Why Are Wolf Spiders Attracted to Green Light?
Discovering a wolf spider in your home can be a terrifying experience, but it's important to note that these arachnids are not dangerous. However, if you frequently find wolf spiders near your home, you may want to consider the colors of your home's exterior and interior, as well as the type of lighting you use. George Uetz, a biology professor at the University of Cincinnati, conducted a study and found that wolf spiders are attracted to green light. This is because spiders have dichromatic vision, meaning they can only detect ultraviolet and green colors. "That means they're basically colorblind. But they're sensitive to light in the green wavelength," explained Uetz during a presentation at the American Arachnological Society in 2018.
Due to their sensitivity to green light, wolf spiders are likely drawn to green lights as they can perceive the color. While wolf spiders prefer dark areas, they may still be attracted to the insects swarming around your exterior lights, regardless of their color. To prevent wolf spiders from entering your home, it is advisable to avoid using green colors in your home's decor and to turn off outdoor lights to minimize the presence of bugs, which serve as a food source for these arachnids.
When studying wolf spiders, researchers found that female spiders were more interested in videos of male wolf spiders with contrasting background colors, while males were drawn to the colors they could see, including green. This unexpected finding suggests that intensity matters more than color for female spiders, but color also matters for male eavesdroppers. (Source: 2018 conference)
Although spiders may be attracted to green light and the color green in general, it doesn't mean you won't find them around exterior lights of other colors. Wolf spiders stay nearby light sources because flying insects often hover around them, providing a food source for the spiders. If you're not afraid of spiders, keeping green lights on could help these arachnids stick around and eliminate other insects near your home.
How to Deter Wolf Spiders
For those with arachnophobia, having wolf spiders in your house or yard can be a nightmare. If you're noticing an abundance of these spiders outside your home, they could be hunting insects on your property. To eliminate or reduce the spider's food supply, try turning off outside lights at night when they hunt. Alternatively, you could use motion sensor lights that only turn on for short periods when someone walks by, attracting fewer insects. While green lights are less likely to attract other insects, they may bring more wolf spiders to your home, so you may want to avoid using this color to keep these arachnids away.
To make your yard less attractive to wolf spiders, it is important to remove any outdoor clutter and keep up with lawn maintenance. This includes clearing piles of leaves, cardboard boxes, and other dark areas where they may hide. While wolf spiders are known to respond to green light, they are most likely to be found wherever there are insects for them to feed on.
