Spiders can be scary creatures to encounter, especially if you’re unsure which type of Spider you’re dealing with.
This list of 24 common types of spiders in Georgia will help you familiarize yourself with the state’s most commonly seen types of spiders so that you’ll know whether or not to be scared of them when they pop up around your home!
Although all spiders on this list are native species, some are considered beneficial because they eat other, more harmful bugs.
Learn more about these common spiders today!
1. Wolf Spider
Wolf spiders, also known as jumping spiders, are some of the most common types of spiders in Georgia.
The wolf spider is aptly named after it, which tends to move quickly and jump from place to place. In addition, they come out mostly at night and hide during the day, making them a type of nocturnal hunter.
Wolf spiders do not typically bite humans but can be mistaken for other more dangerous spiders, such as black widows or brown recluse spiders, because they are dark brown or tan colored with long hairy legs.
These spiders in Georgia spin silk webs at the end of corners, so they have time to see if their web is disturbed or if an insect falls into it.
When they detect prey near the web’s entrance, they slowly approach it before pouncing on it like a tiger!
2. Cellar Spider
Many people fear spiders and will go to extreme lengths to eliminate them. But there are plenty of types of spiders in Georgia that are harmless and can even come with their benefits.
The Cellar Spider, for example, is one type you may want to consider adding to your family. Cellar spiders eat other insects like beetles, crickets, and flies.
In return for their service, the cellar spider doesn’t need much—usually just a small hole where they can find refuge when needed. Other types include Jumping Spider and Black Widow Spider.
3. Black Widow
A poisonous spider is found in various types of spiders in Georgia, primarily throughout the United States and Southern Canada. The black widow is one of the most venomous spiders in North America.
You can identify a female black widow by the hourglass-shaped orange or red pattern on its abdomen. Males are mostly all brown with a little color.
They grow to about a half-inch long. Black widows have been known to live outside, but they also inhabit abandoned buildings, garages and sheds, barns, and utility boxes.
The female lays her eggs all over — not just near or inside of her webbing — so if you see egg sacs outdoors, you will want to make sure not to disturb them and call an exterminator immediately.
4. Trapdoor Spider
Look for these three types of spiders in Georgia, and you’ll be good. Trapdoor spiders are found all over the state, but they’re concentrated in the hill country and more rural areas.
Brown recluse spiders live almost exclusively in wooded areas, especially ones with great hiding places.
And while they can also be found outside, hobo spider infestations are mostly found inside houses or apartments located near the forest that is their home.
Suppose you’ve spotted a strange creature at home or on your property. In that case, there’s a chance it may be a common type of Spider in Georgia – but it’s always best to seek out a professional arachnologist to get an expert opinion!
5. Brown Recluse
Did you know that seven types of spiders in Georgia are harmful to people? The Brown Recluse is a spider found across the United States, including southern parts of California, Oregon, and Florida.
Recluse spiders are brown with a dark violin pattern on the cephalothorax (the head region) and can grow up to six inches long.
These spiders live primarily indoors and feed mostly on other small insects that fly or crawl into your home.
6. Giant Lichen Orb Weaver Spider
Georgia is home to many types of spiders. The most common type is the Giant Lichen Orb Weaver Spider. This type of Spider in Georgia is home on the underside of tree branches and leaves. If you’re out hiking, chances are you brushed against this spider’s webs without realizing it.
7. Spinybacked Orb Weaver Spider
Georgia has a diverse spider species, with several different types known to inhabit the state. Georgia is part of the vast Mid-Atlantic region, which makes it an ideal habitat for some spiders that prefer cooler climates, such as the spiny-backed orb weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica).
These types of spiders in Georgia also hail from South America, where they are found in more tropical areas.
Although this Spider prefers a humid environment with sparse vegetation, its habitat can include forested locations and suburban yards with trees.
They build big flat webs that typically start about 18 inches above ground level and stretch halfway across doorways and windowsills.
