Venomous spiders in Toronto.

[The Romulan Republic]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, so please move it if it would be better elsewhere. Anyway, I've been encountering a lot of spiders in my apartment lately, and not being an expert in such things, was wondering if I should be concerned. I've done some Google searching, but haven't found any straight or definitive answers from sources I consider reliable.

So, are their any spiders in this area that could seriously threaten my health?

[LaCroix]

Only if eaten in mass quantities...

Try Spider identification

[Korvan]

In Canada, the only spiders you need to watch out for are the Black Widow and the Yellow Sac spider. It's pretty unlikely you'll encounter a black widow, I've only seen one in 40 years and that was in a semi-rural area. The yellow sac spider isn't that dangerous. Just be glad there aren't any Brown recluse spiders in Toronto, if you have a strong stomach, Google images of their bites.

The thing to remember about spiders, of the over 20,000 species, only about 60 are even able to penetrate human skin, and of those, only a handful are dangerous, so there's not much to worry about, outside of Australia at least .

[Norade]

I'm pretty sure that even the black widow isn't that likely to cause you harm.

[Sea Skimmer]

Yeah even if bitten black widow bites are usually not fatal. However they can easily incapacitate a adult human, so you’ve really got to treat that like it could be fatal since it could render you helpless fairly quickly. In other words if bitten call for help absolutely as quickly as possible, but stay calm because you aren’t facing the last minutes of life, just an unpleasant time.

Black Widows certainly are rare in my experience. I’m not in Canada but I am in prime Black Widow territory in southern Pennsylvania, and I just ripped out a massive chunk of bushes yesterday that had hundreds of spiders in it and not a single one was a black widow. I can’t even think of the last time I saw one, it’s been years and I work outdoors all the time. People always talk about them as a threat... but doesn't seem to be much of one. Yellow Sac spiders bites create bad wounds that need treatment, they aren’t killers as far as I’m aware. Few spiders in North America are dangerous, even fewer are aggressive. Most spiders just want to run for cover. I'm pretty sure that includes black widows, they are supposed to be mainly a threat if you go into dark areas that have not been disturbed for long periods like corners of basements or backyard sheds. They aren't likely to appear in an apartment.

If you have a lot of spiders, I suggest cleaning up the place and trying to generally minimize the other bug populations. The spiders will go away if they have nothing to eat. Check the window seals ect… for any obvious holes insects may be entering. This is breeding season for spiders, I sure saw a lot of ones with big egg sacks at work, and so some spider spam is unavoidable. That may be the only reason you are seeing more, I dunno.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Short answer? No.

Long answer? There are no spiders in Canada that you will find in your house or apartment that will cause you serious harm.

You might (very rarely) find a black widow in a wood pile, outhouse, or thicket of vegetation. However the habitat is not suitable in your apartment.

[The Romulan Republic]

Okay, thanks for the information.