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Carolina Wolf Spider

Hogna carolinensis[6][1]

Wolf spiders are large hunting spiders that don't use webs; they wander into homes by accident, especially males searching for mates, and they don't persist indoors.[1][2][3]

Group
Arachnid
Order
Araneae
Family
Lycosidae
US records
49 states
Sources
6 cited
Updated
2026-10-06
Carolina wolf spider, a large brown hunting spider
Carolina wolf spider, a large brown hunting spider. (c) Russell Pfau, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Large and mostly dark brown with gray hairs; Carolina wolf spider females are 22 to 35 mm long.[1][2]
  • Two large "headlight" eyes in front, with four smaller eyes below.[3]
  • Females carry the egg sac attached to the rear, and the young ride on her back after hatching.[2][1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Funnel weavers (grass spiders)Similar look but have a pair of long spinnerets at the rear and live in funnel-shaped sheet webs.[2]
Brown recluseSix eyes in pairs, uniformly colored legs and abdomen, and much smaller.[5]

Where it lives

Live in grassy and leaf-covered areas and in retreats in soil, under boards, stones, firewood and siding; new homes in developments may be invaded after spiders lose their outdoor habitat.[2][1][3]

US map: public records from 49 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

They hunt at night and hide by day; males die before winter, while mated females overwinter and lay eggs in May or June.[1]

Females can live several years after reaching maturity.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Wandering adults, often males looking for females, end up indoors by accident; they don't establish indoors.[3][2]

Health risk

They bite only if mishandled or trapped against skin; reactions are pain, redness and some swelling that usually fade within 24 hours, with no serious effects noted.[1][2]

Control

Keep them out

Seal cracks in the foundation and gaps around windows and doors, keep screens in good repair, and point outdoor lights away from doors and windows so they attract fewer insects.[3][4]

Sanitation

Remove clutter, woodpiles, leaf litter and heavy vegetation near the foundation, and vacuum or sweep webs and spiders regularly; vacuumed spiders usually don't survive.[3][4]

Traps and physical control

Catch individual spiders under a jar with a sheet of paper and release them outdoors, or vacuum them.[3]

Pesticides

Insecticides don't give long-term spider control and generally shouldn't be used outdoors; spiders keep re-infesting treated areas.[3][4]

Common questions

Are wolf spiders poisonous?
Their bites cause only short-lived pain and redness; no serious medical effects have been noted.[1]

Sources

  1. Penn State Extension, “Wolf Spiders.” extension.psu.edu/wolf-spiders (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. University of Kentucky Entomology, “ENTFACT-622: Common Spiders Found Around Homes and Buildings.” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef622 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  3. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Spiders, Publication 7442.” ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnspiders.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
  4. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Widow Spiders and Their Relatives, Publication 74149 (revised March 2017).” ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnblackwidow.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
  5. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Brown Recluse and Other Recluse Spiders, Publication 7468 (revised November 2018).” ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnbrownrecluse.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
  6. iNaturalist, “Hogna carolinensis taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/122621 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-06. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.