Triangulate Cobweb Spiders belong to the genus Steatoda, a large group of spiders with over 300 species worldwide. Some people call them false widows because they resemble the infamous Black Widow. However, unlike the Black Widow, Steatoda spiders are not venomous to humans and pose little to no threat.
This cobweb spider is medium-sized, with an 8 to 20 mm body size and a 30 to 40 mm leg span. They have a black thorax with white, yellow, or orange lines. The abdomen of this species is brown, with a pattern of black or dark markings on it. Females of these spiders tend to be bigger than males.
One way to tell if you have Triangulate Cobweb Spiders in your house is by looking for the triangular web these spiders weave. They usually build webs near lights or in corners where flies like to gather. They are also often found indoor bathrooms and closed doors where insects want to enter the house.
Another way to figure out whether you’ve got Triangulate Cobweb Spiders is by looking for the egg sacs they attach to their webs. They often lay several egg sacs, each containing about 80 eggs hatching in the spring.
While Triangulate Cobweb Spiders aren’t venomous to humans, they can hurt when accidentally squeezed or when their barbed hairs attach to the skin. Their bite is similar to that of a typical bee sting.
What a Triangulate Cobweb Spiders Eat?
Carpenter ants are typically black, with metatarsal segments that are dark brown. The head of the carpenter ant is very slender and triangular. Carpenter ants also have antennae that are not elbowed near the joints where they connect to the head. A carpenter ant can be identified by its three body segments, with the abdomen being composed of six parts. The area behind the thorax is called the scutellum. Underneath these two regions are two pairs of wings that are membranous on both sides.
Carpenter ants are found in large colonies made up of many individual worker ants.
Males produce silky threads while females weave them into their webs. Females of this species possess large and powerful chelicerae. When hunting, they hide at the edge of their nests and ambush any prey. The prey is injected with venom through the fangs of these spiders and dies almost instantly. Once its victim dies, the spider uses special sensors on its legs to find where the prey’s head is.
It then bites off the head and begins eating its meal peacefully. The midsection of the prey is also eaten, while the victim’s rear end remains untouched. This ensures that vital organs are not damaged during feeding or storage.
Triangulate Cobweb Spider Diet & Habitat
The Triangulate Cobweb Spider is a tiny yet wide-ranging spider that incorporates two habitats:
Woodland and Desert. This spider can be found in the United States, Southern Canada, and Northern Mexico. The Triangulate Cobweb Spider lives in the wild and builds its web under tree bark, rock piles, or on walls of houses. However, it can often be found in wooded areas with thick vegetation where it hides on the underside of leaves during the day.
Triangulate Cobweb Spider’s web and sometimes direct contact with its insect prey. The Triangulate Cobweb Spider has a diet consisting of insects and other arthropods found in their traps. Insects such as moths or crickets are common prey for this particular spider.
They will consume their prey much the same way as any other spider. It will use venom to subdue and paralyze its prey before wrapping it in silk to bring its prize back to a safe place to eat. The prey is then prepared for consumption by the spider. The Triangulate Cobweb Spider will use its venom to dissolve all of the essential nutrients from its food before ingesting it to be easily digested and used by the spider’s body. An insect or other Arthropod serves as food for this particular spider, although it does not make up the bulk of its diet.
How to Get Rid of Triangulate Cobweb Spiders
The best way to get rid of the triangulate cobweb spiders is to identify their nesting areas. The spider likes dark and moist places, so you should clean up all clutter around your house and remove any piles of firewood or other woodpiles that your home might store. You can also gently shake out bedding, furniture, curtains, and clothes before storing them away to kill any spiders.
Since the spiders like dark and moist areas, you can also reduce your water usage and dehumidify any damp spaces to make them less attractive. If possible, install screens or seal any cracks or gaps where the spiders might be getting into your house.
Another critical step is to start an indoor pest control program, focusing heavily on eliminating the spiders from your home. If you have seen the spiders for a while, their nest might be present, which can be challenging. In that case, you may need to call in a professional pest control service with experience removing nests from homes.