Spiders are typically not the worst pest you can get in your Austin, TX home, but so many people are so creeped out by them that they can’t stand the idea of having one in their house. Most of the time, the spiders we find in our homes aren’t dangerous. The United States only has three different spiders able to inflict medically significant bites – and none of them typically pose a mortal danger to healthy adults. Even the infamous black widow can’t normally inflict a lethal bite. That doesn’t mean you want a houseful of spiders. They may not be a threat to your life, but spider bites are still painful, and some can lead to severe illness.
Common Area Spiders
- American Grass Spiders: This common funnel weaver looks kind of like the wolf spider. They weave tangled webs and run to catch prey that becomes trapped. American grass spiders are harmless, so don’t worry about being bitten.
- Black Widow Spider: Black widows are on the more dangerous end of the spectrum. A bite from one of these shiny, black spiders can lead to muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and more. You may need to seek medical help for severe symptoms.
- Brown Recluse Spider: Brown recluses are another area spider that can cause more serious symptoms. Necrosis is a big issue with brown recluse bites. The tissue around the site of the bite may blacken and die. If this happens, medical intervention can be necessary to prevent scarring and infection.
- Carolina Wolf Spider: Another harmless spider, the Carolina wolf spider doesn’t weave webs. Instead, it likes to ambush its prey. It will hide in a burrow or other dark spot so it can jump out on unsuspecting insects that crawl by.
- Yellow Garden Orb Weaver Spider: This beautiful black and yellow painted spider is another harmless arachnid. They’re sometimes referred to as writing spiders because of the unique patterns they weave into their webs. These spiders weave aerial webs to catch flying insects.
Spider Prevention
Spiders are predators, and some of their favorite prey includes pests that are a lot worse than they are – like flies, ants, roaches, and silverfish. So having a few spiders around your home (assuming they’re not black widows or brown recluses) is not such a bad thing. However, you don’t want hundreds or thousands of them running around your house.
The thing is most spiders aren’t drawn to the typical attractants that draw other insects. Most of the time, spiders are attracted to primary infestations of their favorite prey items. That means the best thing you can do to keep spiders away is to keep their favorite prey away.
- Clear clutter to eliminate hiding places for spiders and their prey.
- Store foods that could attract spider prey in airtight containers.
- Cover all indoor and outdoor garbage cans with tightly fitting lids to avoid attracting spider prey.
- Keep landscaping and tree limbs trimmed back away from your home.
- Sweep away all cobwebs you find.
- Seal off holes and cracks in your home’s exterior to eliminate potential spider and other pest entry points.
If you keep seeing multiple spiders in your home, you probably don’t just have a spider problem. You may also have a roach, ant, or other insect problem you don’t know about. Here at White Knight Pest Control, our trained and certified experts can help you get rid of your spider infestation as well as any secondary infestations that may be attracting spiders. So give us a call at (844) 512-7378 or visit our contact page to schedule your home pest control service today.