Some spiders are more than just a nuisance

The common house spider is the spider most often encountered indoors. It is a nuisance pest, probably more because of its webs than the spider itself. However, other spiders found in this area can be a bigger problem.

Black Widow Spiders: nocturnal, typically non aggressive but have venomous bites that can cause muscle aches, nausea
and difficulty breathing, but are rarely deadly.

Brown Recluse Spiders: venomous, typically non aggressive but their bites can cause severe skin lesions, severe systemic
symptoms and death. Usually only bite when touched or tangled up in clothes, bath towels or bedding are easily recognizable by the violin or fiddle looking mark on the back of the spider. These spiders are reclusive by nature, so they will not be in open areas. Instead, these spiders can be found in closets, crawl spaces, and in little-traveled areas of the home. They may also live in areas outdoors, such as wood piles, storage sheds, large stones used for landscaping and garages. The most striking marking of a mature brown recluse is a dark violin shape behind its head with the neck of the violin pointing toward the abdomen. However, other spiders have similar markings.

Getting rid of spiders

Our experts can determine the size of the spider infestation and your pest control needs with a professional pest audit.

Some simple things can be done to slow the infestation in your home:

• • • When storing clothes, place them in a plastic container that seals tightly.
    • When putting on shoes, or clothing that has not been handled in a while, shake before putting on.
    • When making your bed, make sure that none of the sheets or blankets are hanging to the ground. This give spiders easy access to the bed.
    • In areas of low traffic, vacuum all spider webs and dispose of immediately.
    • Wear protective gloves when handling cardboard boxes or other storage items.