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Hobo Spiders are brown and measure roughly 12 to 18 mm in
length. Their legs show no distinct rings and have short hairs.
Their abdomens have several chevron shaped markings. Males are
distinctively different from females in that they have two large
palps that look like boxing gloves. These palps are often mistaken
for fangs or venom sacs, but they are in fact the male genitalia.
The females also have these palps, but the ends are not 'swollen' as
they are on the males. Females tend to have a larger abdomen when
compared to males. The hobo spider, Tegenaria agrestis, is a moderately large
spider of the family Agelenidae which is indigenous to western
Europe that was introduced into the north western United States (Port
of Seattle) sometime before the 1930's. The means of the spiders'
introduction into the United States was almost certainly commercial
shipping vessels carrying cargo originating from agricultural areas
of Europe. In its native Europe the hobo spider is a resident of
fields, rarely entering human habitations due to the presence of
major competitors, particularly the giant house spider, Tegenaria
gigantea, which is a common resident of houses and other
man-made structures in Europe; thus, human contacts with the hobo
spider are uncommon in Europe. In the United States however, the
hobo spider rapidly adapted to living in urban areas, and without
the widespread presence of a dominant competitor, became abundant
and began to extend its range; by 1968 it had become established as
far east as Spokane, Washington and Moscow, Idaho, and as far south
as Corvallis, Oregon. The reason hobo spiders have a reputation for
being so aggressive is because they have very poor eye sight and
have to aggressively attack their prey to catch it. Their web is not
sticky either which makes it harder for them to catch prey.
Therefore with their poor eye sight, they think humans or anything
that moves probably, are prey and attack. In around 50% of bites, no
venom is injected so their reputation is probable overrated too.
However when it is injected, necrosis occurs and the resulting wound
can take years to heal with much skin being eaten away!
hobospider.org
Please note that not all the
identifications below may be correct as hobo spiders are rather hard
to identify.
Check out
Rick Vetter's ID sheet for more info. |
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Hobo Spiders - Tegenaria agrestis |
Reply: This could be a hobo spider - glen
10 October, 2009:
I love your site. Unfortunately I still have a problem
identifying what sort of new 'friends' I've had try to enter my
house recently. I think the one on the sticky trap is a hobo.
Can you confirm that? The one in the jar I can't tell. I would
love to release him in the yard if he's beneficial. Feel free to post these pics if you want.
Sincerely,
Bryan |
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Reply: Once again I'm not sure about this one but it could be a
tegenaria species - glen
9 August, 2009:
My husband and I found this spider last night in our garage. We saw no
web. My husband was moving a box and it fell off the box into a
plastic bin we had. I quickly snapped 2 pictures and then my husband
squished it (I'm sorry, but we freaked). It was about 3-4 inches in
length including legs. We've seen many spiders around as we live in
Portland, OR, but never the hobo or anything that looked this much
like a hobo until now. We have a lot of storage boxes in the garage,
so this makes me nervous. I know there are probably many more out
there...are we okay just being careful, or do we need to do something
about them?
Thanks
Jenny |
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Reply: Once again I'm not sure about this one but it could be a
tegenaria species - glen
9 August, 2009:
Hi Glen,
I have kids and these spiders recently started to appear in our house. Can you tell us what kind of spider it is and if there are any dangers we should know about? Thanks
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Harvey |
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Reply: I'm not sure about this one but it could be a
tegenaria species - glen
9 August, 2009:
Hi,
Firstly, thanks for having your web page
available for identifying spiders.
I found this in our house, the photos are
not great because it creeps me out, and
I was nervous taking them.... :-/ .. sorry.
It's about 1 1/2 inches across, and medium
brownish...,
If you could tell me what it is (~hopefully
not a Hobo Spider), I would be much
appreciative..
Thanks and have a great day!!
JP
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Reply: This looks like a hobo spider. It is one of the tegenaria species to which the hobo belongs and the hobo does not have striped legs same as yours
- glen
9 August, 2009:
Hello,
I live in Portland, OR and have TONS of these spiders (pic attached) in my finished basement. We think they are either hobo spiders (hopefully not) or giant house spiders. We have been seeing them since late spring and throughout this summer. Lately, it has been quite hot outside and now we are seeing what appear to be that same type of spider only now they are huge. I have found 5 in our house in the last two days all of which were at least 2 inches in diameter, and have seen at least 75 of varying sizes total over the past two months. It's making us a little uneasy not knowing whether or not they are poisonous. I have attached a photo for your reference. Please help!
