Pennsylvania Spiders (6557)

Spiders, along with daddylonglegs, ticks, mites, and scorpions, belong to the class Arachnida. They are beneficial animals that feed on all sorts of arthropods, including insects. About 3,000 species of spiders are found in the United States.

Spiders rarely bite people, and most species found in the world are harmless. However, some people may be allergic to a spider’s bite, and a few species of spiders are known to produce bites that may have serious medical implications for humans. Two of the more medically important types are the black widow spiders, and the brown recluse spider and its relatives. These two types of spiders are rarely encountered in Pennsylvania. Although black widows can be found native in Pennsylvania, the brown recluse spiders must be introduced and cannot survive in Pennsylvania’s climate unless they remain inside heated structures. Many spiders indigenous to Pennsylvania will come into homes, mostly during the autumn, and a few of the more common and important of these will be discussed here.

For more information, please visit this Penn State Fact Sheet.

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Penn State Entomology Department

For more information on this subject, Please visit the College of Agricultural Sciences Publications Web site.

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