Spiders

Living in certain areas of the world can be truly great. You’ll rarely get a few complaints from the residents that can soak up the gorgeous rays of the sun all year long. That being said, there are drawbacks and risks with everything. Tropical storms, spiders, snakes, and a whole list of other vicious predators come to mind. Despite their sheer size, spiders are without a doubt one of the deadliest and most overlooked insects in the world.

Sure, most people are familiar with the brown recluse or black widow, but the truth of the matter is, these species are extremely rare. Many others pose just as great a risk. This is especially true for residents with small children and pets. Playing around in the backyard could become a deadly activity with a spider infestation looming. How does one know if their yard or home is infested with spiders?

What would you even do if you uncovered spider presence? Does the mere sight of the insect frighten you to your very soul?

You’ve come to the right place!

Identifying Spiders

Correctly identifying a spider species should not be taken lightly. With the vast number of species out there, this can be quite challenging. Not to mention that it usually takes getting up close and personal with the hairy, eight-legged monstrosity. One upside to the whole scenario, the vast majority of spider species in the United States is completely harmless. They are nothing more than mere house spiders. Of course, there are always exceptions, and the one time you slack off will be that deadly encounter you’ve always feared.

As pest specialists with years of knowledge and diverse background, we would never encourage anyone to blindly approach an insect like a spider. At the very least, all the proper safety gear should be worn. You can always rely on us to help with the very dangerous task of identification as well as removal and total prevention. If you do want to give it a shot, pay especially close attention to the size and coloration of the invader. The biggest threat lies with the brown recluse and black widow, which will be extremely easy to identify thanks to their unique physical properties.

The black widow’s jet-black body and red-marked underbelly should stand out amongst most backdrops. The brown recluse much smaller in size is of course brown to tan with the most slender of legs.

Do Spiders Really Bite?

Most people probably question our experience and credibility when we pose this question. If spiders didn’t bite there wouldn’t be so many reported incidents of attacks, right? That’s a fair point, but the biggest takeaway is that spiders are not traditionally aggressive. In fact, they usually don’t even make to be the home and only find themselves there by sheer mistake. The only reason a spider would react with aggressive intentions is if it or its young felt threatened.

Spiders will not only find themselves inside your residence through mishaps. There are plenty of other factors that can draw or attract them indoors.

• Uncovered trash or food left on the perimeter of the property will attract spiders
• Uncovered and sloppy trash bins will attract all species of spiders
• Yard waste and other detritus scattered along the home could draw a presence
• The accumulation of standing water will attract a spider-fan base

Check for and clear these scenarios, and you could already be halfway on your way to eliminating your potential spider threat.

The Key To Preventing Spiders From Entering The Home

For some, any species of spider can be nerve-wracking. There are entire phobias based around this eight-legged predator. Such fears are completely understandable, and we are here to help! We’ve been servicing communities just like yours for years and years. Our highly trained and qualified teams are uniquely equipped, certified, trained, licensed, and insured to help with these exact scenarios.

All it takes is a single phone call of inquiry, and we’ll get a trained assessor out on the property to evaluate the situation. We like to work individually with each of our customers to customize unique prevention plans. That aside, the important thing to remember here is that all spiders start outside. They don’t just magically materialize in the home. They all travel from outside to inside. What exactly does this mean? It means that need access to the home.

Spiders generally enter the home through cracks, crevices, gaps in the foundation, and openings around windows or doors. Taking the time to seal around loose cracks, gaps, and openings will prevent a vast majority of insects from invading the property. Not only this, but it’ll help with energy conservation in the home, so you are accomplishing several great things by just simply fortifying or refortifying your perimeter.

Common Signs Of Spiders

As unimaginable as it might be, it’s entirely possible to have a spider present on the property without even knowing it. The odds of this are much greater in the cooler months, as this is when the vicious insect grows more active. Like other insects, during these times they will be seeking warmth, shelter, and food. If you live in an area that experiences fall weather conditions, this will be the prime time to be vigilant.

It is also during the fall that spiders generally mate. There are key things that you can keep an eye out for. Spotting any of these could be a very good indication you are dealing with an infestation.

• Spider webs are usually found in the corners, under decks or patios, or along the eaves and roof edges
• Egg sacs
• Spider nests
• Live or dead carcasses

Spider Webs

It goes without saying that a high presence of spider webs is a prime symptom of a major infestation. Spiders tend to construct their webs outdoors so they can trap unsuspecting prey. The size, shape, and build of these webs can also reveal a lot about the potential threat you may end up facing. Some species erect their nests in the shape of an orb, while others go for the funnel design. Some species build nests in bushes and hedges as well.

These might be the most troubling because they oftentimes remain hidden and also provide prime real estate for eggs and young spiders.

