• Kansas is home to a number of common spiders.black spider image by Artyom Davidov from Fotolia.com
  
  Where there are insects, you will likely find spiders. They may give you the creeps, but spiders serve an important role in nature by helping keep the insect population under control. Unfortunately, some spiders are venomous and can cause you harm. If you live in Kansas, knowing the common spiders will help you know if an arachnid is dangerous.
  
  

Brown Recluse

• The brown recluse is found throughout the nation, not just Kansas. Its bite is very painful and can cause skin and tissue damage or kill the skin cells altogether. They are not usually a threat to humans. According to Kansas Spider Control, however, they will bite if they come in contact with your skin. Brown recluse spiders often have a mark on their backs that looks like a violin.
  
  

Black Widow

• When you think of poisonous spiders, you probably think of black widows. These venomous arachnids are easily identified with black bodies that have a red hourglass-shaped mark on their backs. Although black widows are not abundant in Kansas, they are found in the south and southeast parts of the state. They are one of the few species of spiders that are deadly to people. According to the University of Kansas Hospital, you will likely find black widows hiding out in garages, furniture and other quiet places.
  
  

Yellow Sack Spider

• The yellow sack spider starts off as a small yellowish spider. It has very long front legs in comparison to the other six legs on its body. This spider's bite is quite painful, although it is not highly dangerous to humans. One distinctive characteristic of the yellow sack spider is instead of building a web, these spiders build structures that look much like funnels in leaves, shrubs or where your ceiling and walls meet, according to the University of Kansas Hospital.
  
  

Common House Spiders

• These brown spiders often make their presence known buy building cobwebs around your home. They move around your home building webs in different locations until they find the perfect spot, so, according to Kansas Spider Control, it is not uncommon to see empty webs. These spiders also build funnel-shaped webs and eat insects and other spiders. They have even been known to go for larger prey such as rodents and small reptiles.
  
  

Jumping Spider

• Unlike most spiders, the jumping spider does not build a web. Instead, it hunts its prey and then jumps on it to catch it, according to Kansas Spider Control. They are usually found underneath rocks or other debris. They are black spiders that appear to be covered in grayish fuzz. They are not dangerous to humans.