As the name finely suggests, the ‘Wolf Spider’- belongs to a large family of spiders, who are considered as highly athletic, dark-colored, and comparatively bigger in size. They have a unique tendency to hunt and prey on smaller and feeble insects than them in their self-made webs. Unlike other spiders, wolf Spiders are extremely aggressive and violently hunt their prey down, by crushing them with their muscular bodies and clear distinctive vision. Scientists have been fascinated for years by the parenting techniques of this spider. Their parenting techniques and the way to carry their babies can be quite interesting to read about.
Wolf Spiders become not only unique parents but in other ways as well. They can survive almost everywhere around the world. They are commonly found in open meadows, dry and wet grasslands, also diversely found in deserts, high rise mountains, wetlands, and dense rainforests. They can pretty much survive anywhere where there is even a tiny speck of other inspects, that they can eat ,consume for survival.
Wolf Spiders when found inside homes can indicate proper signs of other insect infestations. Other than that, they also prefer to live outdoors. Female wolf spiders bear their babies on their backs until they are hatched. This is quite a unique way of carrying eggs for a spider. In this article, we will be disclosing some exciting facts on the appearances of baby wolf spiders, the number of babies a wolf spider can hold at once, if they are dangerous or not, and whether humans should kill or hurt wolf spiders with babies when in contact with them.
Now, let’s get started with the article.
What Do Wolf Spider Babies Look Like?
Wolf Spiders babies are genetically black, grey, tan, and brown with absurd dark markings all over the outer skin. These markings are generally stripes. Their body color helps them camouflage, assisting them in successful hunting and trapping their prey. It also saves them, predators, by blinding them and hard to find when in bushes, meadows fields, etc. They are initially as tiny as 1mm and grow more prominent with time. The females are typically smaller than male spiders. A study from NCSU states that wolf spiders grow to be the largest non-webbing spiders in NC.
Another unique feature of these spiders is their distinctive eye arrangement. The front or anterior row comprises four small eyes of approximately the same size and shape and lay in a straight row. Whereas the back or posterior is patterned in the form of V. Along with that, the apex appears right next to the anterior row. Wolf Spiders are blessed with immensely strong night vision. They like to hunt on their prey at night as it is comfortable to do so in the dark. But a disadvantage for wolf spiders at night is that they are easily detected due to the eyeshine that only appears in the dark.
How Many Babies Does A Wolf Spider Have?
After the female wolf spider gets impregnated, it seeks complete isolation. The female wolf spider would find a covered and safe location where she could lay her eggs. Like every other mother, it also wants to keep her children protected.
The wolf spider lays nearly about 100 eggs each time it gets impregnated. The mother encases those eggs in a silk sac which not only protects the eggs but also provides little nutrition. These spiders are highly protective of their eggs. They can be pretty defensive that they carry the eggs whenever they locomote in spherical sacs on their spinnerets.
When it’s time for the spider eggs to hatch, the female wolf spider breaks open the sac to release her spiderlings. The tiny spider babies stick themselves to the mother’s body and legs for protection and food. After a few weeks, the spiderlings disperse, leave the mother’s body, and start fending themselves.
Are Baby Wolf Spiders Dangerous?
If you go through some statistics and do some research, spiders are not really bitters or aggressive. But this is only when they are not harmed or when they feel insecure and attacked. Wolf Spiders specifically are not much dangerous compared to other spiders found in the world. The venom in wolf spiders is not quite poisonous for humans. Wolf spider bites are also not fatal to humans. The bite wound heals typically on its own within a couple of days. But, if you notice the bite getting worse, or if it’s followed by strange symptoms, we suggest you see a doctor immediately and seek some proper medication.
Should You Kill A Wolf Spider With Babies?
Killing any living organism is not good, no matter how scared you are of it. Specifically speaking of wolf spiders who are carrying babies should not be killed. Squishing a pregnant wolf spider could be pretty dangerous and nasty. Wolf spiders tend to live in clusters in thousands near leaf litter, dirt, and grassy areas. Wolf Spiders love to retreat themselves inside holes and tunnels within the soil and dirt. Other wolf spider habitats include underboards, wood, stones-protected, and covered areas.
When you squish a wolf spider to death, the babies try to release it from the mother’s body and spread everywhere. They are soo tiny and swift it would be impossible to stop them from scattering around. The mother wolf spider could possibly die, but you will end up with more and more baby wolf spiders all around your house and outdoor area.
Contact Clegg’s Pest Control Today
Now that we have discussed everything about wolf spiders and their babies, how to avoid them and how dangerous they can be, we hope you have gathered some informative intel from this article. Lastly, we suggest you maintain a clean house and a clean garden area to avoid spiders in general. Still, if you notice wolf spiders around your home, you should definitely get the house pest controlled. You must remove all leaves, clutter, and gunk from the garden area if any. Though the wolf spiders are not that dangerous, you should definitely avoid contact with them.
If you believe that your home may be infested with wolf spiders due to an increased number of them around your home, you may be in need of a pest control specialist. Clegg’s Pest Control has been exterminating pests around the North Carolina area for years. We know all there is to about all pests that dwell in NC. Please fill out the contact form below if you believe that you have a wolf spider problem and would like a free inspection.
