Hobo spider bites: are they so rewarding to be scared of?

A hobo spider bites are often described as causing necrotic dermatologic wounds. But it is not an easy thing to tell these arachnids from their very similar siblings – brown recluses, which are much more dangerous.

Contents:

1 Hobo Spider Identification
2 How Dangerous are Hobo Spider?
- 2.1 The Hobo Spider Bites Stages
- 2.2 Treatment

Hobo Spider Identification

Tegenaria agrestis is a species of the Agelenidae arachnid family that originated from Europe in the beginning of the XX century. It is most distributed in Washington, Idaho, Utah and other states of the western Pacific part of the USA.

The Hobo spider is rather big. Males are 7-13 mm; females are about 9-16 mm in body length. They live both indoors and outdoors choosing dark, calm places to spin their web. The threads are non-sticky. The form is funnel-typed. It is placed horizontally.

The spider identification is comparatively complicated because hobos do not have any features visible for non-entomologists. At the same time, it is very useful to be aware of their appearance, at least, in general, to tell them apart from both non-dangerous species and arthropods with more significant medical importance (such as brown recluses).

The Hobo spider is rather big.

Most commonly hobo species are characterized the following way:

The absence of bands or circles on their legs. Instead, we observe uniform-colored limbs.
The presence of tiny hairs on the cephalothorax, abdomen, and legs. Shiny and bold spiders cannot be Tegenaria Agrestis.
Brown hues of any shades are mostly typical for this type of spiders. Additionally, they own a pattern on the back consisting of light spots.
A presence of a bright stripe on the sternum and absence of any spots in this area.

read: Black Widow Spider: All You Need to Know About the Most Notorious Spider in the World!

Hobo spiders are ground level arthropods. That is why an arthropod high above the floor of on the ceiling is definitely not a hobo one.

Like many other siblings Tegenaria agrestis species are not aggressive to humans and tend to flee rather than fight. But in cases with no escape, they may bite. This usually occurs from July to October and more often males are on blame. They wander around the area seeking a mate and can appear inside the human dwelling. Females prefer to live not far from their webs.

How Dangerous are Hobo Spider?

The question of hobo spiders’ bite and their impact on humans is still disputable. One group of scientists is sure that Tegenaria Agrestis causes skin swelling and necrosis. Others consider them innocent in those terrible bites and insist that hobo spiders’ victims among humans suffer only pain, redness, and itching.

The Hobo Spider Bites Stages

The stages of the eight-legged arthropod (at the worst scenario) include:

Erythema or redness, which usually goes off in a few hours.
Hardened place at the bite site. It much resembles a common mosquito bite.
In very rare cases after 1 or 2 days, there may be blistering appeared in the wounded place.
In a day the blister ruptures showing an erosive place.
Later the ulster covers with a scab.
Within approximately 45 days after the bite the scab is deleted, and the wound completely heals up.

Hobo spider bites cause significant health problems only to people with allergically response to arachnid bites. Another group that should be controlled by doctors consists of children and people with weak health. Nevertheless, try to catch the spider which as you consider has bitten you, and show it to an entomologist.