Idaho Hobo Spiders are Back! Here’s What You Need to Know

Hobo Spiders are Idaho Transplants

Hobo spiders originated in Europe. According to Lawn Buddies, it wasn't until 1936 that the first hobo spiders were first discovered and identified in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.

Hobo spiders belong to the funnel-web spider family known for building funnel-like webs. Hobo spiders typically appear in Idaho starting in mid-July through early fall. Because the large, long-legged, tannish-gray spider is often mistaken for the aggressive house spider, people tend to believe they're present year-round in Idaho.

They're Poisonous, But It's Not a Big Deal

In Idaho and Utah, hobo spiders are classified as "medically important" because of the venom released in their necrotic bites. However, most would argue the arachnoid is "medically unimportant" as their venom poses an insignificant threat to human health. In fact, bites from hobo spiders tend to go unnoticed. They're typically dry, causing little more than temporary acute nausea and bumps that look like mosquito bites.

Get our free mobile app

In terms of temperament, hobo spiders are among the chillest in the land! Unless they're provoked or disrupted on their search for a mating partner, hobos spiders are mild-tempered. And honest, we'd be pretty annoyed/upset at someone disrupting our dating game, too!

The Funnel Web? More Like "Love Shack"

The hobo spider's webbed, funnel-like home is basically a love-shack! Like the ladies of a brothel, female hobo spiders lay-in-wait for hot-and-bothered males to enter their web of love for a hook-up. Unfortunately, males will move on after the mating ritual and die shortly thereafter.

Why Are They Called Hobo Spiders?

Before we wrap it up, if we're going around calling arachnoids off-color names, there must be a reason, right? To explore the odd comparison/connection between hobos and eight-legged critters, we took to Google.

According to Oxford Learner's Dictionary, a hobo is a "person who travels from place to place looking for work, especially on farms," or, "a homeless person; a tramp or vagrant."

But because those definitions pertain to humans in pursuit of gainful employment in the agriculture industry as well as those of lesser virtue and moral fiber, we arrived at our own conclusion: perhaps it's the hobo spider's skill at building makeshift homes in most any environment that likens them to hobos. It makes sense to us!