Watch Out for the Venom of the Broad-Faced Sac Spider

Here’s a spider with a name: the broad-faced sac spider. That gets a lot of description into a few words, and for good reason. The broad-faced sac spider is an outdoor spider that likes to come in for warmth and hospitality during winter months. 

What the Heck is a Broad-Faced Sac Spider?  

Its very painful bite is associated with infection. What makes the broad-faced sac spider different? This spider is part scavenger, focusing on eating dead insects, mites, and even other spiders. This suggests that they carry around some extra bacteria that’s had time to fester in their decaying food. Lovely, right?

Broad-Faced Sac Spider Bite

The bite is like a particularly painful wasp sting. For those who are sensitive to venoms or who have health concerns, the venom can create a more severe reaction that necessitates medical attention.

What Do They Look Like?

These spiders are small, ranging up to 10 millimeters in length at most. They have reddish-brown legs, but their bodies may be darker and their abdomen in particular (the largest and rearmost body part) is paler – it may range from light yellow to light gray. You may also see a slight dorsal stripe that’s darker.

Get Rid of Spiders

If you see these, we have to recommend squishing them or vacuuming them up. If you have even more problems with spiders in your home, you may want to schedule a general pest inspection. A sizable number of spiders may indicate you have a spider infestation, or it may indicate you have an infestation of the animals they prey upon – such as another kind of insect.

You can always have an inspection for infestations of all kinds. Spiders often serve as a marker tipping you off that something else has colonized your home – it could be anything from silverfish to millipedes.

People have varying acceptance of spiders in their home, which is fine. If you see a broad-faced sac spider, though, we’d highly recommend not letting that one stick around. If you need help to get rid of spiders, call Ransford. We can inspect, seal entry points, and remove spiders efficiently for you.