Flat body, legs held out to the sides rather than beneath it, leg span sometimes reaching four inches. Tan to grayish brown. Very fast, and it moves sideways as readily as forward. You will usually find one on a wall, behind furniture, or in the garage. It is also called the giant crab spider, and it is not medically significant.
Stout, hairy, and brown with darker markings. Body up to an inch and a half. It hunts on the ground rather than building a web, so it turns up at floor level and along baseboards, often after heavy rain. Females carry an egg sac attached to the abdomen and later carry spiderlings on their back. That detail unsettles people more than the spider itself.
The one most Floridians call a banana spider. Large yellow and brown female sitting in a golden-tinted web, usually strung between shrubs or under a soffit. This species stays outdoors almost entirely.
Males are brown, long-legged, and roughly recluse-sized, which is why they get misidentified constantly. Females are darker and stockier and build messy webs in wall cracks, behind shutters, and around window frames. Common in older South Florida homes.
Almost certainly not, and the honest answer surprises most people.
UF/IFAS documents brown recluse spiders as not established in Florida, with only isolated records rather than breeding populations. Meanwhile a great many brown, medium-sized, long-legged spiders do live here.
The reliable diagnostic feature is eye arrangement. A brown recluse has six eyes in three pairs, while most spiders have eight. The violin marking gets cited constantly but is not dependable, since unrelated spiders carry similar markings and a lot of photos online are mislabeled.
Male southern house spiders, cellar spiders, and assorted brown ground spiders are the ones most often mistaken for recluses here. All are harmless.
If you have a bite that concerns you, that is a question for a physician rather than a pest control company. What we can usually tell you is whether the spider in the photo is a recluse, and it generally is not.
Spiders are predators, so consistent spider activity usually means consistent insect activity. They are following food.
UF/IFAS integrated pest management guidance emphasizes addressing the conditions supporting a pest population rather than treating the visible individuals. With spiders, that means reducing what they are eating.
The steps that change spider numbers are fairly unglamorous.
Reduce bright exterior lighting near doors and windows, since white light draws the flying insects that draw the spiders. Warm-spectrum bulbs help. Seal gaps around door sweeps, window frames, garage doors, and utility penetrations.
Clear webs regularly. Removing a web discourages rebuilding in that spot.
Keep mulch depth down and vegetation off exterior walls, which reduces harborage for ground-dwelling species.
Address general insect pressure, because that is the actual driver.
Natural repellents get searched heavily and perform poorly. Peppermint oil, vinegar, and chestnuts do not meaningfully reduce spider populations in a South Florida home.
| Where You Found It | Likely Species | What It Usually Means |
|---|---|---|
| Garage wall or ceiling | Huntsman spider | Entry through the garage door seal or a gap in the frame |
| Floor level after heavy rain | Wolf spider | Ground habitat flooded and pushed it toward shelter |
| Large golden web outdoors | Golden silk orbweaver | Normal outdoor activity, no action needed |
| Wall crack or behind shutters | Southern house spider | Established harborage in the structure |
| Bathroom or laundry room | Various, often cellar spiders | Moisture and the insects it attracts |
| Several rooms, repeatedly | Any species | Insect activity feeding the population |
1177 Hypoluxo Rd Suite C-31 Lantana, FL 33462
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Spiders are easier to manage once you understand what brought them in. Identify what you found, note where it keeps turning up, and address the food supply rather than the individual spider.
Reducing their food supply. Address general insect pressure, switch exterior bulbs near entries to warm-spectrum lighting, seal gaps, and clear webs regularly. Peppermint oil and vinegar do not work.
