With over 45,000 species worldwide, spiders are far more than just creepy crawlers. They may not be everyone’s favorite housemates, but spiders do a solid job keeping bug populations in check. By eating flies, mosquitoes, ants, and other pests, spiders quietly help keep things balanced in our homes and gardens.
This balance supports healthier plant life, fewer infestations, and a more stable environment. But what do spiders eat, exactly? That depends on the type of spider and its habitat. Some catch prey with silk traps, others hunt it down like little predators. This blog will explore how 11 types of spiders eat and their preferred diet. So, continue reading to learn what could be attracting spiders to your space.
What Do Spiders Eat?
Spiders are natural insectivores and rely mostly on other small pests to survive. Spiders are carnivores through and through. They do not eat plants, fruits, or grains. They hunt, catch, and consume meat. Their diet often includes flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and moths that are easy to trap or catch. Web-building spiders usually catch flying insects, while others chase down crawling bugs like ants, beetles, or roaches.
However, the prey of spiders isn’t limited to bugs alone. Some larger species can take down small lizards, frogs, or even other spiders. This depends on the spider’s size, strength, and hunting method. While insects make up the bulk of their diet, many spiders will not hesitate to take advantage of a bigger, and tastier, opportunity.
How Spiders Hunt and Eat
Spiders have two main hunting styles: spinning webs to trap prey or actively searching and attacking. Web-building spiders, like orb-weavers, create sticky, well-placed nets that catch flying insects. Once an insect gets stuck, the spider senses the vibration, rushes in, and delivers a bite. On the other hand, spiders like wolf spiders and jumping spiders don’t use webs. They rely on speed, sharp vision, and timing to catch their prey directly.
Spiders’ bites deliver venom that paralyzes the prey almost immediately. The venom not only halts the prey’s movement but also starts the digestion process. Spiders don’t chew their food. Instead, they use enzymes to break down the insides of their prey. These enzymes turn tissues into a liquid. The spider then sucks up this fluid, leaving behind a hollow shell. It’s a method that works well for their small bodies and simple digestive systems.
What a spider eats depends on its size, hunting method, and the environment it lives in. But in every case, the mechanism is the same: capture, immobilize, liquefy, and consume. The spiders’ prey may vary, but their way of feeding is both efficient and adapted to their needs.
What Do Spiders Eat? 11 Types of Spiders & Their Diets
There are many kinds of spiders, and their diets often match their hunting styles. Some chase, others trap, and a few lie in wait. Each species follows a method according to its environment and physical traits. Let’s explore 11 common California spider species and what they eat.
1. Jumping Spiders
Saitis Barbipes
Jumping spiders are small, energetic hunters known for their sharp eyesight. They don’t use webs to catch food. Instead, they actively stalk and attack their prey during the day. Their movements are fast and precise, which helps them capture insects.
What Do Jumping Spiders Eat?
They eat flies, moths, small crickets, beetles, and other insects that don’t sit still for long. Some species are even seen nibbling on nectar, though they remain mostly carnivorous.
2. Banana Spiders
Also known as golden orb-weavers, banana spiders get their name from the bright yellow hue of their silk. These spiders are patient hunters. They wait for unsuspecting insects to get tangled in their silk. Once caught, the prey is quickly immobilized. These spiders build large, strong webs that can span several feet across.
What Do Banana Spiders Eat?
Their webs capture bees, mosquitoes, moths, butterflies, beetles, and even small bats on rare occasions.
3. Wolf Spiders
Wolf spiders roam the ground in search of prey. They do not rely on webs; instead, they chase down insects with speed and strength. Many people find them inside homes during colder months.
What Do Wolf Spiders Eat?
Wolf spiders eat ants, beetles, grasshoppers, and sometimes other spiders.
4. Trapdoor Spiders
Trapdoor spiders live in burrows hidden by a camouflaged lid. They wait just beneath the surface, motionless, until something walks by. When the time is right, they spring forward and drag their prey underground.
What Do Trapdoor Spiders Eat?
Their diet includes ants, beetles, and small ground-dwelling insects. This ambush method is efficient and avoids the need for chasing or web-building.
