What is a hobo spider?

The hobo spider is a member of the funnel-web spider family and is common in the Pacific Northwest. Hobo spiders are often mistaken for brown recluse spiders, which are found in Southern states.

Hobo spiders are commonly found in and around structures and are also called aggressive house spiders. Their webs are not sticky, relying instead on the funnel shape to trap prey. The hobo spider's bite is rarely a medical threat to humans and is often a dry bite (a bite that releases no venom). Hobo spiders are not indigenous to America and arrived via shipping traffic from Europe in the early 1900s.