Yellow Sac Spider is a common spider, native to the Americas and is found widely among gardens, plants, and trees. It can inhabit human households as well. It is actually, a harmful pest for humans because of its potential to deliver a painful bite with the release of venom.
This yellow-colored spider might be in your house or business setting constantly breeding and multiplying its population. This should be a serious concern for you. In this guide, we have provided everything you need to know about them.
What is a Yellow Sac Spider
The Yellow sac spider, also known as the black-footed yellow sac spider or the American yellow sac spider belongs to the family Cheiracanthiidae, a family of spiders. Being indigenous to the Americas, the two species of yellow sac spider, Cheiracanthium inclusum and Cheiracanthium mildei are found in California.
Also popular with the name California yellow spider, they are often found hanging their sacs in the foliage of plants and trees. These yellow-colored spiders are nocturnal and are found to rely on their palps and sensory structures to sense the environment.
The yellow sac spider has two body segments, a cephalothorax (head and thorax) and an abdomen. Both of the two species are slightly different from each other by appearance.
Cheiracanthium inclusum has a light yellow or cream body coloration, while Cheiracanthium mildei has a greenish abdomen and a yellow head and thorax.
Males: The males have comparatively narrow bodies with larger leg spans and measure 4 to 8 mm in length.
Females: The females have wider bodies and shorter leg spans than that of males, measuring 5 to 9 mm in overall length.
The yellow sac spider has 8 number of eyes that are similarly sized and distributed in 2 parallel horizontal rows along with microscopic dense hair on their feet, known as scopulae that help them to make the web. The leg span might be 1 inch in length with a longer front pair of legs than the other pairs.
Where Do Yellow Sac Spider Live
You must have seen a small yellow spider both indoors and outdoors. The spider having a yellow sac is most commonly found on your garden floor, on the leaves and bark of different vegetation, inside the rolled leaves, in the organic debris, and other agricultural areas.
These yellow spiders often make their entrance into your house through agricultural products. More specifically, during the cold winter months, they are found to roam and seek closed spaces in search of warmth. They are capable of establishing silk tube-like sacs and are found hiding there during the day.
The journey of the yellow spider begins with an egg. The females produce their first egg mass usually 14 days after mating. It has been reported as many as 112 eggs in a single egg sac.
In general, the months of June and July are the period for them to lay the eggs in the silk tube or cocoon. The females are found to stay with the eggs guarding them for about 17 days until the first molt. The molting is the process of shedding the old shell for the new growth.
Spiderling
After a few weeks, the eggs hatch into the spiderlings. The spiderlings are the young spider, commonly referred to as a mini version of the adult spider. These spiderlings hide in the silk cocoon during the day and wander at night to hunt their prey.
The spiderlings leave the cocoon after around 17 days undergoing a series of molts so that the female can lay her eggs in the same cocoon. It has been found that one female spider can produce 1 to 5 generations.
Adult
After the final molting, the spiderlings are transformed into a fresh adult yellow sac spider. This final conversion usually occurs within a year. The adult yellow spiders are nocturnal hunting down the prey at night using their venom to paralyze them.
The average life span of a yellow sac spider is around a year, however, the females can potentially live a little longer than the males if they are supplied with steady food sources. Similar to that, the males are more likely to mature earlier than the females, entirely depending upon the environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and exposure to light.
What Do Yellow Sac Spiders Eat
The diet of yellow sac spiders essentially consists of small insects and arachnids. The arachnid typically refers to a class of animals that includes spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks each of them having a segmented body.
They are also found to hunt down non-insect arthropods such as cotton plant bugs, fruit flies, flea hoppers, and leafhoppers.
Unlike other spiders, they actively hunt down their prey at night using their keen senses. Several studies have found that the diet of spiders is more likely to change their color. The spider tends to possess red coloration after eating red-eyed fruit flies while turning green after eating green caterpillars.
Do Yellow Sac Spiders Bite
The answer to this question is a big yes. The yellow-colored spiders are certain to bite you if they feel threatened or disturbed but in general, they are not very aggressive toward human company.
However, on many occasions, people have encountered spider bites without any potential reason. They are often attacked while gardening around their houses. In many cases, people get stung when they encounter the yellow spider on their clothes, sheets, or shoes.
Are Yellow Sac Spiders Dangerous
The dangerous level is perhaps measured by the potential harm of spider bites. The spider bites are painful since the bite is poisonous. So, we can tell that the yellow spiders are quite dangerous. The bite begins with mild pain followed by itching and producing local toxic reactions.
People may experience pain or discomfort after the bite. You might as well experience redness, swelling, and burning at the affected site. Some people have been reported to have headaches, nausea, and vomiting as well. The initial symptoms could last for around 1 hour and 45 minutes and within 7-10 days the symptoms might get completely resolved.
The yellow sac spider bites usually have a single puncture point at the center of the bruise. This is unlike other spider bites which have two puncture marks at the affected site. It is very essential to identify the spider bites so that you can proceed further for effective treatment if you get stung.
