Diamondback Rattle Spider? ;o) - Tegenaria agrestis

Johnston County North Carolina Hobo Spiders

This week, in Johnston county NC, the hobo spider was identified by local exterminators. The resident's dog had a reaction and the vet determined spider bite was to blame. A hobo spider bite. Apparantly the guy is from Washington state! Put that red dot on your map!!!! They made it to the east coast.

… Erin Hodge, 4 December, 2008 - 10:42am

hobo haven

I have lived all over California, and NEVER seen a hobo (plenty of black widows, though -- and my sister was recently bitten by a brown recluse (in bed) in Northern CA)! Since moving to a home on a hill supported by rock walls in Eugene, OR, I am shocked at the number -- and SIZE -- of these spiders! I don't see the chevron pattern on some of the "hobos" on this site. The only ones I've seen ALL have those tell-tale marks. MANY THOUSANDS of them reside in our rocks - they make dense funnel webs out of strands as strong as a black widow's! Every single rock we overturn harbors at least one enormous hobo. Lots of them find their way into our home. We check behind the toilet before using it since we found one there (including its legs) as big as a baseball! In addition, a (nickel-sized - also including it's legs) yellow sac spider bit my daughter last month (beginning about half hour after the bite, she suffered a stinging sensation, and purple goose egg at the site, icy feelings throughout her body - especially at the back of her neck, and some dizziness), and we've spotted crab spiders, and other types ALL OVER the property (inside and out). Is this normal for this climate? Are we inundated with spiders because of our rock wall refuge? I love Eugene, and we are about to remodel, but I'm not sure I want to live amongst all of these monstrous spiders! OH - and the reason I'm writing :) - my daugther captured a spider crossing our carpet this evening - we got her one of those bug-vac toys for Christmas. :) She felt a sting before she saw it wandering off, and is sure it bit her. We are watching the spot, but so far no reaction, except the pink mark where she scratched it. The entire creature was not much bigger than a dime, so we couldn't see its eyes. The body type resembled a hobo, but the markings were much different (I wish I had taken a picture before she set it free). It was dark brown with a light stripe (front to back) on its head and a few small yellow stripes across the top (side to side) of its body. My daughter and I scoured this site and the nearest thing we found was the Steatoda triangulosa: http://bugguide.net/node/view/17562/bgimage
but this bug isn't as dark, there is no stripe on his head, and his rear portion is not as long and narrow as our critter. Any ideas? A baby hobo, perhaps? Toxic? Thanks, and sorry so long. :)

… heather_who, 30 December, 2005 - 9:40pm

Your Spiders...

Thanks for commenting, sorry it took so long to respond. The reason you probably have never seen a hobo spider in California is that they are not (at this point) commonly found in CA (see here for the common range.)

Contrary to what many publications indicate, not all hobo specimens have a clear chevron pattern, and are not big or aggressive spiders. Typically you cannot identify a hobo (with any certainty) by causal visual inspection; it requires a hand lens or microscope to be certain (or take it to a local expert at your extension service). There are a few other closely related spiders that look like hobo spiders but are 100% harmless (the most common being the Lesser European House Spider (T. domestica), and various other funnel-web spiders). Click here for more information about the hobo spider (Tegenaria agrestis). Please visit some of the links on the bottom of the page linked above for some great information (especially "How to ID a Hobo Spider"). It should also be noted that most of the recent research (last 5-10 years) about hobos indicate that hobo spiders may not be anywhere near as dangerous as first indicated. Please refer to the information page linked above for more details.

The spiders that are the size of baseballs are definitely not hobo spiders, but could be related (possibly Greater European House Spider - Tegenaria duellica).

As for what bit your daughter, without seeing the spider, it would be very difficult/impossible to ID. What you have described is not a "baby" hobo, and if your daughter didn't exhibit symptoms within 24 hours, there most likely is no worry (although we are not a medical information site). Almost 100% spiders are not dangerous to people (much like bees, a few people have allergic reactions, but most people are not seriously affected).