Thanks!
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1 August, 2009:
This spider is living in a yard debris bin that's full of dirt. Portland, Oregon. Summer. What do you think? Hobo? It has eaten another spider. I tried to include a picture of it's web. No funnel that I can tell, but it's also been disturbed, so It's hard to tell the intended shape. If it's a hobo spider, how do I get rid of it (and others)? I have a toddler and the last thing I want is for her to find it.
-Courtney |
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Reply: This looks like a hobo spider. I would take the spider and your daughter to the dr if the welt gets any worse. It is definitely one of the tegenaria species to which the hobo belongs and the hobo does not have striped legs same as yours. So best to be safe with your daughter!!
1 August, 2009:
Hi Glen! I live between the Puget Sound and the Cascade mountains in Washington. I think my daughter got bit by a spider last night and her hand has a big welt - do you think this could be a hobo spider? Thank you!!
Tammy |
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Reply: This looks like a hobo spider.
9 July, 2009:
Either it got back in or I found another one. This one was brown with the same markings. I could swear the first one was green, even my son said it was green, but we were also looking at it through a glass in poor lighting. This time it was on the curtain right by the foot of my bed. I'll try to see if I can get the photos attached. They are not great, but hopefully they work. The pic with the spider in the glass... the mouth of the glass is just under 3 1/2 inches wide. The glass also has a bubble design which distorts the image of the spider a little. Can you tell what it is? The next time it gets back in, should I put it outside again, or should I be getting rid of it?
Thank you.
Johanna |
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Reply: This looks like a hobo spider.
5 May, 2009:
Hello, I found this spider in my garage right next to the garage door opener. I have seen them in the house and I am a bit concerned because I have two small children. Can you please tell me what kind of spider this is? I live in the Seattle area. Thanks
michael |
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Reply: This looks like a hobo spider.
1 May, 2009:
Hello Glen!
I live in Stockholm, in Sweden, and Ihave many spiders like this, both insede the house and outside (in the summer).
You'll only see them at night and they are really fast runners.The body is nearly 1,5 -2 cm and the legspan is nearly 8 cm!
Is this a common housespider or is it a hobospider? Really the question is - do I have to be afraid or not?
Please help!
Thank You!
/Monya Click for a larger view. |
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Reply: This could be a hobo spider.
14 February, 2009:
We have a debate on Facebook whether it is a Hobo or a Grass Spider…or maybe even your common giant house spider…please help J
We found it on
Anderson Island in Tacoma, Washington. And yes, the pediapalps
are larger on the ends, look more like legs than anything. It’s
2.5” across span to span and about 1.5” in length.
Click for a larger view. |
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Reply:
These are male hobo spiders.
14 September, 2008:
Hi Glen,
I am way confused?? I have being trying to research the difference between a House Spider and a Hobo Spider. I think this may be a house spider due to the way the legs are and the under side but they look so close I am not sure?? Could you please take a look and let me know what you think! These buggers keep scaring the heck out of my 11 year old daughter and they keep getting in my home even after i have sprayed.
Thanks for your time,
Matt
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Reply: I think this is a hobo spider too.
18 August, 2008:
Hi Glen!
Great site!
I've been trying to figure out what kind of spider this is. Any Ideas?
I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (City of Hancock). Found it
under a shoe at night time, and another the same night scurrying across
the floor. They're huge!
The attached photos are ones of a smaller spider than the one we saw
running across the floor.
One photo is of the underside, and is labeled as such.
Thanks for any help you can provide!
There's so much confusion up here about what these spiders actually are,
whether they're wolf spiders, brown recluse, or giant house spiders.
These spiders seem to be very common in houses here, especially old
ones. My house is ~112 years old.
Thanks for your time!
-Ryan Lucas |
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Reply:
This is a hobo spider. Your 2nd spider
is a woodlouse hunter.
15 August, 2008:
Awesome site and you've never let me down. Found a few of these in the traps this weekend. I believe spider1 is a hobo but I have seen SO many funnel weavers and hobo pictures.. it looks like it could be either. I am in Utah, USA. We have small children and I really need to rid the area of hobos if we have them.. Our playroom is in the basement. I sprayed for spiders inside and out yesterday but that spider1 was in the trap this morning.
The second spider I have no idea what it is. Both were in traps.