In a very rare case, the affected area or the site on your skin may slightly turn yellowish because of the allergic reaction brought up by the venom of the spider bites. You need to be aware that the symptoms and reactions are entirely based on the person's immune system. Remember the puncture mark, here refers to the mark made by the spider bites!
Yellow spider bites are more common these days. Although they don't seem to induce any potential side effects or fatal problems apart from mild discomfort for some periods, you need to know about the possible solutions to cope the spider bites. You can simply treat the bite at home following the below-mentioned instructions.
1. Clean the Bitten Area: First, you need to properly wash the affected area with warm water and soap to prevent the infection.
2. Apply Ice Pack: After the cleaning, you need to grab an ice cube and wrap it with a soft cloth. Then, gently press it at the site for 15 minutes on and off. Do it continuously for about an hour until the pain soothes and swelling is reduced.
3. Take an Anti-inflammatory Medication: It is suggested to take anti-inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen pills that help to reduce the inflammation and relieve the pain to some extent.
4. Using Aloe or Peppermint Oil: The use of aloe or peppermint oil, both offering a cooling sensation on the bitten area might help to relieve the pain and swelling. The aloe, more particularly tends to promote tissue healing.
5. Use of Povidone-iodine: Antiseptics like povidone-iodine have been proven to be effective in preventing the spread of the infection caused by the venom of spider bites. Gently apply it over the affected area after cleaning the wound.
The symptoms might take 7-10 days to get eliminated out of your body. These above-mentioned potential solutions are easy to go for when you are at the house when bitten, however, if they don't help you to any extent then you might want to call for the doctors or professionals for an effective solution.
How to Control Yellow Sac Spider
1. Apply Spider Pesticides
Spider pesticides are an effective extermination process to get rid of the yellow sac spiders from your place. Before you apply the pesticides, make sure to wear protective clothing and keep your pets and children away from the site since the pesticides are harmful chemicals.
Carefully follow the instructions labeled in the pesticides and apply the spray properly on the spot where the yellow spiders are more likely to be found such as corners of rooms, behind furniture, and in walls. This can significantly reduce the number of the spider population and help to control them.
2. Destroy the Eggs
Another method to control the yellow spider infestation is to locate and destroy their eggs. The eggs are where they begin their life. The egg sacs are on the silk cocoon or webbed nest and they have a cylindrical shape with pale coloration.
You need to scan your property, more particularly the spots such as corners of rooms, behind furniture, or storage areas where the spiders are likely to have hidden their eggs. Make sure to destroy the egg sacs completely. You can take the help of your vacuum cleaner.
3. Use a Hose to Wash Away the Spiders
A high-pressure garden hose can be utilized to rinse the spiders away from your home. This method is simple and non-toxic. You do not need to take extra care for the potential harm as well.
Simply pick your hose and knock down the yellow spider at your sight by identifying their residing location. This will wash away the spiders along with their silk cocoons where the egg sacs are settled. This method proves effective only when you apply it regularly on the most anticipated spots.
4. Use a Vacuum Cleaner
The use of a vacuum cleaner is another method to control the yellow sac spiders from your house or property. Carefully use your vacuum in the corners, cracks, openings, and crevices. Also, do not forget the spots under your furniture and inside the closets. These places are the most favored places of the yellow sac spiders.
Make sure to vacuum the entry points as well such as the frame of windows and doors of your house. After carefully vacuuming the yellow spiders, you need to dump the vacuum bag away from your house. You shouldn't any leave trace behind, otherwise they might find their way to your home.
Make sure your residential place is clean and open. The yellow spider prefers dark places and hides from the human. If you have unmanaged debris and rubbish around your house then it might attract the spiders. You need to keep your area and perimeter clean.
You should develop the habit of rinsing your eaves, windows, and doors every month which helps to reduce the spider population on the exterior of your home. A regular inspection of your windows and doors, cracks and openings, furniture and closets will help you to identify them instantly.
6. Keep Plants Away
The plants provide food for the insects which in turn are food for the yellow spiders. Make sure your plants are at a safer distance from your house. You need to make a proper plan while growing any flowers or insect-attract plants around your house.
When you allow your plants to rest against the walls or side of your home then it is more likely to provide access for the spiders into your home. You need to keep your plants away from the perimeter of your living structure.
7. Seal Cracks and Crevices
You need to constantly monitor your house and property for potential unwanted openings or cracks. These gaps are likely to attract yellow spiders for potential breeding. Make sure to cope with this problem as early as possible.
If you find any signs of spiders around the corners, ceiling, and door jams, do not hesitate to vacuum them immediately. The earlier you make the arrangements for sealing the unwanted cracks and crevices the more control you can acquire over the yellow spiders.
8. Avoid Leaving the Night Light On
The night light will attract insects and spiders. The yellow spiders being nocturnal are highly active during the night. They are constantly seeking their prey to hunt down for food. If you leave your night lights on then spiders are certain to get attracted to your place and will find a way to your closed space.
You should develop the habit of using night light for the intended purpose only. Make sure you turn off the light at night when not in use and avoid leaving your porch light on. Also, avoid using motion detector sensors around your house to keep the spiders away from your place.
