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spider control Advice: Dealing with Spiders in Missouri
Date: May 16, 2025
By: Joel Miller
Table of Contents
If you live in Missouri, you’ve probably come across a spider or two around your home, maybe in the basement, attic, or tucked in the corner of the garage. While most of these arachnids are harmless, some can be alarming to encounter, especially if you’re unsure whether they’re dangerous.
This guide walks you through the most common species of spiders found across Missouri, how to tell them apart, and what you can do to keep them out of your space.
Key Takeaways
Missouri has many spiders, includingbrown recluse, black widow, jumping spiders, orb weavers, tarantulas, and cellar spiders.
Spider types differ in appearance, behavior, and hiding spots like basements, garages, crawl spaces, and dark storage areas.
Preventing spiders means sealing gaps, cleaning cluttered spaces, removing webs, and reducing insects that spiders feed on.
Professional pest control helps remove spiders, egg sacs, and webs and gives year-round protection across Missouri homes.
How to Identify the Common Spiders in Missouri
Not all spiders in Missouri are the same. Unlike insects, spiders have eight legs and lack antennae, making them easy to distinguish from bugs with six legs and antennae. Most spiders share common features such as eight legs and multiple eyes, but there are variations among species in eyesight, behavior, and habitat. True spiders, classified within the order Araneae, possess spinnerets and venom, setting them apart from other arachnids like daddy longlegs. If you’re wondering what’s lurking in your home, here’s how to identify the ones you’re most likely to run into.
brown recluse Spider
One of the most concerning spiders found in Missouri is the brown recluse, also known as Loxosceles reclusa. This species is considered medically significant due to its venom.
You can recognize this spider by the dark brown, violin-shaped marking on its cephalothorax (the fused head and thorax), which looks like its back. It typically measures between ¼ to ¾ inches and has uniformly light brown legs.
Unlike a web builder, it doesn’t spin webs to trap prey. Instead, it hunts at night using its fang-tipped jaws to inject venom into prey and often hides in crawl spaces, attics, and storage boxes.
Brown recluse bites can cause serious reactions and may require medical attention. Fatalities from brown recluse bites are extremely rare. While rare, some cases, even one reported as far away as Michigan, have led to hospital visits when symptoms got worse.
Black Widow Spider
The black widow spider is easy to identify by its glossy black body and the red hourglass shape on the underside of the abdomen. While it is found across North America, this arachnid is typically found in sheltered places such as cluttered garages, woodpiles, sheds, or under eaves.
Black widow bites can cause serious pain, cramping, or other symptoms due to the spider’s neurotoxic venom, and some bites may require medical attention, especially for children or older adults. However, fatalities from black widow bites are extremely rare thanks to modern medical treatment.
In a study of bite cases, people with other health issues have had stronger reactions, like fever or trouble breathing.
Wolf Spider
Wolf spiders are large, hairy hunters that roam at ground level. They actively hunt and feed on ground-dwelling insects, rather than spinning webs to catch their prey. Wolf spiders are generally harmless to humans; their bites rarely cause more than mild irritation.
Female wolf spiders are known for their unique maternal behavior, often carrying their egg sacs and, after hatching, sometimes their young spiderlings on their backs for protection.
Missouri’s grassy yards, mulch beds, and basements are ideal habitats for grass spiders, a close relative. Their bold coloration and prominent mouthparts can make them look intimidating, but they usually pose no threat.
Orb-Weaver Spider
Orb weaving spiders are known for their intricate, round spider webs. These spiders build a new web each fall, often in gardens, fields, and around homes. A distinctive feature of their webs is the zigzag pattern, called the stabilimentum, found at the center. This silk structure may help deter birds from flying into the web and damaging it.
Garden spiders, specifically Argiope aurantia, are a common type found in Missouri. They display striking yellow and black patterns and build large webs between shrubs, fence posts, and even porch railings.
Though their size may be startling, they are beneficial predators that help manage local insect populations.
Jumping Spider
If you’ve seen a spider with fuzzy features and unusually large front eyes that seem to watch you, that’s likely a jumping spider. Missouri is home to several jumping spider species, and they’re easily recognized and easily distinguished by their compact, furry bodies, relatively short legs, and distinctive eye arrangement. Jumping spiders have eight eyes arranged in rows, giving them excellent vision.
These spiders don’t spin webs for trapping prey. Instead, they use their agility and sharp eyesight to stalk and capture insects, often leaping several times their body length when capturing prey. Their short legs, while relatively short compared to other spiders, aid in their impressive jumping ability and active hunting style.
Cellar Spider
The cellar spider, commonly mistaken for a harvestman or daddy longlegs, has long, delicate legs and small, light-colored bodies. You’ll find its tangled webs in basements, corners of garages, and under furniture, where cellar spiders often hang upside down in their webs.
