House Spider (Tegenaria domestica)

The house spider or house, in Latin Tegenaria domestica, belongs to a huge family of funnel spiders. A close relative is the American tegenaria - Tegenaria agrestis. The size of the female is 12 mm, the male is 9 mm. Body color is yellow with a brown pattern. Of all species of spiders - the most common, lives around the world. Lives in the wild, but often settles in human dwellings, especially in attics. Not dangerous, does not attack, if it does not feel danger.

Photo and description of appearance

House spider is ubiquitous. In the warm season, lives in the forest, in the meadow, and also often settles in attics, in abandoned buildings, residential buildings, apartments. It penetrates through open windows, doors, cracks in the wall.

Appearance is well known to everyone. The size of the body with spread legs is not more than 12 mm; males are always smaller. The abdomen is oblong in shape, connected to the cephalothorax with a thin jumper. The legs are long, powerful. On this body, legs drawing brown, red-brown color. A photo of the house spider is located below.

Interesting!

On the head there are 8 eyes located in different parts of it - in front, on the sides, behind. The spider sees everything around him, but only silhouettes, shadows. It responds well to movement. On the paws are the organs of smell, touch - the connecting link with the appearance.

Habitat

In the natural environment, tegenaria brownie lives among plants, trees. You can find it under the bark, fallen leaves, snags, hollows, between tree branches, in the grass. Builds nets near his shelter. The web resembles a funnel, hence the name of the species. However, it is preferable to him for different purposes. Therefore, it is often called home spider.

A room spider settles in the corners, below, above, behind the furniture. Weaves a flat web of triangular shape. A funnel leaves from it, from the very center. The owner sits in it. An attic spider can braid everything around, starting from corners, pumping with beams, windows, walls. One web connects to another, long threads depart from it, along which the predator moves around the room.

Often a house spider settles in cellars, barns, garages, and utility rooms. Absolutely everywhere where he has not been disturbed for a long time. Weaves a web at night, in the afternoon, hunting nets are ready to catch potential victims. Threads sparkle in the sun, attracting the attention of insects.

Lifestyle

A house spider sits in a secluded place during the day, hides away from the sun's rays, and goes hunting at night. Uses hunting networks or dispenses with them. In the first case, the spider attacks the prey, which accidentally entangled in the web. The predator injects poison, its own saliva. The first substance paralyzes the victim, the second dilutes the insides, which the house spider then sucks. After a while, he throws a funnel, forms a new one in another place.

The second method of hunting also involves the use of cobwebs, but without hunting nets. The spider extends only 2 thin threads, he sits in a secluded place. As soon as the victim touches them, the predator rushes to attack with lightning speed. The main diet is flies, fruit flies, mosquitoes, wasps, bees, and cockroaches, ants.

Interesting!

House spiders feel very well the change in atmospheric pressure.Before the rain they climb deeper into the hole, sit there, without protruding, before a sunny day, trapping nets are weaved all night.

Breeding

Tegenaria home leads a solitary lifestyle, gathering in pairs only during the mating period. The male looks for the web of the female, neatly approaches, pulls the threads. The female, at the sight of a "boyfriend," either rushes to attack, or sits motionless in the center of the funnel. The second option means that the lady is ready to accept the gentleman. After pairing, the pair is still together for some time. Then the most important thing for the male to leave in a timely manner, otherwise he will simply be devoured.

A few days later, the female begins to weave a cocoon from the cobweb, lays eggs there, and hangs it in the funnel, where she lives. Cubs develop for about 20 days, all this time tegenaria protects them. About 50 spiders are born. For about 2 weeks they stick together, their mother feeds them, then creep in different directions.

Danger to humans

The poison of house spiders is toxic to small insects. Paralyzes almost instantly, death occurs within 10 minutes.

On a note!

The predator does not attack humans or animals. Tegenaria is calm, prefers to run away, hide, rather than attack. However, with a threat to one’s own life it can bite. The situation occurs if a person accidentally crushes a house spider.

On the spot bite a spot remains, swelling, slight swelling, irritation. The condition normalizes independently after a few days. There is no great harm from the poison of tegenaria. The arthropod is simply annoying with its presence, recalls that a general cleaning in the house has not been done for a long time. In a non-residential premises, the dimensions of the web are such that they cover the space from top to bottom. Get rid of spiders in the house easy - enough cleaning, and with a massive invasion - the use of insecticides.