Spiders are one of the pests that we receive the most calls about from Southern Arizona homeowners. During the warm, wet monsoon season these calls only become more frequent. Here are five common spiders in Arizona and what you need to know about them.

Arizona Brown Spider

The Arizona Brown spider is the close cousin to the Brown Recluse and has similar features and behaviors. These small, 1/3 inch spiders are brown with slightly darker brown markings on their head in the shape of a violin. They prefer dark secluded areas like storage closets, sheds, and woodpiles. They can have a potentially dangerous bite that can cause tissue damage.

Black Widow Spider

Arizona is also home to the infamous Black Widow spider. Known for their red or orange hourglass marking on their abdomen, these spiders spin messy webs in low traffic areas like debris or wood piles, garages, or under patio furniture and children’s toys that aren’t used often. Their bites can be dangerous to humans and steps should be taken to eliminate them.

Orb-Weaver Spider

The Western Orb-Weaver is one of the most common spiders found outdoors in Southern Arizona. They build circular webs in open areas to catch their prey. They’re generally about half an inch long with brown, yellow, white, and sometimes red coloring. They can bite but tend to focus their energy on catching their prey in their webs.

Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders are common throughout Southern Arizona’s desert scrubland and woodland areas. These spiders live in burrows that tend to have a column of silk extending from the hole. Wolf spiders are about an inch long and range in color from grey to dark brown. They are active nocturnal hunters. The females will carry her spiderlings on her back for about a month after they hatch.

Tarantula

Although perceived to be one of the scariest spiders, tarantulas are considered a beneficial spider. These large, 3 to 4 inch long, spiders have brown, black, or even blonde hairy bodies and prefer to live outside in burrows or other protected areas. They’re considered beneficial because they aren’t aggressive toward humans, but feast on other unwanted pests around your home.

If you’re experiencing a spider infestation or need help identifying pests at your home, call the local experts at Bill’s Home Service at (520) 200-7043. Our licensed technicians will determine the type of pest you’re seeing and work with you to establish an effective plan to keep them out of your living space.