Spiders

The Spider seems to be a creature that strikes fear into the hearts of many people.  Most of us don’t want them anywhere near where we are, and we don’t want to see them crawling or hanging around!  And we certainly don’t want to do a crazy dance to rid ourselves of a web that we accidentally walk through, while wondering where the web’s owner has disappeared to!!  However, there are approximately 3,000 species of spider in North America, and only two of these species pose much of a serious health threat to humans ….the Widow Spider and the Brown Recluse, although others can deliver a bite that causes localized painful allergic reactions, these two can cause death and/or large tissue damage.  In fact, as long as they are outside of our home, not posing danger or annoyance to us, many spiders can be very beneficial in keeping insect populations down.
   
Spiders have a body with two segments and eight legs.  Most have three or four pairs of eyes.  Even with so many eyes, many species do not see well at all, while others, like the Jumping Spider, see very well.  They come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes.  They also nest in many different types of settings; some spin webs up high or down low, some hide in cracks and crevices, some nest under rocks or vegetation, some prefer dark and damp places, some like dry warm places.  Almost all like cluttered areas or isolated, undisturbed areas where they can hide, or lie in wait for prey to catch for their next meal.  Spiders do not have large biting mouth parts, they rely on enzymes; to paralyze, to break their food down into small pieces or a liquefied mass that they can swallow, and also to deliver a painful stinging bite in some cases. Spiders are capable of spinning strong silk fibers which they use to fashion webs, to line nests, to form protective egg sacks, and to encase prey for later consumption.  In a heavy spider infestation, these webs can become very unsightly and annoying; seeming to reappear and multiply faster than you can tear them down.

Spiders enter your home much the same as any other pest.  They enter through tiny gaps and crevices, or they or their eggs are carried inside as hitchhikers in boxes, papers, or other items that offer hiding places.  They enter your home looking for a meal and stay because they are finding prey.  Because spiders legs hold them up above the surfaces they cross, because they hide away in tiny crevices, and because spiders lay eggs in protected sacks; it can be difficult to rid your home of spiders with over the counter contact products which evaporate quickly and never make contact with the spiders’ mouth or body to cause damage.  Also, ridding your premises of spiders can be a process, which can take several different applications timed appropriately with their life cycle in mind, to kill the adult spiders and eggs as they are hatching before those young mature and lay more eggs.

The licensed pest professionals at PPS are well equipped and experienced in the best, quickest, most effective ways of ridding your home or office of spiders, and in most cases, we will be able to knock down the unsightly webs around your building’s perimeter as well during a monthly service.

The Brown Recluse Spider is a poisonous spider that is hazardous to humans.  As their name implies, they are solitary and reclusive, preferring to shelter in dark, dry, and undisturbed places such as: seldom moved boxes, dark closet corners, attics, basements, cluttered dusty areas, in cracks and crevices, and longstanding woodpiles.  Their web is spun more as a retreat shelter than for catching prey.  Males and Females are both aggressive if disturbed and can deliver a bite that may not be painful right away, but becomes intensely painful hours later with a blister forming, which may ulcerate and cause massive tissue damage as the poison spreads.  Medical attention should be sought if you suspect you’ve been bitten by a Brown Recluse spider, and a qualified pest professional should be consulted to rid your residence/office of an infestation, as they are very dangerous.

The easily recognizable Black Widow Spider is a round bodied, shiny, black spider with a distinctive red hourglass shape on its abdomen.  There are also other Widow spiders that range from grey to brown in color with the telltale hourglass marking.  Females are generally larger and more aggressive and will deliver a venomous sting if disturbed, especially if there is no line of retreat or they are guarding eggs.  The bite can be problematic to someone allergic to the poisonous enzymes the spider injects and medical advice should be sought!  Black widows prefer to build low, irregular shaped, thick webs in warm, dry, dark places and underneath something that shelters from weather.  Widow spiders are generally solitary and will cannibalize males after mating and even some of their young after hatching if they need food.

There are many other species of spider that can inhabit your living spaces, some merely annoying, some capable of painful bites.  The presence of spiders also often indicates the presence of other pests that they prey upon.  The professionals at PPS can help you economically rid your home of these insect and spider pests, so you can rest easy without worrying about creepy crawly creatures in and around your home.  Call us for a free custom quote!