A wide variety of spiders can make it into your home. Many of them are relatively harmless, but others can cause serious medical issues for your family and pets with their bites. Most spiders in our service areas don’t pose a threat to humans, but they can be quite the nuisance. Seeing spiders in your home can also signal that another pest is present.
How Harmless Are Spiders?
Whether they’re venomous or after insects, spiders are predators that use their webs to trap prey. Most species in your house are relatively harmless but in certain parts of the US, you need to be on the lookout for black widow and brown recluse spiders.
How can you tell the difference between these species and common house spiders? The brown recluse is distinguished by a violin-shaped mark on top of its cephalothorax (head and thorax) and a black window displays a red, hourglass-shaped mark below its abdomen.
What makes spiders different from insects?
- They are predators that go after insects, other spiders and, depending on size, some small mammals and reptiles.
- They have two, rather than three body regions – the cephalothorax and the abdomen.
- Spiders have neither wings nor antennae, have eight legs and have three or four pairs of eyes.
- Nearly all types of spiders create webs, although some simply hunt for prey.
- They prefer a range of habitats: Dark, damp areas to dry, warm areas. In your home, they may start building webs in the basement, crawl spaces, vents and corners.
- Although spiders do bite, they don’t actively seek out humans to attack. Because spiders use their fangs and venom to feed, biting only occurs when they sense a threat.
Why Homes Have Spiders
While spiders are a key part of the ecosystem, they’re like many other creatures: They need moisture, food and warmth, and your home looks like a good spot. Spiders will crawl through loose screens, cracks around doors and windows to get inside. If your home already has an insect problem, it’s a greater incentive for spiders to catch their prey.
Spiders can also enter through potted plants, firewood and anything that has been stored away in a basement, attic or separate storage unit. Once there, spiders reproduce quickly and spread throughout your home. In fact, a female spider will produce more than 1,600 eggs over the course of her life!
Once living in your home, spiders will congregate in:
- Piles of firewood
- Debris and clutter
- Under items lying on the ground
- In dark, hollow areas
- In attics and crawl spaces
In the meantime, to prevent more spider habitats and avoid bites, consider:
- Sealing your clothing and shoes inside plastic bags or storage containers.
- Shaking out clothing you have left out before putting them on.
- Keeping beds away from the walls and curtains.
- Removing any bed skirts and avoid using sheets and bedspreads that touch the floor.
Expert Spider Extermination in CT, NY, MA & RI
You shouldn’t have to live with pests building webs, contaminating your food or scaring guests. To get rid of them we:
- Identify the species of spider present in your home to determine if it’s harmful.
- Use safe insecticidal sprays and flushing treatments to get rid of all pests.
- Assist with clearing out all webs.
- Remove sources that could be attracting spiders – clutter in your yard, attic and crawl spaces, other insects and firewood or ground covers.
Eliminate ‘Em guarantees fast, safe and reliable results on all our pest control services. If you have a spider problem, you can expect:
- Only EPA-approved solutions and products to be used in your home
- We’ll always be on time!
- We’ll seal off entry points that spiders could use to get back in your home
- Knowledgeable technicians who are licensed and certified
- Guaranteed spider control services
We provide top-notch control services at great prices and our family guarantees your spider problem will be solved.