Egg Sacs

The presence of a spider egg or sac is another indication of spider presence on the property. The more interesting thing is that eggs or sacs are more like sacs within sacs, meaning that one sac will carry nearly 100 eggs within. Such sacs are usually fixed or hidden under surfaces. Along the undersides of patios or eaves would be prime real estate for the attachment of sac. Some place them right in their webs. Either way, when this sac matures, it could produce hundreds of baby spiders.

Spider Nests

Different than webs and sacs, spiders will also tend to erect what is commonly referred to as nests. These constructs oftentimes are mistaken for spider webs, as they do tend to give off the look of a messy spider web or a web in mid-construction. Also, like webs, these constructs are commonly found in corners near the floors or ceilings. The biggest difference between the two is that spiders generally try to erect these nests in darker locations. Nests are also used to capture prey.

Live Or Dead Spiders

One never hopes to encounter multiple spiders throughout their property but there is always the real possibility when an infestation is present. Identifying spider species can be much trickier than most would imagine, as there are over 40,000 known species across the globe. While it is entirely possible to properly identify species on the property, this is a task much better left to the professionals.

Spider Prevention And Where To Look

Just because you haven’t experienced any of the common symptoms of a spider infestation it does not mean that you are 100% completely spider-free. You might not be looking in the right places or the infestation might be so minimal and contained that you just haven’t noticed it yet. That said, most homeowners don’t typically notice a presence because they simply aren’t looking. Most people have the mentality of, why go looking for problems if problems aren’t there?

It’s all about prevention! Getting ahead of most situations is the only way to deter or prevent disaster. Simply think of it as general home maintenance. If you want a clear conscious you’re going to need to know where to look. Spider presence can usually be found in dark, secluded areas of the property and home. Some species even buckle down in burrows as opposed to webs. There are even nomadic or free-ranging species that just freely root around, going about their daily activities.

These species typically like to take up residence in cracks and crevices when they do bed down. Basements, cellars, attics, crawlspaces, exposed wall openings, sheds, gardens, and other damp locations are where you’ll want to start your search. Remember, the majority of spider species prey and feed on ants, flies, woodlice, and sometimes even other spiders. Meaning, where there is a plentiful and ample supply of other insects, you are like to uncover a spider‘s presence.

In fact, the presence of spiders usually means the likely indication of other problems. There is a reason or maybe several that spiders choose to build their webs and nests on your property. It could be an abundant population of mosquitos or other insects. It could be trash. It might even be standing, stagnate water. What the case might be, these are all things we can help you identify and eliminate. All it takes is a single phone call to schedule your free in-home consultation today!

Cellar Spiders

With all the convenient technology available today, the safest possible way for a homeowner to go about identifying a spider is by snapping a pic. This is likely a simple process that most are already more than familiar with. Such photos should allow you to access and key in only strategic identifying characteristics. If you are witty enough, you can even place a clear glass or jar over the spider and capture an image. Just remember, if the spider feels threatened, it will likely respond aggressively.

Cellar spiders are extremely common in the United States as well as Canada. There are two subspecies of the cellar spider. There is the short-bodied cellar spider and the long-bodied cellar spider. Both typically like to construct their webs and nests in dark, moist environments like cellars, warehouses, barns, or garages. They’ll spend their days lounging about, feasting on other insects and spiders.

The long-bodied species is commonly mistaken as being venomous and lethal. However, this is not the case at all as they don’t even contain the necessary mouthparts to pierce a human’s skin. These species are brown to tan-bodied with clear, near-translucent legs.

Harvestmen Spiders

If you are familiar with daddy-long-legs you’re already familiar with the next common household spider on the list. However, to technically classify it as a spider is a bit of a stretch. The reason we are even putting them on the list is that they are commonly mistaken for the cellar spider. Harvestmen do take on the same shape but are more of a yellowish color with two distinct body parts. To the untrained eye, it will appear that this species only contains a single, brown or grey oval segment with spindly legs protruding. Upon closer inspection, you’ll see that this is not the case at all.

Luckily, harvestmen are not venomous and are generally found outside in wooded areas or gardens.

Jumping Spiders

Most people don’t know that spiders jump but they do! In fact, there are a variety of species that jump. Thanks to this unique characteristic, all jumping spiders fall under the salticidae species. Jumping spiders are also referred to as hunting spiders because they hunt their prey as well as lesser species of spiders. These spiders possess the unique ability to leap nearly six inches depending on the species. They are usually inadvertently brought into the home with firewood or plants. Be sure to triple-check everything you bring into the home.

As for appearance, jumping spiders usually feature red and white marking on the abdominal region, causing them to be widely mistaken for the infamous black widow. None of these species are considered dangerous. Many even welcome their presence, as they hunt and eat other spiders and insects.

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