Wolf Spider

The Wolf Spider

The Wolf spider is from the family of Lycosidae. “Lycos” in Latin means wolf. These spiders have got the name of wolf spiders because of the way in which they hunt, the people who named it believed they hunt like wolves. Some wolf spiders live above the ground, some make burrows. Some of these come out of their burrows to wander and hunt, but some stay inside the burrows waiting for the prey to pass.

HOW TO IDENTIFY WOLF SPIDERS

Wolf spiders look almost like all other spiders. The best way to identify them is to look at their eyes. These spiders have 8 eyes in total- four very small eyes at the bottom, then there are two very large eyes, and then two more eyes a little smaller in size.

Appearance, Behavior, and Signs

Wolf spider & egg sac. by The original uploader was Fir0002 at English Wikipedia. – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Bidgee using CommonsHelper., CC BY-SA 3.0

Wolf spiders are usually brown, grey, black or tan, with darker stripes. They have a very unique eye arrangement excellent night vision for when they hunt. They can also be easily identified in the dark due to their eye-shine.

The Wolf spider will bite if threatened but their venom is not so harmful. No serious attacks by these spiders have been known. However, some redness and allergies can be caused by their bites.

Wolf spiders are not social creatures. They roam alone at night in search of prey. Some of these spiders stalk their prey and follow them to some distance before attacking.

Wolf spiders rarely bite unless they are provoked. If you get bitten by a wolf spider, there will be a burning sensation. Some other symptoms can be dizziness, quick pulse, etc.

HOW DO YOU GET WOLF SPIDERS

Wolf spiders can be quite common in many areas. They can be found outdoors in gardens, lawns, and can also dig burrows. Usually, they don’t intend to come inside households but can enter accidentally or be seeking shelter from winter. They can come inside through any outdoor items, or through any window gaps or doors.

HOW TO GET RID OF WOLF SPIDERS

• Place glue traps near the burrows or any other place where you frequently see the wolf spiders. The pests get stuck into these traps and die out of starvation. These traps should be placed out of the reach of students.
• If you plan to kill the spiders one by one, use a flashlight to hunt them at night. Look for these wolf spider in the dark corners. These spiders have eyes that shine in the dark so it’ll be easy to track them in dark as compared to the day.
• Kill the spiders with a broom or take them away and let them run away. Wolf spiders can get trapped in the broom and can be squished with the help of it or a shoe or any heavy object.
• Spraying water through a pipe over them can also kill the spiders and wash them away.

Wolf Spider Facts

• Wolf spiders do not make webs, they either dig burrows or live in grassy areas.
• They have a disc at the back of their head which helps them to stay at night.
• They can sense vibrations caused by the preys walking near them.
• Some species of wolf spiders can also walk on the surface of the water. They use this ability to protect themselves from predators and to feed on little prey in the water.