Types of Spider Webs and Whether to Worry About Them

Unless you’re an arthropod admirer, like me, it’s not uncommon to panic if you see a web in the corner of your porch or kitchen ceiling. The good news is that most spiders in US homes and yards are harmless, solitary creatures that prey on problematic pests.

I spoke to two experts about how to distinguish between the common types of spider webs. Understanding more about the possible species you’re sharing your home with can offer peace of mind and a new appreciation for these mostly mild-mannered master architects.

Can You Tell What Spiders You Have Based On a Spider Web?

You won’t typically be able to identify an exact type of house spider by examining a web alone. While some webs are classically designed by certain families, others are created by a diverse range. However, importantly, it can help you narrow down whether you are dealing with a medically significant recluse or black widow spider.

If you have any concerns, entomologist Matt Bertone recommends consulting a professional for definitive species identification and safe spider pest control advice. However, it’s comforting to know that most spiders are shy and non-aggressive. They only bite when feeling trapped and threatened.

Types of Spider Webs

Our focus here is on the common types of spider webs found in homes and yards throughout the US. “There are lots of strange web architectures, but these are rarely found indoors or around homes—wild spiders mostly make them,” Bertone explains.

1. Orb Webs

The iconic wheel-shaped spiral design that probably springs to mind when picturing a spider web is an orb web. “This web has radial silk links to anchor it that look like spokes and then inner connecting lines,” entomologist Wizzie Brown says. According to Bertone, there are a few groups of spiders that create this type of web, many of which are harmless orb-weaver spiders from the family Araneidae.

“Orb webs are typically found outdoors, usually near porch lights, on windows, between buildings, or on plants,” Bertone explains. “Most of the time, they’re vertical, and spiders typically lie face down in the center of the web.”

He points out that the spiders take down and produce a new orb web each night for nocturnal hunting. You won’t typically see them on the web during the day, as they often hide somewhere more secure nearby while resting.

2. Cobwebs or Tangle Webs

Cobwebs or tangle webs are the most common—and messy-looking—constructions you’ll find around your home. “They have a three-dimensional structure, but don’t have any kind of pattern,” Bertone says. “While they’re often found in the corners of ceilings, they often have silk lines that go down to the ground to help catch crawling prey.”

Identification can be tricky, as there is a diverse range of spider species within the family Theridiidae that build these webs. However, the spiders often hang upside down in the middle of the web or nearby when hunting. “This group does contain the widow spiders, which are medically important and can be dangerous,” Bertone says. “However, these species are skittish and very secretive, and when they get disturbed, they are going to run away from you.”

If you don’t want new webs around your home, and you’re not concerned about the spider being a dangerous species, Bertone recommends capturing them and moving them outside. “Knock the spider out of the web gently, and once it’s on the floor, put a glass over it and slide a rigid piece of paper under the glass to trap it, before flipping the glass over and releasing it safely,” he suggests.

3. Funnel Webs

If you look up funnel webs online, you might see information about the Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus). “This is a large, deadly, tarantula-type spider that lives in Australia,” Bertone explains.

While the spiders that build funnel webs in and around homes in the US are very common and some are large, Bertone points out that they’re not associated with a dangerous bite and are very timid. “They build a kind of flat sheet of dense silk, and at one side, they have a little tubular retreat to bring the captured prey into to feed on,” he says.

4. Lacy Webs

While this isn’t a commonly referred-to category among entomologists, some webs are described as being lacy. “These are pretty much funnel webs that are made with a fluffier type of silk and are more loosely constructed,” Brown says.

Bertone explains that hacklemesh weaver spiders (Amaurobiidae), sometimes referred to as black lace weaver spiders, produce a type of frayed and fuzzy silk. They often make webs along surfaces that lead to hideaways, such as cracks in bark or walls.

Whilst almost all the spiders building these kinds of webs are harmless, Bertone points out that lacy webs are also associated with recluse spiders. “The first thing to do is check if they’re present in the region you live in, because they’re very rare outside of the central US,” he says.

5. Purse Webs

These webs, sometimes also referred to as tubular, are specific to a group of spiders called the purseweb spiders. Commonly in the US these are species of the genus Sphodros. “These are similar to funnel webs, but they’re typically located on the ground at the base of trees,” Brown says. While there are a few of these spiders in the US, Bertone says you would never find these types of web in your home.

6. Sheet Webs

Sheet webs are sometimes referred to as hammock webs because they’re often built by hammock spiders (Pityohyphantes), a genus of sheet-weaving spiders. Bertone says these horizontal types of spider webs can be flat, concave, or variously shaped sheets, often with some three-dimensional webbing around them.

The small, harmless bowl and doily spider (Frontinella pyramitela) commonly constructs these webs in the US. They are often found around the home or on nearby bushes.

7. Cocoon-Like, Silken Retreat

While not a type of spider web, you may also see little tubes of spider silk around your home. Bertone describes these tubes as being almost like sleeping bags that some species use as a temporary safe resting retreat.

“A number of the hunting, jumping spiders that actively look for prey rather than capturing it in webs build these,” he says. “You may see them on surfaces, like in corners of the home, and you’ll sometimes even see the little spider inside the tiny cocoon.”

About the Experts

• Matt Bertone, PhD, is the Director and Entomologist at the North Carolina State Plant Disease and Insect Clinic (PDIC), where he focuses on identifying insects and other arthropods for clients.
• Wizzie Brown is a Board Certified Entomologist and Senior Extension Program Specialist in Entomology at Texas A & M Agrilife.

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