Throughout the world there are over 42,000 identified species of spiders, and scientists estimate that there may be 40,000-100,000 more species that are not identified. That may be terrifying for people with a fear of spiders (arachnophobia), but spiders are actually great for the ecosystem. In Toronto alone, spiders eat nearly 12 million kg of insects every year. The following are some of the common spider species in Toronto.
Wolf Spiders (hogna helluo or tigrosa helluo)
Wolf spiders are hunters. They do not make webs, but instead run down or wait for their prey. They are strong and agile with very good eyesight. Wolf spiders are brown in color with a well defined stripe that runs from the middle of their eyes to their abdomen. The underside of the cephalothorax is black, while the underside of their abdomen may have lighter patches. Wolf spiders are great for eating garden pests, like aphids.
Cellar Spiders (pholcus phalangioides)
Cellar spiders are sometimes referred to as daddy long-legs. They are light brown with very long legs and small bodies. Their legs can be 5-6 times as long as their body. Cellar spiders are indoor spiders that like to hang out on ceilings, in garages, and in basements. They are not dangerous to humans, and can actually be very helpful because they like to eat other potentially more dangerous spiders, like hobos and redbacks.
Fishing Spiders (dolomedes triton)
Fishing spiders closely resemble wolf spiders, but they carry their egg sac under their chelicerae (pincers in front of mouth) instead of under their spinnerets. Fishing spiders are very common in homes near water. They are known as fishing spiders because they can float on top of the water and catch small insects, minnows, frogs, tadpoles, etc.
Yellow Garden Spider (argiope aurantia)
Yellow Garden spiders are extremely common throughout southern Canada. They love to live in open fields near flowers, shrubs, and other tall plants. These spiders make orb webs where the female spider spends most of her time. They have iridescent black bodies with bright yellow markings and are excellent at eating garden pests.
Black Widow Spiders (latrodectus variolus and latrodectus hesperus)
There are 2 species of black widows that can be found in the Toronto area. They are really the only dangerous spiders that we have in the area, and they are fairly rare. Black widows are shiny black with a distinctive red hourglass marking on the stomach. They prefer warm, dry, sheltered environments and can be found in grasslands, deserts, and forests in southern Ontario. Although their venom is 15X more poisonous than a rattlesnake, bites are quite rare because they tend to only bite in self defense.
Toronto Spider Control
With millions of spiders in Toronto and surrounding areas, it is only natural that some of them may enter homes. If you start seeing numerous spiders and are having difficulty controlling them, call the professionals at GTA Toronto Pest Control. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so you have nothing to lose but the pests. Contact us today for professional spider control in Toronto!
