Exact Answer: 2-3 years
Spiders exist in over 650 species, all with different life spans. A large number of spiders live outside, but there are a few that live indoors.
You are more likely to find spiders crawling around your house during autumn or summer. The two seasons provide a favorable breeding environment. Most spiders also hatch their eggs during this period. In winter, they become dormant since most spiders can’t survive the harsh climate. Spiders are of importance in any household since they help get rid of bugs and other insects.
How Long Do Spiders Live?
Even though the estimated lifespan of a spider is 2-3 years, the female spider extends its lifetime to thirty years or more. Male spiders die earlier due to consumption by the female spider after mating or effects of the mating process.
Spiders lay eggs in sacs containing up to a thousand eggs. The hatching period of spider varies depending on the environmental conditions. In favorable climates, the spiders will hatch within a few weeks while in harsh conditions, they take a more extended period than intended.
Since spiders don’t take care of their young ones, once they hatch, they migrate, looking for a suitable climate to habituate.
Spiders live independently, making it easier for them to obtain food. They mainly get food by waiting patiently in their webs for insects to get trapped. Since it may take long to tarp an insect, most spiders are known to stay for long periods without any food reserves.
Spiders live for up to two years with the female spider living longer than the male spider. As mentioned earlier, there are both outdoor spiders and indoor spiders. Indoor spiders, having a longer lifespan than outdoor spiders since they get exposed to fewer threats.
| Spider | Years |
| Male Spider (Indoors) | 4-8 weeks |
| Male Spider (Outdoors) | 2-3 years |
| Female Spider (Indoors) | 1 year |
| Female Spider (Outdoors) | upto 10-20 years |
| Spider lifetime without food | 2-3 weeks |
Why Do Spiders Live Average 2-3 Years?
Several factors affect a spider’s lifetime; these include climate, predators, and many more that we will look at below.
Predators
Spiders have a large number of predators, including human beings. People from Asia are commonly known for their consumption of spiders.
Other than human beings, wasps and flies also feed on spiders. They attack the spider by paralyzing them and later on laying their eggs on the paralyzed spider. The insect’s larvae slowly feed on the spider until the nutrients are entirely sourced out.
Health conditions
Like humans, spiders get attacked by infections and diseases. The Mermithid nematode worms are the most common parasites that attack spiders. They feed on their internal organs wearying them out, and with time they may die.
Climatic conditions
Some spider species are known to survive the harsh climate, and some species die during such conditions. The surviving species do so by going into an inactive state awaiting the unfavorable conditions to pass. The non-surviving species cannot become dormant; therefore, they slowly die out.
This is so interesting! I never knew spiders had such a complex life cycle.
Right? Who knew?
It’s all so complex.
These spiders are very survivors, they have an entire strategy to live.
It seems that way, doesn’t it?
I definitely learned a lot from this article.
We often underestimate the abilities of spiders. They’re real survivors in nature’s harsh conditions.
Nature never ceases to amaze us.
Never underestimate the little guys, right?
I always thought spiders lived for a much shorter time. This is eye-opening.
This is both intriguing and creepy.
This article was super informative, I believe I’ve become a spider expert with all this information.
I’m just glad I’m not a spider. Living for 30 years would be terribly boring.
I think we all have, Isobel. How interesting, right?
Spiders adapt in such interesting ways. It’s intriguing how they have managed to evolve to survive for so long.
Survival skills of spiders are impressive.
I don’t understand why anyone would even study the lifespan of spiders. They’re creepy and should be avoided.
Spiders are fascinating, don’t you think?
I agree with you, Christian. They’re incredibly creepy.
I also found interesting stuff in this article, like the spiders’ lifetime without food. We underestimate them!
Spiders are not that bad. We should all appreciate their contribution to the ecosystem.
I know, right? I guess we should appreciate them more, they do a lot for us.
I just can’t believe spiders live for so long.
I feel the same way!
It’s surprising indeed.