Please tell me anything you know about Wolf Spiders and how to get rid of them?

Question

Please tell me anything you know about Wolf Spiders and how to get rid of them?

Answer 1

Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, from the Greek word "λυκος" meaning "wolf". They are robust and agile hunters, and have good eyesight. They live mostly solitary lives and hunt alone. Some are opportunistic wanderer hunters, pouncing upon prey as they find it or chasing it over short distances. Others lie in wait for passing prey, often from or near the mouth of a burrow.

Wolf spiders resemble Nursery web spiders (family Pisauridae), but they carry their egg sacs by attaching them to their spinnerets (Pisauridae carry their egg sacs with their chelicerae and pedipalps).



Description



Wolf spider carrying her egg sac

Wolf spider carrying her youngThere are several genera of Wolf spider, ranging in size from 1 cm to 8 cm. They have eight eyes arranged in three rows. The bottom row consists of four small eyes, the middle row has two very large eyes (which distinguishes them from the Pisauridae), and the top row has two medium-sized eyes. They depend on their eyesight, which is quite good, to hunt. Their sense of touch is also acute.

Wolf spiders are unique in carrying their eggs along with them in a round silken globe, or egg sac, which they attach to the spinnerettes at the end of their abdomen. The abdomen must be held in a raised position to keep the egg case from dragging on the ground, but they are still capable of hunting while so encumbered. Also unique among wolf spiders is their method of infant care. Immediately after the little spiders hatch and emerge from their protective silken case they clamber up their mother's legs and all crowd onto her abdomen.



Eye configuration of a Hogna speciesTheir eyes reflect light well, and one way of finding them is to hunt at night using a flashlight strapped to one's forehead so that the light from the flashlight is reflected from their eyes directly back toward its source.

Because they depend on camouflage for protection, they do not have the flashy appearance of some other kinds of spiders. In general their coloration is appropriate to their favorite habitat.

Hogna is the genus with the largest of the wolf spiders. Among the Hogna species in the U.S., the nearly solid dark brown H. carolinensis is the largest, with a body that can be more than one inch long. It is sometimes confused with H. helluo (pictured below), which is somewhat smaller and entirely different in coloration.

Some members of the Lycosidae, such as H. carolinensis (called the Carolina wolf spider despite the fact that its range covers much of the U.S.) make deep tubular burrows in and around which they lurk much of the time. Others, such as H. helluo, seek shelter under convenient rocks and other such shelters as nature may provide. They may wander from place to place, and are therefore more likely to be the ones attracted into human habitation when the weather starts to turn colder in autumn.

There are many smaller wolf spiders. They patrol pastures and fields and are an important natural control on harmful insects.

The wolf spiders are capable of giving defensive bites, and some South American species may give bites that are medically significant. However, in general their presence works very much in favor of humans wherever they are found.

Toxicity

Wolf spiders are not aggressive but will inject venom freely if continually provoked. Symptoms of their venomous bite include swelling, mild pain and itching. Though usually considered harmless to humans, the bite of some species may be painful. In the past, necrotic bites have been attributed to some South American species, but further investigation has indicated that those problems that did occur were probably actually due to bites by members of other genera.[1] Australian wolf spiders have also been associated with necrotic wounds, but careful study has likewise shown them not to produce such results.[2]

Habitats



Burrowing wolf spider defending its egg sacWolf spiders can be found in a wide range of habitats both coastal and inland. These include shrublands, woodland, wet coastal forest, alpine meadows and suburban gardens. Spiderlings disperse aerially and consequently wolf spiders have wide distributions. Although some species have very specific microhabitat needs (such as stream-side gravel beds or montane herb-fields) most are wanderers without permanent homes. Some build burrows which can be opened or have a trapdoor. Arid zone species construct turrets or plug their holes with pebbles during the rainy season to protect themselves from floodwaters.

Answer 2

wolf spiders are ugly and scary looking and can make sum people sick if bitten... jus stomp it LOL

Answer 3

Wolf spiders are non-aggressive and will not bite unless they are extremely provoked. Their venom is not dangerous and the pain is the worst part. Symptoms of a bite are the usual: swelling, itching, redness.

