Spiders In Wisconsin
Spiders In Wisconsin
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Kaylee Claus
A Wolf Spider found in Wisconsin
(photo credit: Kaylee Claus)
This author does not claim to be an expert on spiders or arachnophobia, and any medical input given should be studied further.
Everyone knows about our eight-legged friend, the spider. There are around 53,000 species of spiders (the first spider documented is the Angular Orbweaver in 1757), with scientists and archaeologists predicting that in less than 100 years, 50,000 new species of arachnid (an arthropod of the class Archnida, most notably spiders and scorpions) will be discovered. As stated by Sciencing, an informational website that answers common questions about science, there are over 1,000 species of spiders in Wisconsin, the most well-known of which are common household spiders, orb-weavers, and garden spiders.
Common House Spiders
The first (and most notable) species of spider found in Wisconsin are the common house spiders, which include Sac Spiders, Cellar Spiders (better known as “Daddy Long Legs”), American House Spiders, Wolf Spiders, and Barn Funnel Weavers. All of them tend to appear in dark corners, basements, sheds, underneath rocks, or in corners of rooms (typically ceiling corners for safety) with loosely spun or sac-like webs.
Orb Weavers and Garden Spiders
A different species of arachnid are orb weavers and garden spiders. Based on the article Garden Spiders written by Susan Mahr (a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Horticulture), the most common types of orb weaver spiders are Black and Yellow Garden Spiders, Banded Garden Spiders, Marble Orb-weavers, Shamrock Spiders, Giant Lichen Orb-weavers, Barn Spiders, Arrow-shaped Micrathenas, Tuft-legged Orb-weavers, and finally, Crab Spiders. According to an article published by Orkin Pest Control, garden and orb weaver spiders create large, orb-shaped webs in vegetated areas like prairies, forest, meadows, bushes, fences, and walls.
Jumping Spiders
The final and cutest species of spiders are jumping spiders, which are well known for their domestic nature online and their distinctive faces. The different species of jumping spiders that live in Wisconsin are the Bold Jumping Spider, Tan Jumping Spider, Zebra Spider, Grayish Jumping Spider, Dimorphic Jumping Spider, and the White-Jawed Jumping Spider. These small creatures prefer to live in areas such as tallgrass prairies, gardens, fences, barns, and sunny, vertical surfaces, in addition to forest edges.
Venomous Spiders
There are only two species of venomous spiders in Wisconsin: the native Northern Black Widow and the not-so native brown recluse. Even though Northern Black Widows primarily live in southern Wisconsin, Door County is a major hotspot for the Widow population due to the prairies and meadows on the point of the state. Brown Recluses can be found in southern Wisconsin as well, however, they aren’t native to the area, and often come through “hitch-hiking” in boxes, clothing or furniture from different states like Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
What Do These Spiders Eat?
The majority of the spiders in Wisconsin (and around the world) eat various insects. Their main diets include flies, gnats, wasps, moths, mosquitoes, bees, other small spiders, beetles, ants, aphids (tiny, sap-sucking insects), snails, worms, earwigs, and fleas. Bigger spiders tend to eat insects like caterpillars, cockroaches, leaf-hoppers, and even small invertebrates like lizards, geckos, and frogs.
Arachnophobia
Many people (around 3-15% of the population) have arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this anxiety is triggered by your flight-or-fight signal in the amygdala (Uh-MIG-duh-luh: A mass of grey matter that is responsible for emotional responses, especially in situations involving anxiety, fear, or rage) and may cause:
Dry mouth
lightheadedness
An upset stomach
Chest tightness or a rapid pulse
Sweating or shaking
Trouble with breathing or quick breaths
People may also react by crying, clinging, or freezing after seeing a spider. These reactions are more common in young children, but adults with severe arachnophobia may react this way as well. Arachnophobia is most common in females rather than males, and although anyone can develop a specific phobia at any age, most form it in childhood and/or adolescence.
As a final reminder, the majority of spider populations are NOT venomous. Spider bites typically only cause swelling or irritation at the site, and note that allergic reactions are a rare occurrence. Don’t be afraid to do extra research on spider bites and allergic reactions, as it’s important to get tested if you believe you may be allergic.
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