The house spider feeds on insects, and lives in much the same way as many spiders do that live outside. The problem is that, as its name tells you, this spider sets up shop in people's houses. Trouble comes because people often freak out at the sight of a spider in their house. This spider is a fast runner, which only adds to its creepy reputation, as it scurries around, sometimes darting right at a person!
Leg Trap: This spider's web isn't sticky, but it's made up of several flat layers of stringy silk that trap an insect's legs. As a fly tries to walk on the web, its legs become tangled with every step until it's so tied up that it can no longer move.
Corner Office: House spiders used to live mostly in open forests and open fields, but discovered that the flies and other small insects they eat were easy to find in human homes. These spiders spin webs in the corners of a room, usually near a ceiling.
Spider Attack![]
An old shoe sitting around makes a good home for this spider.
House spiders have gained a bad reputation by doing a good job of scaring people just by crawling around houses. The spider's long legs help it run fast; it's been clocked at two feet per second. When the house spider is startled, it runs. However, the arachnid's vision is terrible, so it sometimes runs straight at the person who startled it. This has led many people to think the house spider is highly aggressive. In reality, the spider bites only as a last resort.
A house fly becomes lunch for the house spider.
Insect Wrap: When an insect becomes tangled in a house spider's web, the resident hunter darts out from a hidden corner and bites the victim to paralyze it. The spider then wraps the insect in silk to be sure it won't escape.
Strong Stomach: After an insect is wrapped up, the house spider bites again, this time to fill the victim with digestive juices, which liquefy its insides. The spider then sucks the "soup" out through its fangs, powered by strong muscles in its stomach.
Homewrecker[]
- Seeing a dusty old web in the corner of her house, a woman grabs a feather duster to get rid of it. When she begins to wipe the web away, the resident spider runs down her duster, having nowhere else to go.
- Because of poor vision, the house spider doesn't know what it's walking on, only that the "ground" is moving. Seeking a stable surface, the spider quickly crawls up the woman's arm and onto her face, giving her a fright she won't soon forget.