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Reply: It's a bit hard to tell
from these photos but this could be a hobo spider.
Hobo spiders don't have very hairy legs like other tegenaria
species and have no banding on them. It could also could be tegenaria gigantea, the
giant house spider which is in the same species.
27 December, 2007:
I found this very scary looking Spider in my
bedroom by my bed. I
think it looks an awful lot like a Hobo Spider but wanted
another
opinion and would appreciate if you would give me a bit of
input. I
have included two large pics, and you are most welcome to use
them if
you so desire.
Paul
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2 December, 2007:
Hey Glen -
Here are a few spider pics from recently caught critters. The last three images are of a small example of the spiders we
routinely catch and release; have seen these guys with a body
the size of a large wasp and leg spans reaching 2.5" to 3",
pretty sure its a wolf spider of some sort...but it does have a
set of 'spinners' or some such on its butt, so maybe a grass
spider variation?? I only recently got a decent digital cam; and finally started
playing with the macro mode, so have been clicking as I catch.
All of these are crops of the originals to clip away wasted
surround; so quality may be slightly reduced as a result, if the
original ~4mb file would help with the ID, I still have it
kicking around the drive here somewhere... Catch ya Later, Mac.
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Reply: As you are in
Abbotsford, BC, Canada, it is not
likely to be a hobo spider but could be tegenaria gigantea, the
giant house spider which is in the same species.
Click for a larger view. |
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Reply:
It looks like a species of Tegenaria to which the hobo spiders
belong. But not sure if it is Tegenaria
agrestis or
maybe Tegenaria
gigantea.
8 September, 2007:
I recently found your site. I dig the content due to my strong
curiosity for all things eight legged.
I took these photos about a year ago, and have been passed one
answer or
another
the whole time as to the species of the spider. After browsing
your
site
I am led to believe that the two spiders photographed are a type
of
common
house/grass spider, but I want to be for sure. If you could take
a
gander and try your hand at I.D.ing the spiders (Which appear to
be a
male/female of the same species) I would be grateful!
Again, awesome site and keep up the good work! Spiders are
misunderstood!-Jeff
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3
September, 2007:
Hi Glen, I just found your site, it's so great,
congratulations and keep it up! I have recently got
interested in my spiders -- they thrive around my house
(Seattle, WA) at this time of year -- I used to be scared to
death of spiders but I started to photograph them and
starting to see the beauty in them I'm less scared! I was
wondering if you could tell me if this is a Hobo spider, it
dared to walk across my living room while I was playing the
piano... (2 pictures) Also I was wondering which
spider is the one photographed outside on the rail of my
balcony. It had really, really long legs. (1 picture) Thanks
a lot for your help! Françoise
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5 August, 2007:
Hi Glen, My husband found this spider in our garage while
cleaning it. We live in Albany, Oregon. I'm not sure what it is
but it was very fast and the biggest spider I've ever seen in
real life. I would guess it to be almost three inches including
legs of course. Please help us identify it, I got the best
picture I could, it was on the move, and cropped it in hopes of
seeing the markings better. I will send you the originals and
the cropped.
Thank you, Larissa
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5 August, 2007:
A few nights ago, I found an unusually
large spider in my bathroom. Iʼve been looking around, doing
some research, and happened upon your website. My spider has the
appearance of a Hobo Spider. That would make sense, seeing as I
live in a city just outside of Seattle. I would estimate about 4
to 5 inches from leg to leg. I tried my hardest to get a closer
picture, but this sucker moved very quickly. I was lucky to get
even on shot.If you could try to ID this little bugger,
and let me know what you think, thatʼd be great. Thanks,
Zach
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Reply: This looks to be from the
tegenaria family which includes the hobo spider, not a wolf
spider so be careful!!
25 July, 2006:
I am pretty sure its a wolf spider, but they seem to vary is
look so much its hard to tell. Please let me know.
Thanks Kevin
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Reply: This looks to be from the
tegenaria family which includes the hobo spider.
11 June, 2006:
Hey its David here,
(The same David who sent the Daddy long legs photos) I'm
pretty fascinated by spiders still, not so scared but still if
theres one thats walking around on my wall I don't like to leave
it there. If they are staying still just living I don't usually
mind. Anyhow yesterday there was this rather big one on my wall
(Big for the UK I think anyway), I caught it and got a nice
photo of it. I'm really curious if you can identify it because
i'd really like to be able to identify any spiders that venture
into my room. I'm kinda turning into a spider enthusiast!
