Summit County seeing big numbers of hobo spiders

Summit County seeing big numbers of hobo spiders


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(Photo courtesy of Dr. Lee Ostrom)

SUMMIT COUNTY -- An increasing number of hobo spiders are showing up in and around houses in Summit County.

September is the peak of mating season, so male hobo spiders are on the prowl.

![](http://media.bonnint.net/slc/1433/143399/14339963.jpg)
The hobo spider is a venomous spider. It does not typically climb, but uses its long legs to move quickly along the ground. It builds funnel webs in holes, cracks, and recesses to catch its prey. It is often found in retaining walls, foundations, window wells or stacked items. Indoors, it nests between boxes or other stored items, under baseboard heaters or radiators, behind furniture and in closets. These spiders are much more likely to attack if provoked or threatened. They are most common between June and September. The bite of a hobo spider may go unnoticed; however a moderate to severe, slow-healing wound will develop. -*[CDC](http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/spiders/)*
North Summit resident Boyd Robinson told the Park Record he kills hobo spiders daily at his home. His wife says he has trapped 55 of them in less than two months.

Hobo spider bites are toxic and can require medical attention. Sterling Banks, Summit County's Utah State University extension agent, told the Park Record, "It can basically kill the skin in the area where the bite occurs."

The bite is painful but not as poisonous as a black widow spider's bite.

Hobos are long-legged, swift-running, funnel-web spiders.

They are showing up in basements and behind couches. Experts suggest keeping yard debris away from your house, and keeping closets and spaces behind furniture clean.

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