I am officially freaking out. Today my husband noticed a large brown spider perched on the socks I set on top of the dresser to finish drying.

He grabbed a jar (thankfully, at this time of year we have lots of jars readily available), and captured it. It’s a hobo spider.

Hobo spiders have been in the news around here a lot because they’re moving into homes as fall approaches (obviously they know something we don’t, because it’s been beastly hot), but truthfully, I’ve never seen one. And what bugs me is this one was so obvious. I wonder what else is hiding in the nooks and crannies of the house.

Identifying Hobo Spiders

Hobo spiders are actually tough to positively identify because they look like other fairly common house spiders. Rather than say what they look like, I found information describing what they don’t that’s actually more helpful. One feature is rings around the legs. If it has this, it’s NOT a hobo.

Same with spots on the sternum. If there are 3 or 4 spots along the perimeter of the sternum, it’s not a hobo. I personally like the leg identification because I don’t have to turn the spider over.

Hobos came over from Western Europe in the 1930s. They’re found as far south as Utah, and many suspect their range is from coast to coast, although they’re fairly common in the western United States and Canada (as far north as Alaska, from what I understand). They’re coming inside with the change of the season.

Hobo Spider Bites

Now many may ask, “What’s the big deal?” The big deal is severe pain and months of rehabilitation. I have a friend who was bitten over a year ago, and it took her a long time to feel back to normal.

Here are a couple of words to remember: necrotic arachnidism. It means the spider bite is going to cause the tissue to die. So, it’s not a neurotoxin as other venomous spiders and snakes, but it still creates big problems with your body. Search images of bites on the internet if you want to be grossed out.

Obviously, I’m not thrilled to have these critters around my kids. I’m all for spiders in the garden, and we love watch the big old orb spiders enjoy their fly burritos, but I’m drawing the line with the hobo spiders. It’s time to send them packing.

Hobo Spider Control

I immediately ordered the Victor Poison-Free Hobo Spider Trap from Amazon, and will go to Ace Hardware tomorrow to see if they have any. I have a sneaking suspicion they won’t, since the spiders have been bad around here, but I will try.

I’m also going to sprinkle baking soda with orange or pennyroyal (if I have pennyroyal) oil in the corners and around entry points to discourage them from entering the rooms.

Another friend stands by a home defense spray that you apply along the exterior of the house. I’m going to give that a go, too. Normally, I’m cool with spiders. I love what they do to keep the pest population in check, but I’m not so keen on those venomous types.

(Since the spider in the jar isn’t the best for photos, and there’s no way I’m letting it out to have its picture taken, I opted to use a photo from istock photo copyright Taurusguy.)