Quick answer: Of the dangerous spiders in Oregon people ask about, only the western black widow is a real medical concern, and it is uncommon around Salem. Hobo and giant house spiders are not considered medically significant, yellow sac spider bites are painful, like a bee sting, and the brown recluse does not live in Oregon. If you never saw a spider, a sore is most likely something else.
Key takeaways
- The western black widow is the only Oregon spider whose venom is a significant health risk, and it is far more common in southwestern and eastern Oregon than in the Willamette Valley.
- Hobo spiders were blamed for slow-healing skin wounds for decades; a 2014 review of 33 verified Oregon spider bites found none that caused significant medical symptoms.
- The brown recluse does not occur in Oregon. Nearly every “recluse” we are asked to identify is a giant house spider or hobo spider.
- If a spider was not seen biting you, the wound most likely has another cause, and a doctor, not a pest technician, should make that call.
Which dangerous spiders in Oregon actually live here?
One: the western black widow. Two more get talked about a lot, the hobo spider and the yellow sac spider, and one famous name, the brown recluse, is not here at all.
| Spider | How to recognize it | Where it lives around a home | Bite | Bottom line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western black widow | Female shiny black, body 3/8 to 1/2 inch, red hourglass under a round abdomen; male tiny | Woodpiles, water meter boxes, crawl spaces, sheds, stacked pots | Pain at the bite that can spread to the chest, abdomen or whole body; muscle cramping | Seek medical attention right away |
| Hobo spider | Brown, body up to 3/4 inch, chevron pattern on the abdomen, no stripes on the legs; funnel web at ground level | Basements, garages, window wells, lower floors | Few documented bites; none of Oregon’s verified cases caused significant symptoms | Not considered medically significant |
| Giant house spider | Brown to gray-brown, body 1/2 to 1 inch, leg span up to 4 inches; sheet web with a funnel | Basements, garages, crawl spaces, bathtubs | Not known to pose a threat to people | Alarming to look at, and that is all |
| Yellow sac spider | Pale yellow to greenish, body 1/4 to 1/2 inch, no markings; silk sac where wall meets ceiling | Upper walls, ceilings, behind frames, sometimes bedding and clothing | Painful, like a bee sting; can leave a sore spot | See a doctor if the area spreads or worsens |
| Brown recluse | Not in Oregon | Not in Oregon | Not in Oregon | Your spider is something else |
How do I identify a black widow in Oregon?
Look for a glossy, round, jet-black abdomen with a red hourglass underneath, sitting in a messy, unusually strong web in a dark, dry spot. If the spider is brown, striped or sitting in a funnel web, it is not a widow.
The western black widow female is the one that matters. Her body is about 3/8 to 1/2 inch long, and the silk is noticeably tougher and stickier than other webs you brush into. Males are tiny, marked with red and white on the sides, and are not a bite concern. Young widows are orange, brown and white and darken with each molt.
Range is the reassuring part. According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, western black widows are most common in southwestern and eastern Oregon and much less so in northwestern Oregon, where they are present but most often found on south-facing slopes. In our service area we see them occasionally in woodpiles, meter boxes and crawl spaces, and almost never inside living space.
Are hobo spiders dangerous?
Current evidence says no. The hobo spider was blamed for necrotic wounds across the Pacific Northwest for decades, but that case rested on very few verified bites, and newer reviews have not supported it.
ODA’s summary is blunt: a 2014 review compiled 33 verified spider bites in Oregon, including one hobo spider bite, and none resulted in significant medical symptoms or tissue death. Oregon State University’s Solve Pest Problems guide adds that hobo spiders are shy and, despite the old nickname “aggressive house spider,” are not aggressive. The CDC’s page on venomous spiders names only the black widow and the brown recluse as species of concern, and does not mention the hobo spider.
What hobos do reliably is show up: males wander in late summer and fall looking for mates, which is why you meet them in the garage in September. We explain that cycle in our guide to why spiders fill the house every fall.
What about yellow sac spiders and the brown recluse?
Yellow sac spiders are real, small and worth a little respect. The brown recluse is a case of mistaken identity every time it is reported in Oregon.
