How Long Do Spiders Live?
American house spider
Most house spiders live one to two years indoors, and some species stretch that lifespan much further given steady food and shelter. Desert species can survive a year or longer without a single meal, and a pet tarantula can live 25 years or more in captivity.
That's a wide range. It explains why the spiders showing up in an Upland home rarely disappear on their own, no matter how many times they get swept out the door. Below, we'll break down actual spider lifespans by type, explain why they keep coming back, and cover what actually gets rid of them for good.
How Long Do House Spiders Live Indoors?
Domestic house spider
A house spider indoors faces almost none of the threats it would face outside. No birds, no hard freeze, no competition for the same corner web. That's part of why the average spider lifespan indoors runs longer than most people expect. A full breakdown of spiders in Southern California is worth reading if you're trying to identify what's sharing your space with you.
There are more than 40,000 spider species worldwide, with roughly 1,200 found across the U.S. Only a fraction of those ever show up indoors in Southern California. That narrows things down considerably once you're trying to identify what's in front of you.
A few examples show how much lifespan varies by species:
House spiders, the small brown ones behind furniture, typically live one to two years
Tarantulas kept as exotic pets can live 25 years or more under controlled conditions
Desert-adapted species can go a year or longer without eating a single meal
That last one matters more than it sounds. A spider that doesn't need to eat regularly doesn't need to leave either. That's exactly why an indoor population can quietly persist for years without anyone doing anything to feed it.
Why Are There So Many Spiders in My Home?
Jumping spider
A spider or two now and then usually isn't a problem. Spiders are natural predators, and a stray one in the garage is normally doing its job. Regular activity is different, especially new webs appearing every few days, and it usually points to something else going on.
Spider activity also tends to pick up after dark. If sightings seem to cluster at night, our breakdown of why spiders are more active at night covers what's driving it.
Three things pull spiders in and keep them around, and each one comes down to what the house already offers them:
An abundant food source already living in the same space, usually other pests like flies, ants, or roaches
Low-traffic corners, basements, attics, or storage areas where webs go undisturbed for weeks
Warmth and shelter, especially once the weather outside cools off
Spiders showing up consistently is rarely the actual problem. It's usually a symptom of whatever they're eating. If ants or roaches are the hidden food source, dealing with the spiders alone leaves the root cause untouched, and new spiders move in again within weeks.
Are Spiders Dangerous?
Black widow
Out of roughly 1,200 spider species found in the U.S., only a small handful pose any real risk to people, and most homes never encounter one of them at all. Black widows and brown recluses are the two venomous types most likely to turn up in Southern California homes, and both are naturally shy. Neither bites unless it's directly threatened or trapped against skin.
Nationally, spider bites cause about seven deaths a year out of a population of over 300 million, a number that barely moves regardless of how many spiders turn up in a given season. The odds of a dangerous encounter are about as low as pest risks get. That said, a bite that swells significantly, spreads redness, or comes with fever is worth having looked at.
A spider matching a black widow's telltale red hourglass or a brown recluse's violin marking is a case for calling a professional instead of guessing. Most spider bites reported around Upland turn out to be from something far less dramatic than either one.
Misjudging from memory is easy, though. A photo helps here more than a description does, since the markings that separate a harmless spider from a dangerous one are easy to get wrong without one.
How Do I Get Rid of Spiders for Good?
DIY prevention handles a lot of the problem on its own:
Vacuum webs and egg sacs from ceilings, corners, and windowsills instead of knocking them down
Switch outdoor lights to yellow bulbs or turn them off at night, since white light draws the insects spiders feed on
Seal gaps around windows, doors, and screens to cut off entry points
Clear clutter from storage areas and garages, since undisturbed boxes make ideal web sites
None of this touches an existing food source hiding in the walls, though. If ants or roaches are what's feeding a spider population, sealing and vacuuming slows things down without solving it, since the spiders keep getting replaced as fast as they're removed.
That's the point where treating both the spiders and whatever they're eating actually closes the loop. Professional treatment covers both layers at once: the visible spiders and the food source keeping them fed, so the fix holds instead of needing to be repeated every few weeks.
Ready to Get Spiders Under Control?
Spiders showing up again and again in an Upland home is rarely random, and waiting it out usually just means more webs to clean up later around the house. If regular sightings have you wondering what's really going on, call ProCraft Pest Control at 626-681-4120 or book a free consultation online and we'll get an inspection scheduled to find out what's drawing them in.
Our guide to pest control in San Bernardino County also covers what else tends to show up alongside spiders in this area.
We provide spider control and full pest control services across:
