Spiders

For many, the mere glimpse of a spider in your home or business can send chills down your spine. But these eight-legged pests aren’t just frightening to look at. Spiders can be perilous to you, your family, your pets, and your customers. Whether it’s a “harmless” daddy long legs or a dangerous spider like the brown recluse or black widow, spiders can reproduce rapidly and can often be mistaken for other harmless members of their species. To protect your home or business from spiders, first learn about these pests, their behaviors, steps for prevention, and contact Stellar Pest & Wildlife should an infestation occur.

What Are Spiders?

Spiders are eight-legged arachnids equipped with fangs able to pierce their victims skin and deliver venom that may be harmful to humans depending on the species of spider. While spiders are often glamorized by Hollywood, these pests have the potential to deliver painful bites with lasting health effects. However, if you know how to identify and prevent these bugs, you can reduce the chance of them entering your home or business.

How Long Do Spiders Live?

A spiders life cycle greatly varies on the species of spider and with over 38,000 different species that lifespan can be as short as a year or as long as twenty years. Female spiders tend to live longer than their male counterparts. Many male spiders will reach adulthood within two years and die after mating. This is mostly because female spiders tend to eat them after mating; however, there are some species of male spiders that die an obligatory death from the mating process in of itself. Spiders also are considered prey by many animals such as birds, reptiles, scorpions and even other spiders, this also can dramatically affect the average lifespan of a spider simply due to the amount of predators in an area. Spiders can pose a significant danger to you, your family, your pets and your customers. How severe the danger will depend on the type of spider. In Texas we are home to many venomous species of spiders including the brown recluse, and the the black widow. These pests can not only be a danger but they have the ability to multiply quickly, causing a small infestation to become a much larger issue if not dealt with immediately. If you see signs of spiders in or around your home or business, it’s best to take action right away.

How Do I Identify Spiders?

While there are many species of spider that can be commonly found in Texas, there are three species that are considered far more dangerous then the rest, the black widow spider, the brown recluse and the tarantula. No matter what species of spider is invading your home, it is best to call the professionals in to eradicate the problem.

Black Widow

The female black widow possesses a black body and legs with a characteristic red hourglass shape on the abdomen while the males are less iconic with various red markings or stripes on their bodies. The females are much larger than the males, which are generally about a half-inch in size. Black widow spiders have a deadly reputation, and are considered to be the most venomous spider in North America. The latrotoxin in the venom can cause muscle pain, sweating, an irregular heartbeat, abdominal cramps and even death in severe cases.

Brown Recluse

In general, brown recluse spiders are a little less than an inch in size, have a fuzzy-looking body, and can be distinguished from other spiders by its six eyes instead of the usual eight, that sit in three pairs and its dark brown violin pattern along its back. Brown recluse spiders range in color from light to medium brown but can sometimes look whitish or even dark brown. Brown recluses are venomous spiders in Texas known for their harmful venom typically causing flu-like symptoms such as fever, nausea, and fatigue. However, in some cases, a bite from this spider leads to the tissue necrosis and disfigurement.

Tarantula

These large, hairy, spiders often are featured in people’s worst nightmares however despite their size and terrifying appearance, they are not as dangerous as they appear. Like the other poisonous spiders in Texas, they will only bite if they feel threatened. A tarantula’s bite is about as painful as a bee sting for most people. However some people may have an allergic reaction to their venom. If you’re bitten by one of these spiders and develop a rash, welt, shortness of breath, or other alarming symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.

How Did I Get Spiders?

Unfortunately, the process to get spiders and spider nests in your home or business is a simple one. There are certain conditions these pests are more attracted to more than others. Here are three reasons you may be at risk for these pests in your home or busines.

Food sources

If there is food left out, if you have easily accessible trash, or aren’t keeping your home as clean as you can, spiders will be attracted. These food sources attract bugs, which in turn attract spiders.

Damage to your home or business

Spiders aren’t capable of opening doors, but they are capable of squeezing through tiny cracks, holes, or crevices. Additionally, while spiders can’t open doors, they have no problem crawling through one that’s been left open.

Conditions outside of your control

You can have the cleanest home or business on the block, but spiders may still be looking for a new hunting location or habitat. When the weather gets too hot, cold, or wet, spiders go on the move looking for somewhere with more favorable conditions to live and build spider nests.

How Do I Prevent Spiders?

Prevention of spiders should be a multi-tiered approach. Utilizing professional assistance is always the prefered method, especially considering the danger these pests pose. However here are a few tips we recommend to start protecting your home or business from these pests.

Keep your home or business clean, free of undisturbed clutter, and don’t leave food products or trash lying around.

Identify and eliminate any holes or entry ways in your home or business’ exterior that could permit entry for spiders. Look for cracks under doors, windows not sealed perfectly, broken window screens, and doors or windows regularly left ajar.

Swap outside lights to yellow sodium vapor lights. These lights will not attract other insects and bugs that serve as attractive food sources for spiders.

Utilize air-tight storage containers for long-term storage needs, especially in garages, attics, and basements.

Eliminate a spider problem quickly. If you wait to address a known issue, you’ll give the pest time to replicate, and a small problem can become much more challenging to manage.

How to Prepare for Our Visit

To prepare for a Stellar Pest and Wildlife’s bed bug treatment of your home or business, you should gather the following information:

* A list of any places that you have seen spiders or webs in your home or business

* The date that you first started seeing the spiders or webs

* The number of spiders that you have seen

* Whether or not any member of your household has been bitten and in which rooms they sleep

In order to prepare your home or business, you should:

* Box up or cover any dishes or utensils in areas that are going to be treated

* Remove all pets and plants from your home

* Cover or remove all valuable possessions and antiques

* Wash all coverings, clothing, and fabrics and box them up away from the infestation

* Place all toys and dryer safe items in the dryer on a high heat and box them away

You can expect us to enter your home or business on the day of treatment and use a liquid spray treatment that eliminates spiders on contact,

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