8. European Garden Spider
As the name suggests, this type of spider in Georgia is commonly found in yards and gardens. The European Garden Spider spends a lot of time on its web, which often has an irregular zigzag pattern and sometimes a signal thread with many cross-branches.
Like most spiders, females of this type can be much larger than males and have an erythematous patch on their abdomens.
Females also lack any markings on their prosoma or pedipalps. Males are small but have some stripes on their prosoma and dark chevron marks on their abdomen that females lack.
So, this common type of Spider in Georgia may not be a welcome visitor if it ends up at your home!
9. American Grass Spider
Adult females of the American grass spider are about the size of a quarter with slender legs, but the males are significantly smaller at about half an inch.
You might have heard that types of spiders in Georgia have eight legs, which is true for this species; however, only the front four legs, much longer than the back four, count as part of the walking apparatus.
This gives this spider a unique motion when moving on all six of its appendages. The immature form or larva resembles a giant earthworm but lacks segmentation.
They can be found beneath stones, logs, and leaf litter, feeding on insects and other invertebrates such as slugs and snails.
10. Banana Spider
Typically, bananas are their favorite prey. However, banana spiders feed on other common fruit flies like the old standby blue bottle fly.
These spiders in Georgia live on a fruit-based diet, and they’re relatively common where the fruit is abundant.
These spiders in Georgia are also commonly found on flowers with nectar and pollen; they might even follow honeybees to their sweet prize and then eat them, too!
The banana spider’s thread-like web can reach up to six feet long, and they’ll be sure to spin it close to where they hunt for flies because it’s not unusual for these spiders to be attacked by wasps or bees when waiting out in the open for their next meal. (Photo Credit: Jerry Kirkhart)
11. Furrow Spider
Furrow spiders are one of the smallest types of spiders in Georgia and are usually found indoors, under furniture, or outside near buildings.
They often resemble small ants, and their bodies measure about 0.25 inches. Furrow spiders spin fine webs that typically include non-sticky silk for trapping insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and beetles that come in contact with it.
12. Daring Jumping Spider
Georgia is home to all these spiders: Long Jumping Spider, Yellow Garden Spider, Cross Orb Weavers, Black Widow, Tarantulas, and Daddy Long Legs.
These types of spiders in Georgia are all harmless to humans as they do not produce any harmful chemicals.
The closest type of spiders that could be considered a problem would be the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow. Both can inflict a painful bite that requires medical attention and should not be handled without caution.
13. Running Crab Spider
While the Running Crab Spider may not be native to the region, this species has adapted very well to the ecosystem.
These types of spiders in Georgia are commonly found near water sources, and their prey typically include other ground-dwelling invertebrates and smaller spiders.
The Running Crab Spider is easily identifiable thanks to its rather bizarre appearance: several long, slender, spindly legs that are usually running. They also have an orange-brown color with an interesting pattern on their carapace.
14. American Nursery Web Spider
These spiders make funnel-shaped webs often found in the corners of windows, door frames, and buildings.
These spiders in Georgia have been known to be around the height of a dinner plate when they hatch and reach maturity.
American Nursery Web Spider is usually brown or white with stripes. The female types of spiders in Georgia can get up to 1.5 inches long, and males can grow to be as large as an inch long when mature.
They like warm climates, so that is where you usually find them, although sometimes you will find them hanging out inside homes like barns, sheds, and other rural areas.
15. Fishing Spider
I would not want to find this one in my head! The fishing spider is named for its ability to prey on a fish-like broad range of aquatic organisms, including beetles, mosquitoes, tadpoles, salamanders, and other spiders.
Types of spiders in Georgia are typically found around ponds and lakes with abundant vegetation. These spiders in Georgia spin their web near the water’s edge, where they wait for prey.
16. Red Spotted Ant Mimic Spider
If you see a spider that looks like an ant running about, don’t panic. You’re not going crazy, and it’s just a Red Spotted Ant Mimic Spider.
You saw the Spider moving quickly from one place to another with its front two legs sticking up straight. These types of spiders in Georgia feed on small bugs and live mostly in woods and fields.
