Poisonous Spiders in Ohio

Updated: July 2, 2021

Whether you’re someone who loves spiders, is terrified to death of them, or you’re just someone who respects them but prefers to relocate the ones you find inside your home back outside, we should all appreciate them for what they do for us. Spiders are a significant part of nature and our own indoor ecosystems. A lot of times, the spiders you find in your home are actually providing you with a similar service we offer as exterminators, keeping bugs and even other spiders away! Spiders regularly catch nuisance pests and even disease-carrying insects like mosquitoes. This means that killing a spider in your home doesn’t just cost a poor little arachnid it’s life, it may also be taking an important predator out of your home! We totally get that it’s natural to fear spiders. However, a majority of the spiders we have here in Ohio are actually quite harmless. That being said, there are a few types of poisonous spiders in Ohio that you should always keep an eye out for. There are some spiders that should be welcome into your home, but these are not some of them!

Black Widow Spider

You’re probably already well familiar with this poisonous Ohio spider. Black widow spiders have a wide geographic distribution across the United States, including throughout Ohio. While the species vary widely in size, they’re typically identified by the signature red or orange hourglass shaped markings on the underside of their abdomens. Usually the females are dark, almost black, in color but some have lighter bodies that may appear brown or reddish.

Black widow spiders usually build their webs away from humans and typically hide in abandoned or rarely used areas, such as in your garage, basement, or attic.

Black widow bites are typically immediately painful, as the venom’s toxin takes effect quickly. While the spiders bites are very rarely lethal in healthy adults, the elderly and people with comprised immunity are more at risk for complications. 

Some symptoms of a black widow bite may include:

• 1-2 little fang marks that look like tiny red spots at the site of the bite
• Muscle cramps/spasms that start near the bite and then spread and increase in severity for 6-12 hours
• Chills, sweats, fever
• Nausea or vomiting
• Excessive sweating
• Severe stomach, back, or chest pain
• Headache
• Signs of shock, such as restlessness or stupor
• Sudden high blood pressure

What to do if you’re bitten by a black widow spider:

• Seek medical attention immediately by calling your doctor or local poison control center
• Remain calm, as too much movement from excitement can increase the flow of venom into your bloodstream
• Apply ice to the affected area to help with swelling from the bite
• Keep an eye out for any other symptoms that may develop, progress, or change as the bite heals

Recluse Spiders 

Two species of recluse, the brown recluse and the Mediterranean recluse, can be found in Ohio. They are usually between ¼” to ½” long. Their bodies are light brown with a distinct dark colored violin or fiddle shape on their backs, near their head.

Recluse spiders are, as their name suggests, reclusive and tend to hide away in dark, infrequently traveled areas of a home. They can typically be found inside buildings, especially in the cooler months. They also like to seek shelter in log or stagnant leaf piles just outside your home.

If bitten by a recluse, you might not experience immediate pain. The days following a bite, the toxin in the spider’s venom causes skin tissue around the bite to die (necrosis). 

Some other signs of a brown recluse spider bite include:

• Reddened skin
• A blister that forms at the site of the bite
• Mild to intense pain and/or itching 2-8 hours following the bite
• An open sore (ulcer), indicating the breakdown of tissue (necrosis) – this typically develops a week or more after the bite
• Fever and chills
• A full-body skin rash with many tiny flat red and purple spots
• Nausea or vomiting
• Joint pain

What to do if you’re bitten by a recluse spider:

• Remain calm to avoid increasing the flow of venom into the blood
• Use ice on the site to treat swelling and an OTC pain reliever to help with any pain and fever
• Apply a cool, wet cloth to the bite

A brown recluse bite can be serious and may require immediate medical attention. Call a doctor ASAP if:

• You experience any of the above severe symptoms throughout your body
• An open sore and/or necrosis (black, dead tissue) develop

Yellow Sac Spider 

The yellow sac spider is less than ½” long. It has a light colored body that is typically yellow, as their name suggests, however they can range in color from tan, light brown, to even pale green depending on their location and diet. They are nocturnal and typically hide during the day.  

These albino-looking spiders are most often found in homes, high up on walls or ceilings. Yellow sac spiders are a more aggressive species of spiders than black widows or brown recluse. They will bite immediately and often repeatedly when threatened.

If bitten by a yellow sac spider, the bite or bites may be painful, with a small red bump forming soon after that will typically fade after a couple of weeks. For most people, the yellow sac spider bite is not deadly. That being said, some people experience swelling, burning, and intense pain that can result in a serious but very uncommon skin infection.

Some other signs of a yellow sac spider bite include:

• Redness, swelling, and burning sensation at the site of the bite
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting

What to do if you’re bitten by a yellow sac spider:

• Apply hydrogen peroxide to the bite area
• Use an ice pack to decrease swelling
• Call a medical professional for treatment advice if you experience nausea, vomiting, headache, or other types of severe issues

Grass Spider 

Grass spiders can typically be identified by their medium brown coloring and signature dark brown stripes on their backs. They’re also recognizable by the distinct “chevron” looking patterning down their abdomens.

They typically build a funnel shaped web in lush grassy lawns but will resort to building webs in indoor crevices when the cold drives them inside.  

Technically, grass spiders are not poisonous but they are venomous. Like all spiders, they contain venom that they use to subdue their prey. Luckily for us, they (like a lot of other spiders) have small fangs that have trouble penetrating human skin. Unfortunately, certain groups of people with thinner skin (like babies, elderly, and people with certain skin conditions) are a greater risk when it comes to getting bit by a grass spider.

Some other signs of a grass spider bite include:

• Redness or swelling around the bite
• Itching or rash
• Skin blistering
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• An open sore (ulcer), indicating the breakdown of tissue (necrosis) – this typically develops a week or more after the bite

What to do if you’re bitten by a grass spider:

• Remain calm to avoid increasing the flow of venom into the blood
• Use ice on the site to treat swelling and an OTC pain reliever to help with any pain and fever
• Apply a cool, wet cloth to the bite

A grass spider bite can be serious and may require immediate medical attention. Call a doctor ASAP if:

• You experience any of the above severe symptoms throughout your body
• An open sore and/or necrosis (black, dead tissue) develop

Worried about poisonous Ohio spiders within your home? Contact the experts at go2-pros for a free quote on our extermination services. We’ll help rid your Dayton home of dangerous spiders.

Need Help Identifying A Spider?

For help identifying spiders and other bugs around your home, use this “What Bug Is This?” tool.