Need help Identifying spider!!

16 years ago

I don't have a picture unfortunately..but I'm working on that. The next time I see one of these, I will get a picture. I live in NW Georgia near Carrollton. I was working in one of my raised beds last weekend and noticed there was a few holes in the soil that were about an inch and a half to two inches in diameter. I orginially thought it was because of our mole problem but when I was digging around I dug one up and this creepy spider came out. I've never seen one of these before, but it seems they are burrowing spiders not web spiders and since seeing this one, I saw a few more around dusk one day in this bed. (It seems they like this particular raised bed). They are fat, black, hairy spiders that range from about a quarter of the size of your palm to 3 quarters of your palm. The only way I can describe them is they remind me of a tarantula with thick hairy legs but the only thing is they all have a lighter bluish grey back abdomen. I've tried to find them on the internet and the closest thing I found was a "mouse spider" but they are all black and I think they get pretty big. But if you look the mouse spider up, they look very similar, these just have a lighter abdomen. Maybe, if I can see another one, get a pic and post it, someone could better identify it.

I love gardening but hate spiders. I usually just leave them alone b/c I know they are beneficial but these I just cannot take. They are all in this bed, get pretty big, and don't seem too scared of you.

Thanks guys.

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Comments (6)

Iris GW
16 years ago
How about a wolf spider? They get pretty big. It says that Hogna carolinensis (Carolina wolf spider) builds turrets in the ground.
lexiebmax05
Original Author
16 years ago
Nope, someone I mentioned this to said a wolf spider also but it definitely doesn't look like a wolf spider. The wolf spider has pointed, skinnier legs. This spider has fat, black, hairy legs like a tarantula.
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girlgroupgirl
16 years ago
How about the trapdoor spider. Link below!

Here is a link that might be useful: Trapdoor spiders
lexiebmax05
Original Author
16 years ago
OH YES! That is DEFINTELY it. Ugh can't stand to even look at the pics. Thank you so much!
buford
16 years ago
OOOH, that is very creepy looking!!! Yikes. I learned a good lesson to always wear gloves after I was clearing out some vines and I saw a brown spider on my glove. I think he was biting me, but luckily I had my gloves on. Turns out it was a brown recluse and their bites can be very bad. I also have a lot of black widows. I try to leave them alone because I know they eat other bugs. And it seems every year I get a banana spider or two and they make webs in my roses or butterfly bushes.

But that one, that might make me think twice about gardening there.
girlgroupgirl
16 years ago
I have loads of black widows. We think BOo Boo Kitty may have been bitten by one once. She had an abscess under her chin that festered. It was one of the 9 lives shes already lived...
I love black widows. The greenhouse at Holy Comforter was loaded with baby black widows and wolf spiders one year. It got me totally over my yick out with spiders - they ate every last bad nasty bug in the greenhouse and our plants were just lovely that year!