Hobo spiders do not live in Missouri. Their range in the United States is limited to the Pacific Northwest and a few neighboring states, making it highly unlikely that a spider you found in Missouri is a hobo spider. If you spotted a brown, funnel-web-building spider in your home, you’re almost certainly looking at a different species.
Where Hobo Spiders Actually Live
Hobo spiders are native to western Europe and were accidentally introduced to the Pacific Northwest, most likely through the Port of Seattle, sometime before the 1930s. Since then, they’ve spread as far south as Nevada and as far east as Montana and Wyoming. That puts their eastern boundary roughly 1,000 miles from Missouri.
Unlike some invasive species that have rapidly expanded across the country, hobo spiders have stayed concentrated in the northwestern states for nearly a century. There are no established populations in the Midwest, and Missouri is well outside their known range.
What You Probably Found Instead
Missouri is home to several brown spiders that can easily be confused with hobo spiders, especially if you’re going off internet photos. The two most common lookalikes are funnel-weaving grass spiders (genus Agelenopsis) and the brown recluse.
Grass spiders are extremely common across Missouri and build the same style of funnel-shaped webs that hobo spiders are known for. They’re brown, long-legged, fast runners, and frequently show up in yards, garages, and basements. They’re harmless. If you found a funnel web in your woodpile, garden, or basement corners, a grass spider is the most likely culprit.
The brown recluse is the spider worth paying attention to in Missouri. It’s one of the few medically significant spiders in the state and is well established throughout the region. Brown recluses are smaller and more uniform in color than grass spiders, with a distinctive violin-shaped marking on the area behind their head. They don’t build funnel webs. Instead, they make irregular, sticky webs in undisturbed spaces like closets, attics, storage boxes, and behind furniture.
Hobo Spiders Aren’t Dangerous Anyway
Even in states where hobo spiders do live, they’re no longer considered a medical concern. For years, hobo spiders had a reputation for causing necrotic wounds (tissue-destroying bites similar to brown recluse bites), but that reputation was based on flawed research. The Washington State Department of Health now states plainly: there is no evidence hobo spider venom has caused skin necrosis or necrotic wounds in people.
The CDC removed the hobo spider from its list of venomous spiders years ago. In their native Europe, hobo spiders have never been considered dangerous. The old fear was largely a case of mistaken identity, with brown recluse bites and bacterial infections being blamed on hobo spiders in the Pacific Northwest.
Spiders to Watch For in Missouri
Missouri has two spiders that can cause significant bites: the brown recluse and the black widow. Knowing the signs of each is more useful than worrying about hobo spiders.
Brown recluse bites often start with mild pain that worsens over several hours. You may develop fever, chills, and body aches. The hallmark sign is a blister or sore with a darkened center surrounded by a ring of discolored skin. Not every bite leads to a serious wound, but the ones that do need medical attention.
Black widow bites cause a different set of symptoms: pain and swelling at the bite site, followed by severe stomach cramping, nausea, headache, and sweating. These symptoms come from the venom affecting the nervous system rather than destroying tissue.
What to Do if You’re Bitten
For any spider bite, clean the wound with mild soap and water and apply a cool, damp cloth for about 15 minutes each hour to reduce pain and swelling. Over-the-counter pain relievers and antihistamines can help with discomfort and itching. Keep the bite area elevated if possible.
Seek medical care if you notice the wound growing larger, if the surrounding skin turns red, purple, or brown with spreading streaks, if you develop severe stomach pain or cramping, or if you have any trouble breathing or swallowing. If you can safely capture or photograph the spider, that can help with identification, but don’t delay treatment to hunt for it.