It’s harmless to humans and feeds on other pests, including smaller spiders. Unlike cellar spiders, daddy longlegs do not produce silk and cannot spin webs.
Tarantula
Tarantulas are not typical backyard dwellers in most parts of Missouri, but they can occasionally be spotted in the more southern or rural areas of the state. These large, furry arachnids are slow-moving and non-aggressive.
One notable species found in Missouri is the Texas brown tarantula. Known for their impressive body size compared to other local spiders, these tarantulas can reach up to 4 inches in body length. Unlike their tropical cousins, Missouri tarantulas have duller coloration, but they’re still an impressive sight for anyone unfamiliar with these ground-dwelling types of spiders.
Crab Spider
You might also come across crab spiders, which get their name from the way they hold their legs out to the side. These small ambush predators are often found on flowers, waiting for insects.
Fishing Spider
Another lesser-known local spider is the fishing spider, which is large, fast, and semi-aquatic. Fishing spiders are commonly found near ponds, streams, and other water sources in Missouri. They play a part in keeping insect populations in check.
Common Missouri Spiders at a Glance
Spider | Appearance | Where They Hide | Risk to Humans |
|---|---|---|---|
Brown Recluse | Light brown, violin-shaped mark on back | Crawl spaces, storage boxes, attics | High – venomous |
Black Widow | Shiny black body, red hourglass underside | Woodpiles, garages, under eaves | High – venomous |
Wolf Spider | Large, hairy, fast-moving | Yards, mulch beds, basements | Low: intimidating but harmless |
Orb-Weaver | Bright yellow/black; builds circular webs | Shrubs, porch corners, fences | Low: beneficial predator |
Jumping Spider | Small, fuzzy, big front eyes | Window sills, walls, and under furniture | Low: curious and harmless |
Cellar Spider | Long legs, tiny body, pale color | Basements, corners, under furniture | Low: eats other spiders |
Tarantula | Large, slow, dull brown | Rural southern Missouri, under logs | Low: non-aggressive |
Crab Spider | Legs held outward like a crab | On flowers, garden plants | Low: ambush predator |
Fishing Spider | Large, semi-aquatic, fast | Commonly found near water, ponds, streams | Low: helpful outdoors |
spider control Tips for Missouri Homes
Noticing more spiders than usual, or webs building up in the corners? It might be time to make a few changes. Preventing spider bites is important for your family’s safety—follow these tips to reduce your risk and keep spiders out.
Here’s what you can do to keep spiders out of your Missouri home:
Seal up Crevices and Entry Points
Spiders love tiny openings, and crevices around windows, siding, and utility lines are prime entry points. Sealing these areas keeps spiders—and the bugs they chase—outside.
This is especially important around older homes, common in St. Louis and rural towns across Missouri.
Declutter Crawl Spaces, Attics, and Garages
Cluttered garages, crawl spaces, and basements are spider havens. Spiders are drawn to the dark, quiet corners that rarely get disturbed. Swapping cardboard for plastic bins and vacuuming corners can help reduce these hiding spots.
Eliminate Food Sources (Insects)
Spiders show up where the food is.
If your home has an ongoing issue of ants, flies, or mites, spiders won’t be far behind. Spiders eat a wide variety of insects and play a crucial role in controlling insect populations around your property. In fact, spiders eat more insects each year than humans consume in meat and fish, making them important natural pest controllers. Regular pest control targeting insect infestations helps cut off their food supply.
Remove Webs and Egg Sacs
Look for egg sacs in ceiling corners, under furniture, and behind stored boxes.
Female spiders lay eggs in these sacs and often guard them until young spiders or young spiderlings emerge. After hatching, young spiderlings may disperse by ballooning—using silk threads to catch the wind and travel to new locations. Removing these sacs before they hatch into hundreds of young spiders or spiderlings prevents an infestation before it starts. Regular web removal also helps discourage spiders from sticking around.
Address Specific Threats From Venomous Spiders
Spiders like the brown recluse spider and black widow spider deserve extra attention. Because these venomous spiders are often found in dark storage areas, it’s important to wear gloves when reaching into boxes or moving old items.
If you suspect a spider bite, especially with symptoms spreading from the site, seek medical attention.
How We Can Help With Missouri Spiders
Whether it’s common house spiders—known for their role in controlling household pests—or more dangerous species like the brown recluse spider hiding in your closet, our experts at Miller Pest Solutions know how to handle it.
Our team offers proven spider control across the Des Moines, Omaha, and St. Louis metro areas, and we know the unique challenges that Missouri spiders bring with the changing seasons.
With our MillerGuard plan, you’re covered for over 29 different pests—including web-building spiders, jumping spiders, and those harder-to-control venomous spiders.
We handle everything from assessment to follow-up, and yes, we’ll even take care of the egg sacs, crevices, and cobwebs in those hard-to-reach places up to 25 feet high.
Call today or book online to schedule your free estimate and take back your home from unwanted guests.
