A to Z of Pests

Wolf Spider

Trochosa ruricola

Appearance

• Adult female: 8 mm; male - 6 mm. They are generally brown to grey in colour.

Lifecycle

• Wolf spider mothers carry their egg sacs around with them attached to spinnerets under the abdomen.
• When the young spiderlings hatch, they climb onto their mother's back where they live for the first few weeks of life.

Habits

• They hunt at night but spend the day hidden amongst moss and decaying matter.
• They live in a shallow burrow, with an open and unadorned entrance.