When it comes to choosing what to feed your house spider, native insects can provide you with clues. Spiders tend to prefer insects that are available in their natural habitat. The quantity of food your spider needs will depend on its size and species. Young spiders need to be fed every day to fuel their metabolism and grow. However, an average-sized spider doesn’t require much food but will still feel satisfied. You can feed your spider every other day if you wish to keep your spider in a healthy weight.
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Common house spiders
Common house spiders live in the homes of many people, both domestic and foreign. The species Parasteatoda tepidariorum is an American house spider with cosmopolitan distribution and is a synanthropic spider, meaning it lives in and near human dwellings. Because they are synanthropic, they do not need to feed on humans or animals to survive. This fact makes them ideal candidates for urban environments.
Common pests they eat
House spiders can be a problem in the home. They will build webs in corners, under false ceilings, and anywhere else they can find a dark, moist area to hide in. They then wait for an insect to come near, jump out of the web, and then eat it. Although spiders may seem scary, they are actually helpful pest control agents. If you notice an excessive number of these creatures, you should contact a pest control company to get rid of them.
Foods they can eat at night
Spiders are opportunistic feeders, meaning they will take insects as they come to them, but unlike us, they do not need a three-meal-a-day schedule. They can go weeks without food, but if their prey is plentiful, they will probably eat several times each day. Food provides moisture, but spiders also need water. They tend to cluster near water sources, where they can draw prey from.
Pollen
In the spring, pollen from plants provides a valuable source of nutrition for house spiders. While pollen alone is not sufficient for a healthy diet, spiders can eat larger grains of pollen, which require extra-oral digestion. Spiders that feed exclusively on pollen are known as omnivores. Although the importance of pollen for spiders decreases as the summer progresses, it is still a substantial part of their diet.
Ants
If you’ve got a house spider and you’d like to give it some food, try capturing a single ant. A single ant will sustain a spider for a few days. Although some spiders prefer other prey, such as roaches and flies, ants can provide enough nutrition for a spider to survive for a few days. Besides, ants are bigger than spiders, so catching one can keep a spider well-fed for several days.
Fleas
Besides the obvious benefits of attracting a new pet, feeding your house spider fleas can help it thrive. These insects are naturally predatory, meaning they can’t fend for themselves. Fleas typically prefer to feed on small insects like crickets, mealworms, flightless fruit flies, roaches, and other pests. While you can’t feed them live fleas, you can feed them insects from your pet store.
Cockroaches
It may sound strange, but spiders aren’t actually very effective in controlling cockroaches. Although lions and tigers have been known to feed on roaches, their attacks don’t harm the environment or cause a deer population to collapse. In contrast, roaches won’t be controlled by spiders because their growth rate is much faster than the spider’s.