The yellow sac spider is pale yellow to greenish, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, quick, and an excellent climber. It builds no catching web; it rests by day in a small silk sac where the wall meets the ceiling or in folded clothing and bedding, and hunts at night. OSU describes the bite as painful, much like a bee sting, and notes that the venom can cause localized tissue damage. Bites usually happen when a spider is trapped against skin, so shake out clothes that have sat on the floor.
As for the brown recluse, ODA states plainly that it does not occur in Oregon, despite reports to the contrary. What people have is almost always a giant house spider or a hobo spider.
What to do if you think a spider bit you
Clean it, cool it, watch it, and let a doctor decide. The CDC’s first aid steps are simple, and the single most useful thing you can do is catch the spider.
- Stay calm and, if you can do it without risk, capture the spider in a jar, even squashed, for identification.
- Wash the bite area with soap and water.
- Apply a cloth dampened with cold water or an ice pack to reduce swelling, and elevate the area if you can.
- Do not try to remove venom by cutting, squeezing or sucking the wound.
- Seek medical attention right away for a suspected black widow bite or for spreading pain, cramping, sweating, nausea or trouble breathing. See a doctor within a day or two for any wound that grows, blisters or reddens. Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.
One more thing ODA says that we repeat often: if a spider was not seen biting you, the wound is most likely from another cause, and treating it as a bite can delay the care it needs.
Where widows and hobos hide around Willamette Valley homes
In the dry, dark, undisturbed places, and there are more of those than you think, especially in fall when firewood and holiday boxes start moving.
Black widows want a spot nobody disturbs: the back of a woodpile, a water meter box, a stack of flower pots, the corner of a shed, or the crawl space of a 1950s ranch house that no one has entered in years. In Polk County, the drier south-facing slopes in the foothills west of Dallas fit their preferences better than the wet valley floor. Wear gloves when you move stacked wood or reach into a meter box, and read our guide to bugs in firewood first.
Hobo and giant house spiders stay low. Look for their funnel webs along the foundation, in window wells, behind stored items in the garage, and in the crawl space. Garages and lower floors are their favorite parts of the house. Our rainy season keeps those spaces humid and full of the insects they eat, which is why the webs come back after you clean them.
When to call a professional
Call when you find a confirmed black widow near where people or pets spend time, when you keep finding spiders you cannot identify, or when spiders are reaching bedrooms and living areas in numbers.
Start by texting us a photo; most identifications take a minute. If a visit is warranted, our technician inspects the places widows and hobos use, crawl space, garage, sheds, woodpile and meter boxes, removes webs and egg sacs, and applies a targeted treatment to the harborage with EPA-registered products according to the label. We tell you exactly what to expect, including any re-entry times, and offer family- and pet-considerate options. Read more about our spider control service, and if the crawl space turns up rodent droppings or termite mud tubes, our full range of pest services covers those too. AAA Pest Exterminators has been family-owned and operated in Salem since 1997, with no long-term contracts.
Frequently asked questions
Are there brown recluse spiders in Oregon?
No. The Oregon Department of Agriculture states that the brown recluse does not occur in Oregon, despite frequent reports. The spiders people bring us as recluses are almost always giant house spiders or hobo spiders, sometimes a wolf spider. A dark marking behind the head is common on many brown spiders and is not proof of a recluse.
Is the giant house spider dangerous?
No. It is the biggest spider most Willamette Valley homeowners ever meet, with a leg span that can reach four inches, but its bite is not known to pose any threat to people and it is not aggressive. It would much rather run. Trap it under a cup and release it outside, or vacuum it up.
What does a black widow bite feel like?
The CDC describes pain at the bite site that then spreads to the chest, abdomen or the entire body, often with muscle cramping. Seek medical attention right away and bring the spider if you can. ODA notes that most bites do not deliver enough venom for a serious reaction, but the very young, the elderly and people with high blood pressure are at higher risk.
How do I know if a bite is really from a spider?
Usually you do not, unless you saw the spider. The Oregon Department of Agriculture puts it plainly: if a spider was not seen biting you, the wound is most likely from another cause. Skin infections, insect stings and other conditions are far more common than spider bites. See a doctor for any wound that spreads, blisters or comes with a fever.
Pests in the nest? Don’t stress. Call the best.
Family-owned and operated in Salem since 1997. No long-term contracts. Serving Salem, Keizer, Albany, Dallas, Woodburn and McMinnville.
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