Wolf Spider or Brown Recluse? How to Tell in Pennsylvania

Eight eyes in rows of four, two and two, plus a white ball or tiny spiders on its back, mean a wolf spider, not a brown recluse. Brown recluses have six eyes and are not established in Pennsylvania. A wolf spider bite hurts at worst. Below: the checks to run, why they come inside in fall, and what to do.

How Many Eyes Does a Wolf Spider Have, and What Do Recluses Have Instead?

Count the eyes. A wolf spider has eight, arranged as one row of four and then two rows of two, according to University of Minnesota Extension. A brown recluse has only six, grouped in three pairs.

The eye count matters more than color, because plenty of brown spiders get blamed on the recluse. Penn State Extension says brown recluses are established in 16 states, and Pennsylvania is not one of them. Only isolated Pennsylvania sightings have been reported, and those spiders arrive in boxes and moving items.

The two wolf spiders Penn State names as the most common in Pennsylvania homes look alike at first glance. Hogna carolinensis is dark brown with scattered gray hairs, solid-colored legs, and a slightly darker stripe down the abdomen. Tigrosa aspersa has a similar body color, but a narrow line of yellow hairs near its eyes and legs banded with lighter brown at the joints. The males of Tigrosa aspersa are much lighter than the females.

If your spider has long spinnerets sticking out the back and sits near a funnel-shaped web, it is a grass spider. Funnel weavers build that web low in grass or plants, according to the Utah State Parks spider guide.

Are Wolf Spiders Poisonous, and Is a Bite Dangerous?

We are pest control, not doctors. If a sore keeps growing, or you feel sick after a bite, call your doctor. Pennsylvania does have a spider worth knowing by sight: learn to spot the black widow in Pennsylvania.

Why Are Wolf Spiders Showing Up Inside in the Fall?

Fall is mating season, and mated females look for protected places to ride out the winter, including buildings. Penn State says the males die before winter, while the females overwinter in sheltered spots and lay egg cocoons the following May or June. The spiderlings hatch in June and July, reach only half their full size by winter, and overwinter too.



Wolf spiders hide by day in holes and tunnels in the soil, under boards and stones, in firewood, and under siding, then hunt at night, so you are more likely to meet one after dark, when it leaves its retreat. That list matches a lot of Lancaster County property. The county has 4,680 farms, according to the USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture, so barns, sheds and woodpiles sit close to many homes.

What Should I Do When I Find a Wolf Spider in the House?

Stay calm and move it outside, because one wolf spider is usually not an infestation. Use this order:



1. Do not grab it or press it against your skin. Bites happen when the spider feels trapped.
2. Slide a cup over it, slip a stiff card underneath, and carry it outside.
3. If it carries a white ball or tiny spiders, move it gently instead of crushing it.
4. Check shoes, gloves and anything stored in the garage or basement before you put them on.
5. Seal gaps under doors and around siding, and keep firewood away from the house.

To seal gaps before the cold sets in, follow the steps in our post on keeping spiders out this winter.

When Should I Call a Pro for Wolf Spiders?

Call when you keep finding them indoors after you have sealed gaps and moved the firewood. A steady stream of wolf spiders usually means the hiding spots outside, or the way in, are still there.

How Do We Get Wolf Spiders Out of Your Home and Keep Them Out?

We inspect first, then clear what draws spiders in, seal the ways in, and treat the places they hide. Here is the order we follow:

1. Inspect inside and out. We check basements, garages, doors, windows and siding, plus the firewood, boards and clutter where wolf spiders shelter.
2. Clear what feeds them. We remove other insects, since spiders follow food indoors, and clear any cobwebs left by other spiders.
3. Seal the ways in. We look for cracks and gaps around the home that can be sealed.
4. Treat indoors and out. We apply a treatment in key areas such as basements, attics, doorways and windows. It removes spiders already inside and forms a barrier that keeps new ones from coming in.



Wolf spiders hide outside by day and hunt at night, so the outside treatment matters as much as the inside one. We use treatments that are safe for pets and children when applied correctly, and we tell you what we find before we recommend a plan.

You can start with a one-time treatment or add spiders to our Quarterly Pest Control program, which also covers the other pests that move indoors in winter. Treating in fall, before wolf spiders settle in for the winter, gives you a head start. We are based in Mount Joy, our license number is BU15122, and we start with a free estimate. See how our spider control service works before you call.