identify please

[amanda]

Is this a good or bad one? There are many of them on my outside walls. Usually close to flower beds.

I have noticed big holes in the ground in the flower beds but didn't think much about it because gophers are building a city under most of my yard but now I'm thinking if may be spider holes in the beds. Why would gophers be against the house?

Anyway, there are many of these and several others popping up all over. I'll get some pics of those little creepy ones later.

Any help would be appreciated. I have dogs and grandchildren who all play outside and it's at the point now where no one wants to go outside because of all the bugs!!!

I am in Burleson, TX.

Thank you

[MyssArachnomancer]

This appears to be a Wolf Spider (Lycosidae) of some sort, but I could be wrong. In any case, this is not a dangerously venomous species. They rarely bite unless actually harmed, and most of them end up being a sore welt that goes away. Many species of spiders are constant migrants, looking for food and mates. Even the dangerously venomous ones rarely pose a threat.

Some spider species do burrow or use existing burrows, such as some Wolf Spiders and Mygalamorphs (Tarantulas, Purse-Web Spiders, etc.). None are considered dangerously venomous, though Mygalamorphs can give a painful nip if harassed. The holes are rarely more than 2 1/2" in diameter, though some Tarantulas can have larger burrows.

There are no 'good' or 'bad' spiders. All are very helpful in controlling the populations of other insects, including 'pest' insects such as cockroaches.

[Ungoliant]

Your picture is blurry, but this looks like a wolf spider to me as well. It might belong to genus Rabidosa, though it's often hard to distinguish between genera of wolf spiders, because many look similar.

Wolf spiders are not dangerous unless you're a bug.

[amanda]

Sorry the pic is blurry. It's windy today.

If it eats other insects it needs to get busy. lol. I don't like to use chemicals but will probably spray around the house because it is starting to look like an infestation.

I didn't mean to offend by the good or bad type comment. I have to be very careful about any kind of bite, I get infections easily and take a long time to recover due to an auto-immune disorder. I worry more about ticks than anything. I work with dogs and I ask all new clients if their yard or dogs have ticks.

We have such a beautiful yard where I live but much of the garden was here before me and I think a good cleaning out will help get everything back in balance. Wish these gophers would leave though!!!! The cats don't care about them at all, I don't understand that. lol

[Evspider2012]

Its a lovely Wolf spider, I saw one once, they are nice.

[Ungoliant]

I have to be very careful about any kind of bite, I get infections easily and take a long time to recover due to an auto-immune disorder.

Unlike ticks and mosquitoes, which are major disease vectors, I don't think that spiders are known to transmit any diseases by biting. Of course, any wound can become infected, especially if you pick at it.

Rod Crawford discusses the risk of pathogens being transmitted by spider bites on his Spider Myths page:

Myth: Spiders carry germs on their fangs that can cause infection.

Fact: There is still no solid evidence of any spider causing an infection in human tissues by its bite. However, since this section was first written, a study by C.L.B. Monteiro and others of the Brazilian recluse spider Loxosceles intermedia found bacteria, including the gangrene-causing Clostridium perfringens, on the fangs of 36% of the spiders studied and 16% of venom samples passed through the fangs, though venom taken direct from the venom glands was sterile. These results have yet to be repeated with any North American spider. Recent research by J. Sandidge suggested that Loxosceles reclusa (the brown recluse of south-central USA) prefers already-dead insects to prey it kills itself, being in fact the first known case of a habitual scavenger spider. This would greatly increase the chance of recluse spiders' fangs being contaminated, compared to other spiders. However, the scavenging conclusion was recently questioned.

Recluse spiders are not found in most areas, and there is no reason to think a typical spider could cause infection by its bite. A 2006 study found potentially infectious microbes on only one of 100 house spiders tested. To be sure, a spider bite punctures the skin and the punctures could become infected later. To prevent this, simply disinfect it the same way you would disinfect any scratch or puncture.

Many uninformed physicians routinely treat the open sores caused by recluse spider bites as if they were infections, and give the patients antibiotics. The effect of these bites is not caused by infection, but by the venom directly attacking the tiny blood vessels in the tissue. In true spider bite cases, antibiotics are generally worthless, and real bite victims being so treated would be well advised to seek doctors who know more about their condition. However, the Monteiro results mentioned above suggest that unusually severe spider bite lesions should be tested for Clostridium, and if positive, treated with appropriate antibiotics.

[Mandy]

Nice example of a female Rabidosa rabida.