Catch the spiders in your house and garden and send them to the Museum. We will identify them, catalog them, and create a map of the species distributions of our resident spiders.

I. Where to look for spiders

Spiders can be found almost everywhere. Some spin webs to catch their prey; others lie in wait for insects to come past; still others actively hunt for prey. Some spiders are active during the day, many are more active at night.

Agelenid spider web on side of house

Look for webs inside and out. Most web spinning spiders spend the day in a retreat next to the web, often curled in a leaf or in a crevice, and hang in the web at night. In the house, look in corners, especially along the ceiling, and around windows and in houseplants. Hunting spiders can be found walking on walls and floors.

Garages and storage areas are often dark and quiet, and full of spiders.

Outside, look in bushes, trees and hedges, under piles of dead leaves, under rocks and pots, along fences, on walls and window sills.

II. How to catch spiders.

Carefully. Although almost all spiders have venom, they rarely bite and many have fangs which are too small to pierce skin. The black widow is the only potentially dangerous spider in this area. There are no populations of brown recluses (Loxosceles reclusa), also known as the violin spider, living in California. There is, however, a small population of a South American relative, Loxosceles laeta, in a small area of Sierra Madre, Alhambra, and Pasadena. These spiders live mostly in basements and steam tunnels, and are rarely seen.

However, the black widow is common in the Los Angeles basin. It is most likely to be found in cool, dry, undisturbed areas, such as wood plies, crawlspaces under houses, attics and garages. Black widow females are large with spherical shiny black abdomens. The characteristic red hourglass is on the underside of the abdomen and difficult to see. Males are smaller and lighter in color with red and yellow markings. Black widow webs are irregular in shape.

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The best containers to use for capturing spiders are semi-transparent film canisters or other snap top plastic vials, however any small container with a securely fitting lid will work. Baby food jars are a good size.

Several methods are used by arachnologists to capture spiders. Sweep nets, similar to butterfly nets, can be swept through grass and shrubs to dislodge spiders. A light colored cloth can be spread under bushes or branches and the foliage hit with a pole. The spiders fall on the sheet and can be collected in vials. Handfuls of leaf litter can be placed on the same kind of sheet and sorted slowly. The spiders will run out and can be collected.

Spiders in webs will usually drop to avoid danger. Therefore, hold the vial underneath the spider and slide it up and over the spider. For spiders on a flat surface, place the container over the spider and slide an index card or similar piece of paper underneath. The spider usually moves up and the container can be turned over and the lid snapped on.

An easy and safe way to slow down a spider is to spray it with a glass cleaner (like Windex) with ammonia. This will stun the spider and make it easy to collect.

NOTE: In the extremely unlikely event that you are bitten by a spider while trying to collect it, seek medical attention.

III. How to Preserve the spiders and send them to the Museum

Spiders must be preserved in alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol, readily available at the drugstore or grocery store as rubbing alcohol, is the easiest preservative. Newly caught spiders can be placed directly in the alcohol or they can be placed in the freezer for about 15 minutes to kill them, then placed in alcohol. If you bring them to the museum alive, make sure you have only one spider per container, as spiders kept together will kill each other.

Preserved spiders can be mailed to the museum in padded envelopes or small boxes. Before packing the vials, empty the alcohol and put a small piece of cotton, paper towel or tissue, saturated with alcohol, in the vial. Securely fasten the lid, and wrap each vial with a piece of newspaper before packing in the shipping container.

Include a sheet with the following data:

• Name of collector
  
• Address
  
• Phone/e-mail
  
• Date collected
  
• Where and how collected
  • house/garden
    
• day/night
  
• description of habitat

Preferably, you should use the data form found by clicking here (Adobe PDF Format).

Mail to:

Spider Survey
Entomology Section
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007

Or:

Bring the spiders to the museum. We have a box at the staff/handicapped entrance where you can drop them off, along with your data sheet. To find the staff/ handicapped entrance, approach the museum from the north side (near the statue of the dinosaurs). You can either walk up the stairs to the public entrance, or walk down the ramp to the staff entrance. Go down the ramp, turn left and enter at the staff entrance. A guard will assist you by showing you where to place your specimens.

THANK YOU for participating in the survey and helping us with our project. Please visit our web site occasionally to see updates.

Disclaimer: The museum appreciates your assistance in this scientific project. If you have any concerns about participating, we suggest you do NOT participate. The museum cannot be responsible for the treatment of bites or for any injury or illness resulting from the project.