The influence of two nutritional factors (food quantity and quality) on the responses of a wolf spider, Pardosa prativaga (L.K.), to a high dose of the insecticide dimethoate, was investigated in a fully factorial experimental design. Spider groups with different (good and bad) nutrient balance were created by feeding them fruit flies of either high or low nutrient content for 28 days. Both groups were then split into satiated and 14 days starved subgroups. Each of these was further divided into insecticide treated and control halves. Survivorship and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity measured on the survivors were used as response variables. Survivorship after topical dimethoate exposure (LD50; 48 h) was influenced by spider body weight, nutrient balance, and starvation. Furthermore, AChE activity was significantly inhibited by dimethoate exposure. A significant interaction between nutrient balance, starvation, and dimethoate exposure revealed synergistic effects of starvation and nutrient imbalance on AChE inhibition by dimethoate in surviving spiders. These results show that the tolerance of non‐target arthropods to dimethoate may vary depending on the nutritional history of the animal.