If I see a spider in my house, I put it in a cup, and then I take it outside . . .
—Jacqueline Emerson
🌿 🌿 🌿
I head outdoors after dark. It is a fascinating time to be in the woods for one never knows what one might see or hear. During these nocturnal outings, I have had some exciting meetings. I’ve been alarmed by bear, spooked by deer, surprised by skunk, startled by mice, amused by frogs, buzzed by bats, charmed by flying squirrels, eerily eyed by a queen hornet, delighted by a screech owl, and captivated by coyote song, and the list goes on . . .
Of course, not all encounters involve big animals. Much of the time what I find are insects, especially arachnids. One I think is as creepy as it is fascinating is the ill-tempered hacklemesh weaver (Callobius bennetti), also called hackledmesh weaver, night spider or tangled nest spider. Chris and I simply call them “Big Ugly’s.”
The hacklemesh weaver is a large and fleshy, reddish-brown spider that has a leg span about the diameter of a quarter. This spider makes its home outside underneath rocks and wood debris, as well as around porch lights, door frames, and windows. In winter, they sometimes try to sneak indoors, so I am always watchful when opening doors.
The first time I saw a hacklemesh was during our years in the city where I’d find them under the rocks in our urban garden. I had no idea what kind of spider it was, except that it was big, reddish-brown, and sometimes aggressive. Females are most aggressive. When threatened or provoked, she’ll turn her body towards you, all the while watching with eight eyes arranged in a deceiving smily face fashion. She can, and will, lunge forward, and sometimes won’t back down. Her bite, so I’ve heard, is painful, but not deadly. Males are also large, but have a slimmer build, and a better temperament. Mature males are easy to recognize because of their large pedipalps that look like big fangs. The pedipalps are used for transferring sperm. After mating, the male dies—a common fate among male arachnids.
Signs of the hacklemesh are easy to recognize from the messy webs it makes. Whether on the house siding or under rocks and other debris, its web is irregular shaped, and has a poorly defined tube it uses for its retreat.
The hacklemesh has a fierce appetite. Unlike other spiders that hide when a light is on them, the hacklemesh is fearless. When hunting, it likes to ambush its prey, not sit in its designer web waiting for something to fly into it. To catch prey, the hacklemesh hides inside its tube webbing, or waits near its web ready to pounce on an unsuspecting victim. When an insect comes within striking distance, or triggers one of the silk tripwires, the hacklemesh reacts quickly.
One night, while watching the clumsy flight of a Matthew’s ghost moth (Gazoryctra mathewi), I watched it land near the porch light. All of a sudden, a hacklemesh darted from its hiding place, grabbed the moth, and swiftly pulled it into its lair. It happened so fast, had I blinked, I would have missed it.
Recently, I had the good fortune of seeing two hacklemesh weavers simultaneously ambush their prey. November is when we see an increase of harvestmen (Opiliones) an order of spider (and one of my favorites) often called daddy-long-legs; a harmless, beneficial creature that scavenge decaying plant and animal matter, and feeds on small insects. On this particular night, the air was damp and humid from rains that had fallen some days earlier; a soupy combination that harvestmen like, and they were on the move.
In the porch lights glow, I spotted a harvestman walking across the stepping-stones. The stones, once snuggly fit, now have gaps between them, and spiders live in these gaps. In summer, when I wash the stones with the hose, spiders crawl out and run as fast as their eight legs can carry them.
As the harvestman made its way across the stones, I admired the ease in which it carried itself on its long, flowing legs. It was then the unexpected happened. A hacklemesh lurched from between the stones, and seized the harvestman. There was a brief struggle at which time a second hacklemesh seized a second harvestman. It was like an instant replay. The harvestmen struggled, but were quickly subdued. They could not escape the grasp and bite of the hacklemesh weaver.
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Thank you for reading Nature Chronicles.
Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.
Nature Chronicles 
spiders are my lease of unfavorite with legged creatures; being so, I try to avoid as much as possible. Your essay on the two different species is really interesting and fortunately, I was able to avoid looking at the photos and still read your comments. Thank you for the info. The harvestman I am familiar with but not so much about the hacklemesh, since I usually close my eyes when I see a spider!…..so, I’m a whimp!
They definitely have a creepy factor. The other day, I caught and released a hacklemesh weaver, a male that came in through an open door. Fortunately, the males of this species, while they look intimidating, aren’t aggressive like the females. They’re just out looking for love; a dangerous pursuit that often ends with their demise. Thanks for stopping by. It’s always good to hear from you, and Happy first day of spring!
I definitely happy I came to this earth as a human rather than a male spider
What an interesting story about the two arachnids. Spiders have always made my skin crawl…..they are mysterious, creepy with long legs and can make one very ill or die. While reading your experience with the two spiders, I had to cover the photos in the story from my view to not be distracted…that’s how ridiculously embarrassing is my behavior around spiders. Being so, spiders are a valuable animal to our universe and I mostly leave them be when I see one. The Harvestman (we call Daddy Long Legs) are plentiful on the west side of the Cascades and harmless. They hide out in our house during the summer and fall they like to hang out in the corners and high ceilings of our house. It is new to me that they feed off bugs and plant debris…good! Thanks so much for sharing your story and I look forward to reading more nature info you have researched.
Thanks so much. I love the harvestman. They were a common sight in my grandmothers basement. I recall their messy webs flecked with the tiny corpses of gnats. The hacklemesh weavers creep me out, but it’s also that same creepiness that draws me to them, lol. The females are large and fearless, and can inflict a nasty bite. I’m happy to say we’ve never been bitten, and have made it a habit to brush ourselves off when coming in from the outdoors.
Great post, as a spider lover I found this really interesting. I actually have a little C. severus that a friend found in his garage in a small deli cup as a pet, and he’s actually been doing pretty well, and I’ve had him for a good few months.
Thank you, Justin Leo, glad you enjoyed it. That’s great! They do make interesting pets. I once kept a jumping spider, and at present, an American house spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum) is living on my kitchen windowsill. She is delightful, and has been there since spring.
Good luck with your spider, and thanks for stopping by!
I catch and release too — however hard it may be to get close to certain bugs, like the wolf spiders that occasionally come into the house. Brrrr! ;- )
While reading about your encounter with the hacklemesh spider, I had to cover the photo from my vision..spiders are creepy but your detailed info on this particular spider was fun to read. Thanks for sharing
I don’t blame you, they are creepy, fascinating, marvelous creatures, but creepy nonetheless. Thanks for hanging in there. 😉
Great observations. I, too rescue the critters from the house by scooping them into a glass before depositing them in a better spot outdoors. Except the harvestmen, I let them stay. My biggest catch was a confused tarantula who came in during construction!
Thank you, Maril! I like that you rescued a tarantula. I do what I can when I find the creepy crawlers indoors. Most get a reprieve. My husband would like to squash them, but knowing how I feel, if he finds one indoors, he calls me to rescue it, or rather I’m rescuing him from it. 😊
Lucky critters, getting a reprieve. The only ones I don’t feel too friendly about are the Black Widows. Outside, I try to ignore them, but in the house or barn, they have invaded the wrong space!
I so agree with you! 🙂
I do much the same as Emerson — and if it’s too cold outside, I put the captured spider or centipede down in the furnace room.
I think we are among the few that catch and release spiders and insects when we find them in the house. I especially like the hacklemesh weaver as they have a voracious appetite for termites!