Are the Spiders in My Garage Dangerous?
You’ve seen them out there. Maybe it’s the big ones that scatter when you turn the light on, or the webs tucked behind your tools and in the corners near the floor, or that one you almost put your hand on when you reached behind a shelf. The garage is their territory and you know it, but you’re not sure which ones you’re actually dealing with and whether any of them are something to take seriously.
Most of them aren’t, but a couple are worth knowing about
The honest answer is that the majority of spiders you find in a Spring Hill garage are harmless. House spiders, wolf spiders, cellar spiders, the big huntsman spiders that look absolutely terrifying but couldn’t care less about you, none of those are a real health concern. They’re unsettling to find, especially in a space you’re reaching into without always looking first, but a bite from any of those is going to be about as bad as a bee sting at worst and more likely nothing at all.
The ones worth actually paying attention to are black widows and brown widows. Both of them show up in garages around Spring Hill with enough regularity that it’s not a stretch to say if you’ve got an established spider situation in your garage, there’s a reasonable chance at least one of them is in there somewhere.
How do you tell if you have a widow spider?
Black widows are pretty recognizable once you know what you’re looking for. Glossy jet black body, noticeably shiny, with a red hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen. Their webs are low to the ground, messy and irregular, and feel unusually strong when you brush against them. They tend to hide in spots that don’t get much light or disturbance, behind stored items, under shelving, around the water heater or AC equipment, in corners near the floor.
Brown widows are more common than most people realize and they’re easy to miss because they don’t have the dramatic black and red look. They’re tan to brown, with an orange or yellowish hourglass, and their egg sacs have a distinctive spiky surface that looks almost geometric. They tend to hide in similar spots to black widows but also show up in patio furniture, under the lips of trash cans, and tucked into anything with a small enclosed space. Their venom is actually more potent than a black widow’s but they inject less of it and are much less aggressive, so bites tend to be less severe, though still worth taking seriously.
What about the big ones that scatter when you hit the light?
Those are almost certainly wolf spiders or huntsman spiders, and neither one is dangerous. Wolf spiders are large, fast, brown and hairy, and they hunt at ground level without building webs. Huntsman spiders are flatter and wider, almost crab-like, and they tend to press themselves flat against walls and surfaces. Both of them look alarming, especially when they move fast, but they’re not venomous in a way that poses a real risk. A bite from either would be unpleasant but not dangerous for a healthy adult.
Why are garages such a common spot for all of this?
Garages have a lot going for them from a spider’s perspective. They’re usually less climate controlled than the inside of the house, which means more insects get in. They have more gaps and entry points, under the door, around vents, where pipes come through. They tend to have a lot of undisturbed storage, which gives spiders plenty of places to build a web or hide and go unnoticed for a long time. And they’re typically lower traffic than the rest of the house, which means spiders can get established without being bothered. Out in some of the neighborhoods in Spring Hill where garages double as workshops or storage rooms with boxes that haven’t moved in years, it’s basically ideal spider habitat.
Should you be worried about reaching into things out there?
Reasonably careful is the right mindset rather than worried. Shaking out gloves before putting them on, checking inside shoes that have been sitting out there, looking before you reach behind or under something, all of those are just good habits in a garage where widow spiders are a real possibility. Most bites happen when someone reaches into a spot without looking and the spider feels trapped. They’re not hunting you, but they will bite defensively if they feel like they have no other option.
What if you find a widow spider out there?
Don’t handle it. A can of spray aimed directly at it works fine, or a shoe if you want to be more direct about it. The web and any egg sacs near it should be dealt with at the same time since widow egg sacs can contain a significant number of eggs. If you’re finding them in multiple spots in the garage, that’s past the point of dealing with them one at a time and worth having someone come out and do a proper treatment of the garage, getting into the spots behind shelving and stored items where they tend to hide.
Does treating the garage actually help long term?
It does when it’s done right. A thorough treatment that gets into the spots widows and other spiders actually use, not just a spray along the visible walls, combined with reducing the insect activity that’s drawing them into the garage in the first place, tends to make a noticeable difference. Sealing the gap under the garage door is one of the most effective single things you can do since that’s one of the main ways bugs and spiders get in at ground level.
If you’re finding widow spiders or just more spiders in your garage than you’re comfortable with, our garage spider inspection and treatment gets into the spots that actually matter and deals with what’s in there now so you can reach behind your shelves without thinking twice about it.