17. Black and Yellow Garden Spider
Black and Yellow Garden Spiders are among the most common spiders in North America. This Spider is closely related to the Golden Orb-Weaver, but its colors are reversed, with yellow on the body and black stripes on the legs.
The Black and Yellow types of spiders in Georgia usually spin a circular web that’s open on one side with a long thread leading to another nearby object, such as leaves or a flower.
They don’t eat insects but consume small insects that get stuck while looking for nectar or pollen. So if you see this Spider outside spinning its web, be careful not to disturb it–especially if you’re doing yard work near its web! Their webs make great birdhouses, so leave it alone unless it’s causing damage.
18. Woodlouse Spider
Woodlouse spiders have bodies that range from yellow to tan but usually darker orange and often have a reddish stripe along their abdomen. Woodlouse spiders are typically found living under logs, pieces of bark, or rocks.
This Woodlouse type of spiders in Georgia hunt other insects and bed bugs that hide inside furniture, clothing, and bedding, where they can go unnoticed for long periods.
These types of spiders do not produce webs, and they seldom bite humans. When they bite humans, it is because they are pressed against the skin, which is a defense mechanism due to the Spider being threatened with death.
19. Common House Spider
Most people are unaware of it, but there are over 2,000 different types of spiders worldwide. Surprisingly, about 800 types live here in America, and a few can be found just an hour away from your home!
The two most common spiders found inside homes across America are the Common House Spider and the Hobo Spider.
What’s more, many people believe these house-dwelling types of spiders in Georgia are venomous. This may seem alarming, but thankfully, this assumption is false as they are neither harmful nor deadly.
20. Broad-Faced Sac Spider
The broad-faced sac spider likes dark, cool spaces. These types of spiders in Georgia are found around houses, garages, and storage sheds.
Broad-faced sac spiders are often found hanging upside down underneath rock ledges and other outcroppings.
Like most spiders, they can sometimes bite humans, but not enough to cause any serious harm to your health.
For example, broad-faced sac spiders build a large egg sac that hangs from a web between rocks or leaves. The female will stay inside the egg sac until it hatches, after which she builds another nearby, so she’s always near the food.
21. Spitting Spider
While not technically a true spider, the spitting spider is rather easy to identify because of their namesake feature: The ability to spit poison on any potential threats.
All spiders are venomous, but most only have the capability to bite (think about the black widow, for example).
The spitting types of spiders in Georgia do not wait around for prey- they go on the offensive by using venom from their chelicerae or fangs. It also emits a sticky slime, which makes it difficult for predators and parasites to attack them.
22. Southern House Spider
If you spot a spider with a dark, velvety-looking body, you’re most likely seeing a Southern House Spider.
Males tend to be smaller and more slender; these types of spiders in Georgia have long legs that reach the size of their bodies. Females are significantly larger and have gray, brown, or tan hair on the top of their abdomens.
The best way to tell the difference is by watching for black patches around the female’s cephalothorax (the part of its head connecting with the thorax).
These darker patches indicate she has recently mated, unlike how humans blush when feeling amorous. So if you find one in your home, don’t fret!
23. Bowl and Doily Spider
A common household spider, these spiders congregate around bowls and doilies. This Spider may appear harmless but will release venom if threatened.
These types of spiders in Georgia venom are usually not deadly to humans, but you should always exercise caution when interacting with them.
The bite will result in mild swelling and pain for a few hours. The best way to deal with these types of spiders in Georgia is to seal up any entryways or cracks they might use as a place to hide.
You can also contact pest control professionals or handle them by placing them into a jar before filling them with water to drown them out.
24. Harvestmen Spider
Harvestmen are an order of arachnids called Opiliones. While harvestmen have a similar body structure to spiders, they are not considered types of spiders in Georgia due to their lack of silk glands, the ability to produce venom, and the fact that they can’t weave webs.
Harvestmen typically use their segmented legs to walk from leaf litter on the ground towards more visible plants where they can hunt for prey.
This hunting behavior and good camouflage make them incredibly difficult to spot when wandering outside.
