Wolf spider
- Eyes
- Eight, in three rows
- Legs
- Long, fuzzy, may look spiny or banded
- Body
- ¼ to 1⅓ inches, dark markings, no violin
- Where you find it
- Hunting on the ground, mostly outdoors; a female may carry her young on her back
Specimen 11 · Lycosidae
Updated
Kansas pesticide business license #3403
Wolf spiders in Wichita homes
Wolf spiders are big, fuzzy hunters that wander in from the yard. Their venom isn't dangerous to people.
Opens your messages. Donnie replies the same day, Mon–Fri 8–5.
Indoors
Mostly fallHunts
On the groundPrice
$125–165 a visitHow do I know it's a wolf spider?
They also tell it from a brown recluse.
4checks
Size · Legs · Markings · Eyes
Up to 1⅓ inches
Wolf spiders run from ¼ inch to 1⅓ inches long, tan to dark brown. A brown recluse's body is about ¼ inch.
Banded, fuzzy legs
Long, fuzzy legs that may look spiny or banded. A recluse's legs are plain, one color.
Dark markings, no violin
Darker brown to black markings, but no violin. The brown recluse has a dark violin on the front half of its body.
Eight eyes, three rows
One row of four small eyes across the front, then two rows of two. A recluse has six eyes, in three pairs.
Brown recluse
- Eyes
- Six, in three pairs
- Legs
- Plain, one color, no bands
- Body
- About ¼ inch, a violin on the front half
- Where you find it
- Boxes, closets, attics; hunts at night
K-State says ground spiders may be easily confused with wolf spiders but have shorter legs, about as long as the body. Funnel weavers are occasionally confused with wolf spiders or brown recluses, and spin a sheet web with a funnel (MF3291).
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Brown Recluse Spiders (MF3133); University of Minnesota Extension, Wolf spiders; UC IPM, Spiders (Pest Notes 7442).
Do wolf spiders bite?
Only if provoked
They're shy and don't bite unless provoked (MF3291). Penn State says they bite if mishandled or trapped against the skin.
The bite
Reported to feel like a pinprick or a bee sting (MF3291)
Afterward
As with any spider bite, a secondary infection is possible (MF3291)
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291).
Recluse or not?
Text Donnie a photo.
It tells him whether it's something to jump on or not a concern at all. Take a clear photo from above, with a coin beside it for size if you can.
Opens your messages. Donnie replies the same day, Mon–Fri 8–5.
Why is a wolf spider in my house?
Where K-State finds them outdoors, and the cracks they use to get in.
- 01
Lawns, beds and under rocks
K-State finds them around homes under rocks and logs, and in flower beds, lawns and gardens.
- 02
Foundation cracks and screens
These are the routes spiders and their prey use to get inside (K-State).
Their year in Kansas
Fall
They come inside especially in fall, when temperatures begin to cool.
Mating season
Males wander in search of females.
Not to stay
K-State says many spiders come in by accident and don't settle or breed indoors.
One here, one there
Donnie says the brown recluse is the only spider he finds in numbers in a house; other spiders turn up one here, one there.
Sources: Donnie Aaron; K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291).
What can I do about wolf spiders myself?
What K-State and Penn State suggest.
5steps
Tick the ones you're already doing.
Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); Penn State Extension, Wolf Spiders; K-State Research and Extension, Spiders and Scorpions (MF-771).
What doesn't work
Spraying outdoors. UC IPM says insecticides won't give long-term control and generally shouldn't be used against spiders outdoors. A K-State spider guide notes that many products list spiders on the label but seldom kill spiders that aren't sprayed directly.
Worth knowing
All spiders are predators, feeding on insects, pillbugs, centipedes, millipedes and other spiders (K-State, MF3291).
Think you've been bitten? See a doctor or call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Donnie is a pest control operator, not a doctor.
What does Donnie do about wolf spiders, and what does it cost?
Price · spider work
$125–165
a one-time visit. No contract.
Quarterly · $140 a visit*
Monthly · $120 a visit*
*For a home that's $165 one-time.
Donnie works alone, so it's him at the door on every visit. Most visits are booked within a week.
Ants and spiders together don't cost more.
See every priceArrival · A window of about an hour; he texts when he's on the way
Paying · After the visit: card, Venmo, cash or check
If pests come back · Text Donnie. He talks it through and tells you before he comes whether a return visit costs anything.
No contract
You pay for each visit.
Same-day reply
Mon–Fri 8–5
Licensed in Kansas
In Wichita since 1992
Text or call Donnie
(316) 681-2255
Opens your messages. Donnie replies the same day, Mon–Fri 8–5.