Report Tracks Down Spider Bites Hobo Spider, Not Brown Recluse, Is Nw Menace, Researchers Say

The brown recluse often takes the blame, but a high proportion of spider bites in the Pacific Northwest is really the fault of the hobo spider, a federal report said Thursday.

The long-legged, hairy hobo spiders, ranging from light tan to dark brown, are generally found in low places because they are poor climbers, said Michael Heumann, epidemiologist with the Oregon Health Division.

Heumann wants more attention paid to the hobo spider, which like the brown spider and black widow spider has a bite that causes swelling and blisters and can take months to heal.

“Until now, most medical textbooks have identified only the other two as of medical importance,” Heumann said.

The reporting form used by poison control centers doesn’t even list the hobo spider, sometimes called the aggressive house spider, Heumann said.

“We think better reporting would occur if they put it on the form.”

Heumann, co-author of the report for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said spider bites in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana are often attributed to brown recluse spiders, which are not found in the region.

Hobo spiders are often found in the homes of Northwesterners reporting spider bites, Heumann said.

“In places where it exists, it has displaced other spiders,” he said.

The hobo, which builds a funnelshaped web, is found in woodpiles, crawl spaces, barns, haystacks and objects that haven’t been moved in a long time.