Hope you enjoy the photo! Many thanks!
David Bowery
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Reply: This looks to be from the
tegenaria family which includes the hobo spider so be careful.
28 February, 2006:
Hi Could you mabye give me a idea what kind of spider this is! I
live in Oregon! Josiah p.s. I love your site! p.s. My e-mail is
loziers@peoplepc.com
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7 October, 2005:
Hi ! Hope you can help me, I’m Hélène, I’m French and
I’ve found these spiders in an old castle this summer. The 1st one
was 15cm long, and I don’t find what it is, I know the 2nd one I
just wanted to send you this picture, in French it’s called “tégénaire”.
Besides, recently I saw a pink one crossing a road! It was not my
imagination!!! I didn’t have enough time to see it closer, and I
can’t take any picture…Please tell me it was the reality…
Thank you in advance.
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Reply: Tegenaria
agrestis is commonly known as the hobo spiders and their bites
can be quite bad become very infected with the skin necrotizing.
However not all bites have poison injected, many are dry and this
does then not occur.
5 October, 2005:
Dear Glen
Some close friends said they found this spider on their stairs and
weren't so comfortable with it in there house. strait away i new it
was A Tegenaria agrestis I was wondering how bad the bite was
although i've been bitten by many venomous spider and spiders that
cause a blister such as the Argiope bruennichi so please tell me how
venomous it is. |
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Reply: This is a
hobo spider
1 September, 2005:
Dear Glen, Thanks for posting my photos on your website!
Today I discovered a Tegenaria spider lurking in the garage. It was
very happy to be released from the photo-session in my bug-viewer.
Here are the pictures:
Kind regards,
Rita |
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Reply: This looks like a
hobo spider, so
be careful.
5
August, 2005:
I don't believe I've seen this one on your spider
pages....and I'm not sure what it is. It was darn fast though. |
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Giant House Spiders - Tegenaria
duellica/gigantea |
The Giant house spider (Tegenaria duellica; formerly known as T. gigantea) is a member of the genus Tegenaria and is a close relative of both the Domestic house spider and the infamous Hobo spider. The bite of this species does not pose a threat to humans or pets.
Like most spiders, the spider possesses quite
a potent venom to subdue its prey; but it is not
known to bite humans. Females can reach 18 mm in length, with males having a slightly smaller body at around 12 mm to 15 mm in length. The female leg span is typically around 45 mm. The leg span of the male is highly variable, with spans between 25 mm to 75 mm being common.
The Giant house spider has the same colouration as the Domestic house spider; it has earthy tones of brown and muddy red or yellow. They also have conspicuously hairy legs and abdomen.
The Giant house spider is indigenous to north western Europe. It was however unwittingly introduced to the Pacific Northwest of North America
around 1900 due to human activity and strongly increased in numbers for the last decade.
The webs built by the Giant house spider are flat and messy with a funnel at one end. The spider lurks in the funnel until a small invertebrate happens to get trapped in the web, at which point the spider runs out and attacks it.
They usually build their webs in corners (on both the floor and ceiling), between boxes in basements, attics, or any other area that is rarely disturbed by large animals, or humans.
Males can often be seen wandering around during the late summer and early autumn looking for a mate. A population of Giant house spiders is popularly thought to be a deterrent to the establishment of Tegenaria agrestis, known in North America as the hobo spider, and considered by some to be more likely to bite humans. Giant house spiders may compete with hobo spiders for the same resources. Hobo spiders grow no more than a body size of 15 millimetres (0.59 in) long as where the larger female giant house spider can have a body size of 18 millimetres
(0.71 in), but has proportionately much longer legs.
(Info. Wikipedia) |
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Reply: This could be tegenaria gigantea - the giant
house spider.
1 August, 2009:
Hi, I found your site, spiderzrule, after we captured a spider in our kitchen. My wife and I have no idea what it is, she thinks it's a Hobo Spider, but I think it's probably a garden spider/funneling spider after viewing some of the pics on your site. We just wanted to be sure! I haven't been able to find a spider with the types of markings that this one has, and I have NEVER seen one this big in all the years I've lived up here!
We live in Vancouver, Washington, USA if that helps. Also, the glass it is under is pint glass for size relation.
Thanks for taking a look! And feel free to use this pic however you wish! - Tom |
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Reply: The pattern on the abdomen is more like that of
tegenaria gigantea than a wolf spider.
