Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kansas City Pest Identification
Araneus cavaticus and related orb weaversBarn Spider Identification
A stout brown orb weaver that strings a big round web across porches, eaves, and barn doors every night in late summer and takes it down by morning. The spider from Charlotte's Web.
Need help identifying barn spider?
Text a photo for fast pest identification. You'll get a real answer from a local expert — not a call center.
How to Identify It
Hairy, tan to brown with a mottled, humped abdomen and banded legs. The web is a classic spoked orb, often rebuilt nightly in the same spot near a light. The spider hides in a curled leaf or eave corner by day.
Size: Body 12–20 mm
Commonly Confused With
Other orb weavers (marbled, spotted, cross orb weavers) and, at night with a flashlight, a wolf spider. Orb weavers always have the wheel web.
Why It Shows Up
They don't move indoors. They build where flying insects concentrate — porch lights, eaves, deck rails, and between the garage and a tree.
Where Homeowners Find It
Porch ceilings and railings, exterior light fixtures, eaves, fences, and boat docks.
Seasonal Activity in KC
Late July through October.
Risk Level
None significant. Bites are rare and mild. Mostly a nuisance when a web is across the front door.
What You Can Do Yourself
- • Move the porch light or switch to a yellow LED — fewer bugs, fewer webs.
- • Sweep webs down in the morning; persistent spiders can be relocated to the back fence.
What Professional Treatment Involves
Exterior web removal and treatment around eaves and lights as part of a perimeter service. Not a species that needs interior treatment.
Serving the Kansas City metro area-wide. Owner-operated with 30+ years of professional pest control experience. See our barn spider control service →
Common Questions
How do I tell a barn spider from something that looks similar?
Other orb weavers (marbled, spotted, cross orb weavers) and, at night with a flashlight, a wolf spider. Orb weavers always have the wheel web.
Do I need professional treatment for barn spider?
Exterior web removal and treatment around eaves and lights as part of a perimeter service. Not a species that needs interior treatment.