Idaho Spiders

 Western black widow spiders relish the dark corners of utility rooms and crawl spaces, but they’re just as likely to be found under rocks, low bushes or woodpiles in Idaho yards and agricultural environments. Hobo spiders frequent household floors from mid-July to the first killing frost, but if there’s a spider on your ceiling or high on your wall, it’s probably not a hobo.

 Dr. Ed Bechinski, University of Idaho entomology professor says no human deaths have ever been attributed to spiders in Idaho but these captivating critters often top the list of humans’ everyday fears. Do farmers and ranchers have to be concerned about black widows and hobos? “Yes. Especially those ag producers who are along the Snake River Plains of Southern Idaho.  Be concerned, I suppose yes, black widows could be encountered but not to exaggerate their real actual threat that they pose to people. Forv a farmer, can they be hiding out around barns, silos, things like that? Absolutely. Any quiet, undisturbed place especially in the hotter, drier portions of the state is where we’d encounter them.”

 Dr. Bechinski is the lead author of University of Idaho Extension’s recent “Homeowner Guide to Spiders around the Home and Yard.” a 28-page publication includes life-size diagrams and color photographs of the overwhelmingly harmless—even beneficial—spiders that inhabit Idaho.