Wolf spiders in Utah

Yes — wolf spiders are recorded in Utah. The GBIF biodiversity database holds 88 verified wolf spider records from the state — ranking it 7th nationally. Sightings concentrate in July to October. Onset: immediate sharp pain. Duration: usually resolves in a few days.

Wolf spider bites in Utah: what the mark looks like

Large, hairy, fast, and frightening at close range — but medically unremarkable. Wolf spiders bite defensively when pressed against skin, the pain is immediate and sharp, and the reaction stays local. Their size makes them the spider most often blamed for bites they did not cause.

Locally, the species most often confused with it are mosquito bite — all of which are also recorded in Utah.

Wolf spider season in Utah specifically

Records in Utah concentrate in July to October, which is what local sighting data shows rather than a national average — seasonality shifts substantially with latitude. The general bite season in Utah runs April to October.

Because lawns, gardens, garages and basements across the whole country, exposure in Utah tends to be concentrated in specific places rather than spread evenly — which is why a bite history ("where were you in the 24 hours before?") narrows the answer faster than the appearance of the mark.

Month by month in Utah

These are the 88 Utah records broken out by the month they were recorded — not a national curve redrawn for the state. Records appear in 8 of the 12 months here. The single busiest month is September with 23 records (28% of the state total).

Counts are observations submitted to GBIF, not bites. They tell you when the animal is out and being noticed in Utah; they do not tell you how many people were bitten. The thinnest month with any record at all is April (1).

How Utah compares

Across the 41 states with any wolf spider records, Utah ranks 7th with 88. The state directly above it is Kansas (91). Directly below is Oklahoma (82). The highest count anywhere is Texas (652).

Inside Utah itself the picture is different again: of the 11 biting species we track with records here, this one is 5th and accounts for <1% of the 20,232 records logged in the state. A species can be common nationally and marginal in one state, or the reverse — which is the whole reason this page exists separately from the national guide.

Care

1. wash with soap and water
2. cold pack, elevate, over-the-counter pain relief
3. watch for signs of infection over the next few days

Avoiding wolf spiders in Utah

• shoes on in the garden at night
• seal gaps around doors and basement windows