How to Avoid Grass Spider Bites?

Grass spider is commonly seen outside the houses in their favorite habitat – on weed, grass, and the ground where they create their funnel webs. It is not typical for them to enter homes. The exception can take place in cold autumn days when they seek shelter to escape rapidly falling temperatures. What threat do the arthropods cause to humans?

Grass Spiders’ Identification

The most prominent signs that help in distinguishing grass spiders are the following:

• 8 eyes arranged in 3 rows with 2 of them on the bottom line and are spaced wider than the others;
• bigger spinning organs at the hind part of their cephalothoraxes;
•  thinner bodies than that of wolf spiders;
• spin webs while wolves don’t.

Grass spiders have dark stripes on their back.

Grass spiders use their web for defense and hunting, though they run much faster as compared with other similar-sized arachnids.

Their funnel web structure isn’t sticky. This trap is not assigned for flying insects, but for jumping and creeping ones. Once got into the web, the prey becomes immediately caught and attacked by the eight-legged owner. The predator paralyzes the future dinner with a poisonous bite and draws it inside the funnel. It is interesting, but the spider itself is never tangled in its web.

The web is perfectly seen in fall morning with dew drops on it. This hunting tool can reach 3 square meters.

Grass Spiders’ Bites: Symptoms and Treatment

Grass spider bites cause death only to insects and harmless for all vertebrates including humans. Unless the bitten person is allergic to the sting, the post effects and symptoms completely go off in maximum 10 days. They may include:

• burning sensation at the bite site similar to a bee or an ant stinging
• a swelling, which is usually rather small in size
• redness and itching.

In general, it is a rather complicated challenge to be bitten by grass spiders as they do not enter houses. Living outside, they are extremely fast and tend to flee from any threatening factors. But even if you were bitten, don’t panic.

If you were bitten, don’t panic.

Treatment

Treat the bitten place the same way as any wounded body parts to prevent the spot from getting a secondary infection:

• wash the bitten place with cool water with antibacterial soap;
• dress it;
• take over-the-counter medications in case of pain or swelling;
•  if you feel worse after 2 days, seek medical help.

Treat the bitten place the same way as any wounded body parts to prevent the spot from getting a secondary infection.

How to Get Rid of Grass Spider?

Grass spiders aren’t dangerous. On the contrary, they are useful in helping the gardeners fight with nasty pests. The presence of such creatures in the grass means a good ecosystem in the garden.

But in case you don’t want these creepers in your garden, take general rules of how to get rid of any of them outside:

• keep your vegetation properly treated, and the grass – low cut;
• clean the yard from any residues of food, leaves, and bark, which may become both pests’ attractive and the spiders’ shelters.