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by mike krajnak
(New Haven, Michigan, USA)

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Found both of these spiders at my house and both seem to be very aggressive to people. I am not concerned with my self, but I am concerned with my 4 year old daughter as she is always playing out side. In the past 2 months I have also found brown recluse which are not too common in lower Michigan. I thank you for any help you can be. I’m pretty sure the second pic is a recluse.

Hi Mike, many spiders are aggressive – especially if they have eggs to guard. They’re generally not protective of young spiderlings, just the eggs. Strange, hey?

From your pictures, I don’t have any reference to one that appears to have the same kind of spots along the sides as Spider A so I can’t really identify that one, based on the picture. Some of the ways that spiders are identified is by observing their habits, and the type of habitat they occupy, so if you know more about it, I can try to figure out what it could be.

Spider B, again, without knowing more about this one – particularly size, I wouldn’t be able to confirm that it’s a Brown Recluse, although it certainly looks like one. Here’s a link to more about the Brown Recluse spider: Brown Recluse Spider on Wikipedia

In any case, teach your little one not to touch them or play with spiders, just in case. It would be a shame to not allow her to play outside, as this is an important and memorable benefit of childhood. In all cases, be aware of the symptoms of spider bites and get medical help if you note them, especially in children.

Jacki