Wolf spiders are one of the largest spiders that you will come across in the state of Tennessee. But don’t act so fast to kill one, you might be harming your own home by doing so.

Wolf Spiders Hunt Insects

The wolf spider is sometimes referred to a huntsman, they don’t spin webs like the pretty pictures you see in photos or drawings. They do little burrows in the ground & nooks and crannies around the yard and home, if they do a web at all. The wolf spider is rather large and thick, which makes the sight of one pretty frightening if you are not aware of what type of spider they are.

The wolf spider will actually go hunting for insects as its prey. They are not interested in you or your home, they are just following the food. Like many of the spiders in Tennessee wolf spiders are quite good at being a decent option for natural pest control. The brown recluse and the black widow are the only two venomous spiders in Tennessee that pose a threat to humans. We don’t want those around, and we talk about them other places on the blog.

Still, you don’t want to see any spiders in your home, let alone a some wolf spiders. So what is a person to do?

• Keep the house clean, if insects are not finding reasons to come into your house (usually food is a good reason) then the wolf spider will not follow. Keeping that food source out of the house will go a long way.
• Clean up spider webs, don’t let those things fester around.
• Be cautious about spiders carrying babies. A lot of times spiders will carry their babies on their back, so if you were to swat at a spider, you may get the big freaky spider, but you likely will unleash all the little freaky spiders into the house. If you see a spider setting up shop that has babies wait for a clear shot and have a vacuum that you can empty outside a the ready.
• Get a perimeter treatment around your house.