Spiders and cockroaches are two of the most dreaded in-house insects and for good reason. But have you ever wondered if spiders find cockroaches a delicious treat? And if spiders eat roaches?
This article will answer your questions about how much of yummy diet spiders find cockroaches to be.
Having a spider in your home can be a form of pest control since we all know spiders to enjoy feasting on other insects. But do spiders eat cockroaches? The short and simple answer is Yes.
And though an adult roach can not be devoured by all spiders, certain spiders will actively go hunting for roaches or simply wait for roaches to come to them and get trapped in their extraordinarily silk robust webs.
What Species Of Spiders Eat Roaches?
There are said to be over 45,000 different species of spiders in the world, but not all of them find cockroaches an enjoyable meal. Although all spiders have a similar diet some spiders have different tastes. And we all know that not all spiders are the same in size. Bigger spiders will eat bigger roaches and smaller spiders will eat smaller roaches.
Spiders that eat cockroaches include
- Running spiders.
- Huntsman spiders
- American house spider
- Wolf spiders
- Jumping spiders
- Widow spiders
- Brown recluse spiders
- Yellow sac spiders
- Hobo spiders
Certain spiders find roaches to be a yummy feast. However, no one specie of spiders can rely solely on roaches for food. Spiders will eat cockroaches only when they come across one or hunt one down and spiders will survive on other insects as well.
Do Spiders Only Eat a Certain Type of Cockroach?
There tend to be only five common types of cockroaches that are found in homes crawling about. Apart from a few physical differences, these five types of roaches all look the same and a spider does not care about the specie nor does it have a craving for a particular specie of roaches. The specie of cockroach you will find in your home solely depends on where you live and the same thing goes for spiders.
What Else Do Roach-Eating Spider Eat?
Aside from cockroaches, these spiders can also have a nice meal with other insects that creep and crawl around the house. These spiders would also enjoy feasting on mosquitoes, flies, bed bugs, cloth moths, earwigs, and more.
Spiders will hunt down and feed on whatever prey they can find in the environment that they are. In the wilds and homes, they prey on whatever is available and because cockroaches are well-known unwanted guests, spiders will also prey on them.
Do House Spider Eat Very often?
The spider’s unique body does not need food as often as many other insects and animals. The common house spider is capable of going weeks without a meal. But a spider will not go on a fast or reject a meal in front of it.
A spider could eat up to four times a day if food is constantly available. They don’t miss an opportunity to attack prey in sight. For a home that has lots of insects, a house spider will be frequently eating. Because spiders get all their water from foods, if it goes for a long period without food they will begin to be around water sources.
Can Spider Fix cockroach Problem?
Well, theoretically I guess you can. Spiders that eat cockroaches could eat up all the roaches that you have running around your home. Spiders are small so you can not expect them to eat hundreds of roaches at a moment, which means you may need to get hundreds of spiders as well.
But overall practically I don’t see it as the best idea. Because you are already dealing with one pest infestation, bringing more pests will be a bad idea.
Plus, you may need to get bigger spiders if the roaches you have are bigger ones.
Can Wolf Spiders Eat Cockroach?
A wolf spider will eat cockroaches. Like a wolf, the wolf spider will stalk and ambush prey and they do not spin webs. A wolf spider could easily track down and snatch roaches because of its agile body and excellent eyesight.
Wolf spiders will likely be found lingering in the corners or prowling across the walls of your home. If they well either rush at prey at a high speed or leap from a distance and land on it leaving a Roach with little time to get away.
Conclusion
Spiders are unwanted guests that will happily live in the corners of your home. Spiders will eat roaches and other crawling insects you may have in your home but I don’t consider them good pest control.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can Cockroaches eat spiders?
You do not need to worry about roaches being the predators in your home. Cockroaches are not predators and can not feast on spiders. But they are known to feed on dead spiders.
- Can widow spiders eat roaches?
Black Widow spiders will use their webs to catch prey and eat them including cockroaches.
- Are there spiders that eat cockroaches only?
Spiders will happily feast on any insect that is unlucky enough to cross its path or get trapped in its web. But no species of spider eats only cockroaches.