9 June, 2009:
He's a BIG ONE!!! that is a wolf spider? He didn't run from me but at me! Thanks |
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Reply: You have 2 funnel
weavers, that's the stripey ones and the other with the big "bum",
looks like tegenaria gigantea - the giant house spider, a
relation of the hobo spiders which actually kills hobos if you
have them in your area
1 October, 2007:
I caught all
these in a cup after finding them on some boards in my backyard.
I live in Utah, USA. The one on the top and bottom look similar
but the one of the right had a HUGE "bum". Thanks!
Dustin
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Another observation:
Hi,
Just wanted to chime in on your posting in your Hobo Spider
section of a specimen dated 30 July, 2007 and identified as Tegenaria
Domestica. The size is about right, but the coloration isn't. It
seems to me that he's a little too yellow for Domestica, but not
for Agrestis or Gigantea. I could be wrong, but I think this is a
small Agrestis. The legs are absent of the black bands that are a
singular feature with Domestica. That's my main reason for questioning
the ID.
Lower down, you have a picture dated 3 February 2006 which is a
good example of Domestica. The bands can be seen clearly (though
upstate NY seems quite a ways from home for Tegenaria. Stowaway
perhaps?). Anyway, just an observation which I thought might be useful. I'm
but an armchair expert. Love the site. Refer to it all the time,
just because I love to look at spiders. My youthful fear
of spiders has grown to respect, and finally to love.
Fascinating creatures. Jake in Portland Oregon
More:
Upon further investigation I have
narrowed it to a male Tegenaria
domestica. Thanks for the help in narrowing it down. Keep up
the good
work. Josh
30 July, 2007:
Hi,
I am a university student in Victoria, BC, Canada. I was
working in
a forest in the area when I found this little spider. It
was about the
size of a quarter to my best guess. I think it may be a
type of wolf
spider but the markings kind of threw me off a bit. It
certainly has 8 eyes though. Beautiful whatever it is. Thanks
for any help! Josh
Victoria, BC
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19 November, 2006:
hi there....
I came upon your site after doing a search on house
spiders.......
I live in Scotland and found this beauty in my house....
(I'm assuming it's
Tegenaria gigantea and not a hobo )
well at least i hope it was because i picked it up
gorgeous
looking spider anyway...
thought maybe you'd like to use the shots on your site (I'm
a keen macro photographer)
Click for a larger view. |
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and to give it a sense of scale here's a shot of it next to my
index finger |
and a shot of its spinnerettes
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13 July, 2006:
Hello, I'm adrian from Scotland, found your site after checking
Tegenaria agrestis on google. The picture i include is a
massive spider who walked under a stone i was bashing off the
ground and it died, err anyway hope you can use the picture,
fantastic site comrade! Adrian |
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31 January, 2006:
Hi Glen, My name is Aimee and
I am from Portland Oregon. I was wondering if you knew what
kind of spiders these are. I found the one in the cup in a
piece of wood in my garage. I found the one in the dirt in
the actual wood shed so I am guessing that they are both
wood spiders. If you have any idea what kind these are then
please let me know by E-mailing me back. I have checked your
spider site to see if they were there but I couldn't find
them. thanks, Aimee |
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Reply:
Looks like
a
House Spider
- Tegenaria
gigantea.
27 June, 2005:
hi, i found this
spider in the garden shed in the UK could you please take a look and
identify it for me please. thanks..... |
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Barn Funnel Weaving Spider
-
Tegenaria
domestica |
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5 September, 2009:
Hi Glenda:
This spider was hanging out near my front door tonight (inside the house). He was in a dark tight spot and I couldn't see where he was under the cup so unfortunately the berber carpet claimed some of his legs when I collected him (the last few I caught were released outside). I think it's a Barn Funnel Weaving Spider. Once I got a good look at it I had to keep reminding myself that I don't live in an area that has Hobo Spiders! I was reassured when I read that they don't have bands on their legs like this one does. Photos taken in Southern NJ and free for anyone to use.
Just me,
Laura Lee. |
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3 February, 2006:
Hello, I found this spider in
our bathtub this morning. I checked on your website to see
what kind it might be but I could not figure it out. Could you
possibly help? I'm sure it's probably very common and not poisonous
but we just moved in to this house and I am curious who we are
sharing it with! Thanks so much and I apologize for the photo. I did
not want to get too close. We live in Upstate New York- if
that helps. |
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