They are good to have around and will keep pests out but if you want to get rid of the a simple spray from your local store should work.

Answer 4

Wolf spiders are agile and fast-moving ground predators.

# The wolf spider does not make webs.

# Most of these spiders move about wandering from one place to another.

# Wolf spiders are dull in color. The male species of the wolf spider is darker than the female and has more distinct markings.

# The greatest enemy of the wolf spider is the hunting wasp.

# Wolf spiders will only bite if they are provoked.

# Wolf spiders have eight eyes that are arranged in three rows with the first two comprising of four small eyes, the second containing two larger eyes and the third row containing two medium-sized eyes.

# Like all other spiders, wolf spiders also have four pairs of legs. There are a pair of leg like palps (sensory appendages located near the mouth) that are located in front of the walking legs and are used for sperm storage in males.

# The wolf spider is blessed with a disc that is located at the back of their eyes. This enables them to see at night.

# Wolf spiders have two schemes that they use for hunting. The first one is that they wait for they prey to pass by and the second is that they actively hunt their prey.

# The wolf spider sheds its skin many times as it grows into an adult. Most of the wolf spiders live for many years.

# Wolf spiders react to vibrations that are caused by prey walking on the ground or wings beating.

# The wolf spider lives on a variety of insects, for instance, houseflies, crickets, cockroaches and sometimes the grasshopper too.

# These spiders are mostly active during the night, but they are also found active during the day along lakes and streams.

# Some species are able to walk on water using their feet and tiny hair on their body to stay afloat. This feature enables them to escape predators and also feed on small prey in the water.

# Many type of wolf spiders are found in different environments, in summer they can be found in locations like woods, open grasslands and along lakes and streams.

# The life cycle of a wolf spider is interesting. The female spider produces an egg sac that contains over a hundred eggs that she attaches to the spinnerettes at the end of the abdomen. When the spiderlings develop, the female opens the sac and the spiderlings climb onto her abdomen, holding the hair on her body. They stay like this for a week after which they disperse.

Even though the wolf spider is poisonous, its venom is not lethal. The wolf spider is not known to be aggressive; however, they will bite if they feel like they are in harm or danger. They also move extremely fast when they are disturbed. If bitten by a wolf spider, the wound should not be bandaged but an ice pack should be placed on the bite so that the swelling will go down. And if necessary the victim should avoid any movement if at all possible. It is extremely important that one sees medical attention if bitten by a wolf spider or any other spider.

Spiders have their taste buds on the tips of their legs. They also hate the taste of lemon pledge. Dust your windowsills and doorframes with the pledge, both inside and out, and any areas where they accumulate. The spiders will find that they don't want to live with you

electronic bug devices that you plug into the wall. They are not cheap. They run about $35.00 each for a good one. I purchased three - one for the basement, one for the main floor and one for the upstairs. They work constantly emitting a high pitched frequency that is undetectable to humans, cats and dogs.

- Get rid of other insects

-- Vacuum corners

-- Reduce clutter

-- Glue traps with bait such as a cricket.

Other non-chemical methods to control spiders: (Courtesy UNL Cooperative Extension)

-- Keep the premises free of unneeded, unwanted items such as undisturbed clothing, papers and other litter. Indoor habitat modification that creates a barrier to the movement of spiders into buildings is also a key tactic to effective spider control.

-- Keep the corners and crawl spaces of buildings free of spider webs. Dust these areas or use a vacuum to remove existing webs. Vacuuming removes active spider webs, adult spiders and spider egg sacs. Living spiders will desiccate quickly in the vacuum bag, but depending on the design of the vacuum, it may be useful to empty the bag immediately after use in order to prevent the spiders' escape.

-- Remove litter such as newspaper and wood from interior and sides of buildings.

-- Caulk and repair screens and fill cracks and crevices around windows, doors and foundations with materials such as expanding polyurethane foam.

-- Inspect common areas for holes and gaps, including entry holes for plumbing and electrical lines and window and door casings. Fill these holes.