Spiders in my sink

This is a very common issue in that our sinks and tubs are natural spider traps.

Do not be alarmed but it is worth noting that many times this is the HOBO spider.

The HOBO got the name because, although they are loners, they migrate up to two miles to find a mate.

As they travel they often move along pipe networks and they do need water to sustain themselves, both of which will bring them into our bathroom or kitchen area where they will be trapped by the sink. The old wives tale that they come up through the plumbing is mostly inaccurate in that the only way for that to happen is to go up onto the roof, come down through vent, survive multiple floods of water filling the pipes, find a way to grip those slick sides of the pipes, all of which "could" happen, but is very unlikely.

The easy access point is to come up along the outside wall to the cool pipe covered in insulation that has a gap in the outside hydrant plate, move under the house and come up through a gap in the drain pipe under the sink. Filling in those areas and making those pipe plates tight can do a lot to discourage this migration.

Now that we know it can be a HOBO, simply be careful when killing it to not be bitten. If you are trying to capture it and release it outside...note that they move extremely fast. And I do mean extremely fast, running up an arm in less time than you can react...personal experience, and I feel I react fairly quickly.

If bitten, remember; anti-biotic as quickly as possible on the wound, in that the fangs have been in a sink probably with a high amount of bacteria.

I sometimes hesitate to share this with the public because of the fear of the HOBO, consider though that every house has one at some time and how seldom anyone does get bitten; which is encouraging. This is not a rattle snake that is looking to jump out and bite you, simply a lost spider.