Grass Spiders in Your Lawn: Identify and Get Rid of Lawn Spiders for Good

If you’ve noticed some unusual spider webs on your lawn lately, you’d be right to be alarmed. Those webs were made by grass spiders (sometimes called funnel spiders) and if you’re like me, you want to get rid of them right away. They create little funnel webs in your lawn and they are called funnel webs since thy have curved edges that look like a funnel. Grass spider webs aren’t as sticky as other spider webs but they make up for it by moving really fast to eat their prey.

This article is going to focus on how to identify grass spiders, how to eliminate them from your lawn and how to keep grass spiders off of your lawn for good.

What Does a Grass Spider Look Like?

Grass spiders are usually less than an inch long (small spiders) with a light brown color with dark brown markings on their backs. They have 8 legs just like most spiders. One interesting fact about grass spiders is that they have two spinnerets to weave webs with that are located at the butt end of the spider. The scientific name for grass spiders is Agelenopsis just in case you wanted to learn more about them.

You may even find some of these grass spiders inside your house during the summer months, especially if you have a lot of them in your lawn.

A bit of good news is that they die in colder temperatures meaning that your summertime spiderwebs in the lawn will be gone come winter. However, they lay eggs in the warmer months which means that they’ll come back after the winter – unless you get rid of them and learn how to keep them away from your lawn.

Are Lawn Spiders Dangerous? Do They Bite?

All spiders have the ability to bite you but few actually do unless they’re in danger or if they’re provoked by humans.

Grass spiders can bite but rarely do and if you are bitten by the common American grass spider, you’ll be pleased to know that their venom is harmless to humans. Most common types of spiders living in your lawn are harmless including wolf spiders and hobo spiders.

How to Kill Grass Spiders in Your Lawn

Ok, now let’s talk about how to kill grass spiders to solve your problem right away.

To kill grass spiders in lawns, we recommend using a lawn insecticide that comes in granules rather than spray. The reason for a granule-based lawn insecticide is that it will ensure total coverage of your lawn which will kill all of the grass spiders rather than a spot treatment spray.

Our favorite lawn insecticide that will totally eliminate grass spiders as well as other harmful insects from your lawn is Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer for Lawns. It’s very easy to apply using an ordinary fertilizer spreader and it will create a consistent layer of insecticide that will kill all of the spiders in your lawn in one shot. Ortho’s spider killer will also protect your lawn from spiders and insects for 3 months after application which is perfect to keep them away during the summer months.

You’ll find Ortho’s product as well as other products that will work on all sorts of harmful lawn insects in our article about the best grub killers.

Natural Grass Spider Killer

If you’re seeking an organic solution to your grass spider problem, we recommend using this product by Eco Defense. It kills on contact and works both indoors and outdoors. The best part is that it’s made with natural products so there’s zero environmental impact unlike most other chemical spider killers.

Although not as effective at covering your entire lawn like a granule-based insecticide, it still works great for spot treatment both indoors and outdoors. For lawns, we recommend directly spraying the grass spider webs for maximum effectiveness.

Grass Spider Prevention

Now that we’ve got all the grass spiders killed, we need to understand why they ended up on your lawn in the first place. Only then can we understand what is needed to keep them away from your lawn year after year.

Trim Overgrown Bushes and Vegetation

If you want a spider-free lawn, you’ve got to trim bushes and cut down overgrown grass and vegetation.

Spiders love to crawl up overgrown weeds, bushes and even trees like the common arborvitae.

They also love really tall grass that hasn’t been mowed in weeks. The solution to this is to mow your lawn regularly! Not only is this going to ensure a consistent, strong lawn but it’s also going to provide less hiding places for lawn spiders and the insects that they eat.

Avoid Eating or Spilling Sugary Drinks on Your Lawn

Spiders and other insects love soda and other sugary drinks as well as food that gets dropped on the lawn. Ants are especially attracted to sugar and more often than not, if you’ve got an ant problem, you’ll also have a grass spider problem as well.

It’s tough to control spilling food or drinks on your lawn with kids or party guests but try to encourage them to stick to the patio or deck while eating.

No More Brush Piles

Grass spiders like to hang around and make webs in brush piles. They’re definitely a hot spot for spiders as well as other insects and even small animals like racoons and opossums. If you want your lawn free of spiders, try to keep brush piles for a shorter amount of time rather than creating a brush pile that will stay for months before burning it.

Keep Dog Food Out of the Lawn

Spiders and other lawn insects really go nuts for dog food in the lawn. If at all possible, keep the dog food inside the house and only keep a water bowl outside. The same goes for treats and dog bones as well.

Conclusion

Hopefully after reading this article, you’ve learned a little bit about grass spiders and how to prevent them from ruining the look of your lawn. Keeping grass spiders off the lawn may sound tricky but with a few simple measures, you’ll be able to have a spider web-free lawn once and for all.