Brown recluse spiders and wolf spiders are both commonly found in the United States and can be easily confused for the other. These spiders are both found in the Michigan area and get confused with one another because they look so similar. It’s important to know that there are notable differences between the two. Let’s go over the differences between them so you’ll know which one can cause you harm and which one won’t. While both wolf spiders and brown recluses are venomous, it is unlikely that wolf spiders will cause any long term damage while brown recluse bites can cause extensive tissue damage.
Brown Recluse & Wolf Spider Identification
The brown recluse is about half a big as the wolf spider. The wolf spider is about 1 ½ inches long and the brown recluse only gets to be about 3/4 of an inch in size. Brown recluse spiders have a violin marking on their body (cephalothorax) and are often called ‘fiddleback spiders’ or ‘violin spiders’ because of this marking. While there are some spiders that have a similar marking, this is the only one that will easily differentiate it from a wolf spider. If you dare get close enough you would notice that these two spiders have peculiar and contrasting eye arrangements to differentiate them. Wolf spiders have 8 eyes in 3 rows with the two middle, being most prominent. Recluse spiders have 6 eyes in 3 pairs and are one of the few spiders that only have 6 eyes. All spiders have eight legs but the legs of these spiders look very different. Wolf spiders have stocky legs with spines and recluse spiders have slender legs with fine hair covering them. Wolf spiders have colored patches and lines on their abdomens and recluse spiders have uniformly colored abdomens. So, if you are looking at a spider that has a two-tone colored abdomen then it can’t be a brown recluse but that doesn’t mean that it’s a wolf spider. Let’s recap,
• Wolf spiders-spiny legs, multicolored, non-violin-marked with eight eyes and not harmful to humans
• Brown recluse spiders- hairy legs, uniformly colored, violin-marked with six eyes that can be harmful to humans and need to be avoided at all costs
Spider Repellent & Prevention
Whether a spider is harmful or not usually doesn’t matter to most people. Spiders are creepy and we don’t want them around. How can we keep them out of our house? Removing any areas they can hide is the best way to keep them away. Keep your yard free of clutter and keep them out of your home by sealing cracks and crevices or any opening they will use to get into the house and use weather-stripping around doors and windows. Spiders need to be controlled with direct contact, physically or chemically. Wolf spiders are solitary so if you get rid of one, chances are you’ve eliminated the problem. Brown recluse spiders are hard to control once they have established themselves and numbers can increase quickly in short periods of time.
Spider Inspections, Control & Removal in Bloomfield Hills, Canton, Farmington Hills, Milford, New Hudson, Northville, Novi, South Lyon, Wixom, Dexter, Brighton, Saline & Greater Ann Arbor, Michigan
Contact professional pest control if you are having issues with spiders. Contact Knock Em Out Pest Control to identify the spiders you’re dealing with and to come up with the best method to get rid of them.