5. Daddy Long Legs
Daddy long-leg spiders are often found in dark, quiet places around the house, like basements and attics. Despite their long, spindly legs, they aren’t as delicate as they look. These spiders are great at keeping your home free from small pests.
What Do Daddy Long-Leg Spiders Eat?
Daddy long-legs’ food includes mites, fleas, small insects, and even the remains of other dead bugs. They’re not picky eaters and are known to scavenge when they can’t find fresh prey. If you ever spot one in your home, you can be sure it’s doing its part in controlling the bug population.
6. Brown Recluse Spiders
These shy spiders prefer dark, quiet places, such as closets and crawl spaces. They’re most active at night when the house is still.
What Do Brown Recluse Spiders Eat?
Brown recluse spiders primarily target soft-bodied prey, such as silverfish, crickets, and roaches. Their venom helps them quickly subdue insects, even those slightly larger than themselves.
7. House Spiders
House spiders are among the most common indoor arachnids. They build webs in corners, behind furniture, or near windows.
What Do House Spiders Eat?
Their diet includes a variety of household pests, such as mosquitoes, flies, ants, and gnats. These spiders often stay out of sight but quietly eat insects indoors.
8. Black Widow Spiders
Black widows are known for their shiny black bodies and red hourglass markings. They spin messy, irregular webs in garages, sheds, and outdoor corners.
What Do Black Widow Spiders Eat?
They prefer beetles, caterpillars, and grasshoppers but will consume other spiders if needed. Females may sometimes eat males after mating, though this behavior isn’t guaranteed.
9. Huntsman Spiders
Huntsman spiders are large, fast-moving spiders that rarely use webs. These hairy spiders hunt at night and rely on speed and ambush tactics.
What Do Huntsman Spiders Eat?
They often consume moths, cockroaches, and even small lizards. Huntsman spiders help keep larger pests in check.
10. Garden Spiders
Garden spiders are common in backyards and fields, especially in warm weather. Their webs stretch between plants and catch flying insects.
What Do Garden Spiders Eat?
They hunt wasps, bees, flies, and butterflies.
11. Fishing Spiders
Fishing spiders live near bodies of water. Their unique skill allows them to walk across the water’s surface. They use vibrations to locate prey and strike quickly.
What Do Fishing Spiders Eat?
Fishing spiders’ diet includes aquatic insects, worms, water bugs, and sometimes frogs or small fish. They play a unique role in managing aquatic insect populations.
Are Spiders Attracted to Your Property? Easy Spider Control Tactics
Spiders provide many benefits outdoors, but when it comes to our homes or businesses, most of us prefer to keep them outside. While they do help control unwanted insect populations, seeing a spider in the shower or a corner of the closet can be unsettling.
Fortunately, you can take some simple steps to get rid of spiders. First, seal any gaps around doors and windows to prevent them from slipping inside. Keeping your space clean and vacuuming up the webs can also help. Additionally, consider replacing your porch light with a softer one; less light attracts fewer bugs, which also means fewer spiders. For a more natural approach, you can use vinegar sprays or citrus oils as gentle repellents to deter spiders.
If you’re uncomfortable handling this yourself, professional pest control services can provide reliable and non-invasive spider management. These spider control technicians focus on long-term prevention without excessive use of chemicals.
Spiders, Balance, and a Smarter Way to Coexist
Spiders may not always be welcome, but they’re often working in the background for our benefit. Every spider eats insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and ants. With thousands of species worldwide, these hunters use different methods to catch their prey. They help reduce pest populations in homes, gardens, and even crops, making them valuable allies.
Although spiders can help reduce pest populations, they’re not very fun housemates. In places like Southern California, these creepy crawlers are especially common, making property owners fearful of finding one in their space. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent these critters from overtaking your environment. Trusted pest control services in the Inland Empire and Orange County, like Preventive Pest Control, offer more than just treatments. Our subscription plan gives you consistent coverage and peace of mind. So, what are you waiting for? Get started today and enjoy a clean space free of spiders all year round.