The only spider to be medically concerned about in your area is the Western Black Widow (Latrodectus hesperus), and I wouldn't recomment playing with spiders that resemble Hobos... :) Steatoda triangulosa is related to a widow spider, but is not dangerous (a wet bite (where venom is injected) can make a person feel ill/nauseous but ususally is not serious).

Hope this helps. :)

… Christopher Hunt, 2 January, 2006 - 11:47am

right you are!

What do you mean you are not an expert? Had I read all of your posts regarding photos people submitted, I wouldn't even have had to ask about the spiders surrounding us!

I investigated all of the spiders you mentioned. Because some of them are HUGE (and extremely fast - which I read that they are), I think you are right about them being Tegenaria duellica. Perhaps the smaller ones are young? female? or hobos, which I read that the Tegenaria duellica prey on. YAHOO! :)

It is most alarming when a large spider darts out of a funnel web at you when a droplet accidentally strikes it while watering! I will try to find a way to trap one with a 10-foot pole so I can take it in for a positive ID. :)

Thanks so much for all of your help!

By the way, my (10-year-old) daughter didn't react to the little unidentified spider...which is weird because she has severe reactions to flea bites - itchy, painful welts that blister! Unusual?

Speaking of blisters (and I should probably look for your comments in the appropriate spider section), my daughter's skin turned purple and developed pin-head sized blisters around a wolf spider bite when she was 2. Is that uncommon?

… heather_who, 5 January, 2006 - 10:31pm

Spider Bites

Although I am not an expert with spider bites, what I can tell you is this:
Depending on:
+ the type of spider,
+ the age of the spider,
+ the gender of the spider,
+ how the spider was encountered (startled, felt threatened, or defending it's eggs, etc)
+ type of bite (wet (venom injected) or dry (fangs penetrated skin, but no venom was released))
+ the age of the victim,
+ the location of the bite,
+ the victim's genetic makeup (allergic to certain things, e.g. bees)

A blistering and discoloration response can be normal. Some spider bites cause a welt which blister, change colors (reds and purples/blues), swell, and in some cases, some mild necrosis (death of tissue local to the bite site). The best thing to do is see a doctor if the bite doesn't look "right", or is "really ugly". (Basically, use common sense and trust your senses/intuition. Better safe than sorry.) The key to spider bites is catching the spider that bit the victim. This is one of the only ways to absolutely know what can be expected from the bite. (Many bites are attributed to spiders, but in actuality were something completely different. Spiders tend to get "a bad rap" since many people have a basic fear of them.)

As far as the spiders outside, the behavior you described is typical for T. duellica, Agelenopsis spp., amongst several other funnel-web spiders. I honestly wouldn't bother trying to catch her, unless you would like to learn and study about her. Hobo spiders are nocturnal and hobo bites typically occur when reaching into dark areas (wood piles, weeding dense flower beds, or in the house etc.), otherwise, most spiders flee at first chance. The best way to avoid a bite is not to reach into dark areas without first looking, and wear gardening gloves (the fangs are too small to penetrate the gloves and the skin).

Hope this helps... :)

… Christopher Hunt, 6 January, 2006 - 10:31am

clarification

I really do appreciate that you are sharing all of your knowledge. I will avoid the spiders as much as possible. Again, you are right...the large spiders dart away as soon as they realize the water droplet isn't prey. The ones under the rocks that I keep moving around in the yard (trying to delineate a path) scurry off immediately. Sometimes, they race toward me, but I am getting good at jumping out of the way. I try not to land on them. :) I always wear gloves with cuffs and jeans tied at the ankles, so I feel fairly confident about avoiding the fangs. :)

Thanks for the info about the bites. It was just a weird reaction that made me think it might not have been a wolf spider after all. Next time (hopefully there won't be one!), I will capture the creature to ID.

You've been of great assistance!

… heather_who, 6 January, 2006 - 1:05pm

Confirmed T. agrestis

This specimen was confirmed by an expert local to the submitter on 20 September, 2005.

… Christopher Hunt, 25 September, 2005 - 10:48pm

Have you gotten the ID confirmed by an expert?
By the ways, nice photos.

… Chris Wirth, 18 September, 2005 - 8:10pm