Hobo Spiders

Facts and Information about the Hobo Spider
Did you know the following facts about the arachnid commonly known as the Hobo Spider?  Description and key features for spider Identification. The easy way to identify spiders!

Common Name and Latin Name
The Common Name and Latin Name are as follows:
Common Name (s): Hobo spider, Funnel web,
Latin Name: Tegenaria agrestis

Hobo Spider identification - what does it look like?
Hobo spider colouration is pretty subdued with a mix of brown and rusty earth shades, with a herringbone pattern on the top side of their abdomens, their legs look very hairy but are in fact fairly smooth and a solid light brown colour, many spiders look similar and it can be difficult to identify them.

What do Hobo Spiders eat? What is its prey?
Hobo spiders wait for their prey to stumble upon their funnel shaped structured web, these consist of small insects

Are Hobo Spiders poisonous?
All spiders are poisonous, Hobo spiders will only bite a human when the spider is being crushed or squeezed by a human, the bite will most likely cause considerable local pain and in some reported cases, tissue death (necrosis) on and around the bite, though a bite from this spider can cause tissue damage, they have been unknown to be fatal to a healthy human, Other symptoms to have bin reported are severe headaches, these may last from a couple of days to a week.  

How big is the Hobo Spider?
Female Hobo spiders car reach sizes between 11 and 15 millimetres where males will reach around 8 to 11 millimetres.

What is the average life span of the Hobo Spider?
Studies of these spiders life span has not bin conclusively established in the US, the West cost population are believed to be annual and live for just one year, inland species are believed to have lived for between 2 and 3 years.

Do Hobo Spiders have good eyesight?
The Hobo spider has very poor eyesight and relies mainly on vibrations

Facts and Information about Hobo Spiders
Did you know the following facts about the arachnid commonly known as the Hobo Spider?

• Fact One - The Hobo spider is apart of the funnel web weavers family

• Fact Two - There are around 500 species of funnel web weaver spiders
• Fact Three - Hobo spiders are characterized by their agility and ability to move rapidly
• Fact Four - Hobo spider webs or rather their funnel webs are not very sticky
• Fact Five - Hobo spider webs confuse the prey rather than stick to them
• Fact Six - The Hobo spider was first described in 1802, by a naturalist called C. A. Walkenear, in a Paris based journal called Faune Parisienne

Classification of the Hobo Spider
Species of spiders are classified according to shared physical characteristics. Spider taxonomy is the science of finding, describing, classifying and naming organisms in a hierarchical system. This method of classification helps when a description of 40,000 spiders is required! The organization of living things have seven major categories: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. The classification of the Hobo Spider is as follows:

Hobo Spider Kingdom: Animalia
(Kingdom relates to the highest taxonomic group into which organisms are grouped; one of five biological categories: Monera or Protoctista or Plantae or Fungi or Animalia) :

Hobo Spider Phylum: Arthropoda
(Phyla are groups of classes. A series of animals or plants genetically connected with shared characteristics. The second biggest grouping in taxonomy. Arthropoda are jointed-foot invertebrates: arachnids, crustaceans, insects etc

Hobo Spider Class: Arachnida
A Class is a taxonomic group containing one or more orders. Arachnid  consist of any of the eight-legged creatures, including spiders and scorpions, of the class Arachnida

Hobo Spider Order: Araneae
A taxonomic order, within the class Arachnida (spiders)

Hobo Spider Subclass:
The Subclass is nother taxonomic category below a class and above an order which helps in the classification process

Hobo Spider Family: Agelenidae
Another taxonomic category below an order and above a genus which helps in the classification process.

Hobo Spider Genus: Tegenaria
Another taxonomic category below a family and above the level of species which helps in the classification process.

Hobo Spider Species: T. agrestis
Specis is a taxonomic group whose members can interbreed.

Spider Exterminators - Pest Control 
Generally speaking, people do not like spiders especially Hobo Spiders and most of all, do not want them in their homes! There are many forms of pest control and ways to exterminate spiders such as Hobo Spiders. There are spider exterminators, services, spider zappers, spider traps, spider repeller, spider catchers, spider traps for the removal and extermination process. Advice is available on subjects such as pest controls, pest prevention, spider catchers, spider exterminators and how to kill spiders like Hobo Spiders. Some people would like to eliminate spiders from there homes completely, this can be very difficult as an open window on a summers day will allow spiders in, even opening your front door when entering and leaving will allow pesky spiders in. It is very easy to get rid of Hobo Spiders by catching them yourself. Its best not to kill spiders as they are very important in controlling the level of other insects that are pests.