Although the urban legend of “never being more than six feet from a spider” has been more or less debunked, make no mistake, they’re around, and probably close by.

While there is no comprehensive list, it is widely believed there are several hundred species of spiders in Oregon. And the Mountain community is a haven for many of them.

Despite their appearance – which has certainly contributed to the outbreak of
phobias, with one exception (the western black widow) – no local spiders are
known to have a bite severely poisonous to people, according to Jim LaBonte,
entemologist for the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

But if you drift into their path, you may be bitten. All spiders have venom.
They will bite in self defense.

The black widow, the hobo spider, and the yellow sac spider should pique
Mountain dwellers interest, as they have a habit of entering homes and
inflicting bites.

Black Widow – They don’t find the Mountain community much to their liking
(preferring the Columbia Gorge, eastern or southern Oregon).They are
brought into our area in household goods or wood.

“Black widows are truly poisonous to people but are fortunately not aggressive
and normally stay in the vicinity of their irregular webs placed in sheltered
areas, such as under rocks, in woodpiles, amid household goods in garages
and cellars,” LaBonte said. “The adult females are very distinctive with a deep
black pea-shaped abdomen with a red spot on the underside.”

Black widow bites should always be treated as serious.

Hobo Spider – The bites of this critter are highly debatable as to the danger to
humans. Some experts question the science regarding the true effect of hobo
bites, but still believe they should be treated as truly dangerous.

LaBonte has his own opinion. “There is absolutely no evidence that the hobo
spider has a bite poisonous to people, let alone causing the horrific effects
attributed to it via the Internet and other media sources,” he said. “This
species was accidentally introduced from Europe, where it is common and it is
not recognized as poisonous. There has been much confusion with this spider
and the brown recluse, a species not found in Oregon.”

Of course, it is always possible for someone to be unusually sensitive to even
a normally harmless spider’s venom and spider bites are a form of puncture
wound, so care should be taken if bitten by a spider. Also, most wounds
thought to be spider bites have other causes and confirmed spider bites are
quite rare, according to LaBonte.

The assumption is that much of the hobo’s reputation has been gained due to
its aggressive nature. This is not true. It is no more aggressive than any other
spider.


Yellow Sac Spider – There are several hundred species of this spider in
North America. They don’t make webs. Instead they stalk their prey at night.
Their bites have been reported to cause long term or severe tissue damage.
However, like the hobo, there are few confirmed instances of yellow sac bites.
One ODA staff member was bitten by a yellow sac. The bite burned and was
painful for a short time. A small reddish welt formed which mildly itched and
lasted for about a week. No further damage or symptoms developed. Like the
hobo spider bite, the spider should be saved for identification and if severe
symptoms develop, medical attention may be advisable.

Trap-Door Spider – These primitive spiders are one of the most interesting
found around Mount Hood. They resemble a miniature tarantula, about an
inch across with legs spread.

“As the name suggests, these spiders have burrows in the ground or in rotting
wood that can be closed with a door across the top that folds in the middle,”
LaBonte said. “They pounce on prey such as insects and other invertebrates
that cross over or near the burrow.”

The trap-door can be found wandering over the ground after heavy rains.
While they have very large fangs and look fierce, they are not known to be
poisonous and are, in fact, quite mild-mannered – as far as spiders go.

Giant House Spider – Like the hobo spider, it is commonly found in and around houses as
they often get transported with household goods. Although intimidating in
appearance because they are relatively large and dark with long legs – they
can reach a couple inches or more across with legs spread -- they are not
aggressive and are not poisonous.

Cross Spider – Some of the most common spiders found in gardens and
forests in the Mountain community are orb weavers, of which the cross spider
is one. Like all orb weavers, it makes wonderfully intricate webs in the form of
a series of circular silk strands strung between radiating struts attached to
supports such as plants. The cross spider hangs in the center, awaiting
unsuspecting flying insects which hit the web, become stuck, and become
dinner.

Writing Spider – Another orb weaver, this is a truly beautiful spider and is
the largest spider found in Oregon.

“With legs fully spread these spiders can be about three inches across,”
LaBonte said. “Although they can look intimidating, they are really very
gentle, at least when handled by humans. Not so much to their prey.”
Wolf Spider – They are modest in size (up to one inch with legs spread),
mostly dark, hairy, and found in gardens and other open habitats. They make
no webs and capture their prey by chasing them over ground and through low
foliage – living up to their name.

There are many more spiders lurking in our community, including crab spiders
– that ambush their prey from behind protective foliage and flowers; all sorts
of jumping spiders – blessed with the best eyesight of all spiders and actually
jump to capture prey and escape predators; the familiar daddy long-legs, or
harvestman – which are actually more related to mites than spiders; and
pseudoscorpions, which resemble scorpions but lack tails and stingers – and
are the only animals with poison glands and fangs in their pincers.

Fortunately, they are so small they could never puncture the skin of a human.
One more reason to not be thin-skinned.

Then there’s the mordant scorpion that hangs out in the drier areas of Mount
Hood forests. It is not severely poisonous with the sting being similar in
severity to a bee sting.

If you haven’t had enough of our neighboring spiders, take a look around the
house or yard. One may be eyeing you right now. And most have eight of
them.