects and they will not invade your home. Bugs don’t like bulbs that have a yellowish hue, choose that for your garden. Wolf spiders leave their nests at night to hunt, cutting out their souls of food will turn them away.

Maintain cleanliness inside

Vacuum your house on a daily basis. Anything that will attract insects will bring wolf spiders to your home. Clean crumbs and other kinds of debris inside. If you find webs clean them too.

Say no to cardboard boxes

They are an open invitation to wolf spiders. Remove every cardboard box in your house and make room for airtight plastic containers. There should be no cardboard boxes in the closet, attics, or any dark corner of your house. Wolf spiders love the dark places, which will attract them to the cardboard boxes.

Wolf Spider Pictures

Take a close look at these wolf spider pictures to understand more about them:

Wolf Spider Facts

Some facts about the wolf spider that you didn’t know:

• The wolf spider is twice as large as the wolf spider.
• Wolf spiders have gained their name from their stalking nature. They stalk prey and pounce on it afterwards. They are sensitive to vibrations and have an excellent sight.
• These spiders don’t live in webs. They dig burrows in the ground and live inside them.
• The male wolf spider has more markings and is dull in color.
• A few species of wolf spiders are capable of walking on water. They hunt the insects that live in water and easily escape their predators.

This is all that you need to know about the wolf spiders.