While most spiders are not dangerous, their resistance to ordinary DIY pest treatments make them more than a nuisance.
It is not unusual for people to instinctively dislike spiders and to be repelled by the idea of sharing a home with them. If a solitary spider is seen indoors, this does not necessarily indicate a problem.
However, when families experience a spider hatch or when they feel like their property is overrun by these creatures, then it is time to seek an exterminator.
Wolf spiders have the most fearsome reputation in the region thanks to their dark, hairy bodies and large size. Some adult females can grow to be two inches long. Members of the species may be identified by the faint outline of a Union Jack on their grayish-brown back. With eight eyes in three tight rows, this predator is adapted to hunt, and it is equipped with two large fangs.
Common house spiders are easy to identify because of the v-shaped stripes in colors like brown, tan and gray that adorn their bodies. Sometimes, they have orange or yellow legs that are long and thin and that have dark rings near the feet. On the top of the spider's abdomen is a triangular black mark and they are comparable in size to a nickel.
Known for lurking beneath beds and in dark corners, the pale long-legged sac spider is an ambush predator. While the abdomen is pale and has a central marking, the thorax is darker. Color combinations of ivory and brown are most common. However, sightings of this species may find individuals with abdomens that are dark yellow, pale green or white. The feet on these spiders are black though their legs are a lighter shade.
Its long front legs may make the agrarian sac spider easier to identify. Like the long-legged sac spider, members of this species are pale in shades like tan and gray, but they do have darker cephalothoraxes. Otherwise, this species is nondescript with few noticeable markings.
The broad-faced sac spider is more colorful. This spider has a brown head while its abdomen is gray. The legs can be a colorful orange or red, and these spiders have a sizable set of pincers that look like an extra pair of legs. With prominent fangs, this is one of the area's more fearsome-looking spiders.
Rarely found indoors, grass spiders have yellowish-brown, hard upper shells. Along the length of the body are two distinctive stripes. Close examination reveals that this spider's abdomen is several shades darker than its upper shell.
WHAT DO SPIDERS EAT?
Wolf spiders are consummate predators that specialize in hunting insects like crickets, grasshoppers, earwigs, ants and flies. Thanks to keen eyesight and excellent maneuverability, wolf spiders are efficient at controlling pests.
Wolf spiders are not the only hunters. Long-legged sac spiders also are known to eat both insects and arthropods. Further, they may eat nectar from certain preferred plants.
Because grass spiders typically construct their funnel-shaped webs across the surface of soil or grass, they eat many walking insects. However, it is not unusual for flying insects also to become ensnared, which means that these spiders may eat flies, mosquitoes, ants and wasps.
Broad-faced sac spiders and agrarian sac spiders eat regular diets of insects and arthropods. Frequently, they will eat other arachnids, sometimes managing to trap and eat spiders that are larger than they are.
WHERE DO SPIDERS LIVE?
Wolf spiders prefer habitats with plenty of cover like forests or in the vegetation that grows alongside a lake or stream. Grasslands, pastures and fields are other likely habitats. When living close to people, they may be found in garages, sheds, attics and anywhere else that is dark and cluttered.
When living in nature, the long-legged sac spider has an interesting habit of rolling up leaves and spinning a sleep sac. Sometimes, these sleep sacs are discovered in the upper corners of rooms, from which the spiders emerge at night to find food.
People's homes are the favored habitat of the common house spider. The upper corners of doors, windows and rooms as well as light fixtures are the most common places to find webs.
Agrarian sac spiders prefer to spin a small nest under a leaf or a rock or within a shrub or tree while the broad-faced sac spider may be found under leaf litter or a discarded board. This species often comes indoors in the fall, looking for a dry place to live.
Grass spiders are most likely to be seen in the webs that they place across the surface of soil or grass. If the weather gets cold enough, they will come indoors.
DAMAGE CAUSED BY SPIDERS
Termites and rodents are destructive pests, but spiders are not. Nonetheless, they do make a mess with their habitual web-spinning, and their presence may signal that more destructive pests are on-site.
ARE SPIDERS AGGRESSIVE?
Many spider species are adapted to be nocturnal, which minimizes their exposure to people. Even those that are active in the daytime tend to avoid human interaction. Bites are most likely to occur if people try to handle spiders.
DO SPIDERS CARRY DISEASE?
Spiders have fangs and jaws that can be used in defense, but bites involving human victims are relatively rare and generally not serious.
Spiders may inject venom with their bite, and people sometimes exhibit an allergic reaction that can make for prolonged discomfort. The broad-faced sac spider's bite is considered the most painful, and it may cause a secondary infection if the arachnid has been feeding on dead arthropods.
HOW TO DETECT SPIDERS
Signs of a spider problem include:
• Large insect population • Spiders frequently found inside the home • Many webs found on a multitude of indoor and outdoor structures
HOW TO PREVENT SPIDERS
To help prevent spider control issues the following steps should be taken:
• Use yellow sodium vapor lights in outdoor fixtures • Repair tears in window and door screens • Fix cracks and holes in building exteriors • Cover vents with fine mesh screens • Get rid of indoor and outdoor clutter • Adopt a pet like a cat or frog that eats spiders and other pests
HOW TO TREAT FOR SPIDERS
Proper spider treatment involves the detection and elimination of all webs. If this is not done, spiders are likely to re-infest the structure. Generally, spider infestations should be treated by a pest control professional with the equipment and experience to get the job done safely and effectively.
At Newtown Termite & Pest Control, Inc., we do not take your spider problems lightly. That is why we use a multifaceted process including the treatment of wall voids, attics, and cracks and crevices throughout the premise with gels, dusts, and other specialized products.Spiders perform a useful service in the natural world by controlling the population of pests. However, problems may be indicated when a property is overrun by spiders.
