What kind of spiders might you find in Tucson?
Living in Tucson means sharing your space with a wide range of desert-adapted wildlife—including spiders. While many local spiders are harmless and even helpful around your home, others are better left alone. Knowing which ones you’re dealing with can help you stay safe and avoid unnecessary worry.
Here are some of the more common spiders you might see in Tucson homes and yards:
- Black widow spiders: Black widows are known for the red hourglass marking on the underside of their abdomen. Their shiny black bodies and long legs make them easy to spot in dark, undisturbed areas like garages, sheds, and under patio furniture. While they aren’t aggressive, their bite is medically significant and should be taken seriously if it happens.
- Giant crab spider: Tucson’s desert climate is perfect for the giant crab spider, also called the Huntsman spider. With a leg span that can stretch over two inches, these spiders can seem intimidating, but they aren’t considered dangerous to people. You’ll usually find them on walls or ceilings where they hunt insects.
- Black and yellow garden spider: This striking spider is a common sight in local gardens and yards. True to its name, it features bright black and yellow markings and builds large, circular webs between plants or shrubs. Despite their bold appearance, these spiders are harmless to humans and play a role in keeping garden pests in check.
- Brown recluse spider: Though not as common in Tucson as in other parts of the Southwest, brown recluse spiders can still be found in older buildings and quiet spaces like storage closets or attics. They’re light to medium brown and have a distinct violin-shaped marking on their back. Their bite can cause serious skin irritation and should be evaluated by a medical professional.
No matter which spider you’re seeing around your Tucson property, it’s best to have a professional handle identification and treatment. Trained technicians know how to locate spiders’ hiding spots and can recommend the safest and most effective way to keep your home spider-free.
If you’ve been seeing spiders around and want to know what’s really crawling in your corners, it might be time to have someone take a closer look. Tucson’s desert spiders aren’t all bad—but it’s good to know which ones you can live with, and which ones you shouldn’t.
