Spider Identification & Prevention
What are spiders?
Most people are afraid of spiders because of the bad rap they get in movies and books. But the truth is that spiders are eco-friendly pests whose hunting and feeding habits help control pests that can cause damage in gardens and crop fields and overtake our outdoor spaces.
Spiders in our area that regularly make appearances in our Alabama yards and often wind up in our homes include brown recluse spiders, daddy long legs, house spiders, and wolf spiders.
Though each spider in our area has its own unique appearance, below are things they have in common:
- The ability to produce silk
- The ability to inject venom using fang-like structures
- Eight legs
- Two body segments
- A lack of wings and antennae
To identify the exact spider on your property, reach out to experienced professionals like those at EnviroCare.
Are spiders dangerous?
The brown recluse spider is an example of a dangerous spider in our area. The venom these spiders possess is powerful enough to elicit a response in people. Symptoms of a brown recluse spider bite include fever, nausea, chills, and itching at the bite site. The skin around the bite tends to ulcerate, is prone to infestation, and is slow to heal.
The good news is that most spiders you will come into contact with are harmless. But nobody can enjoy gardening, eating outside, or being inside their home when spiders are lurking about in large numbers.
Why do I have a spider problem?
There are two reasons spiders have become a problem inside your home; entry points are allowing them access inside, and there are insects inside to hunt.
Once spiders find a way into your home, they will move throughout it, searching for insect prey. A spider's relatively small size allows them to move in and out of cracks and spaces they find in walls, ceilings, and around pipes and floors.
Spiders can breed and lay their eggs indoors. Therefore, the longer spiders find food in your home and are left undisturbed, the more problematic they will become
Where will I find spiders?
Whether living outside in our yards or inside our homes, burrowing spiders like wolf spiders mainly hang out at ground level. Web-building spiders like house spiders are more likely to place their webs up off the ground.
Insects like flies, ants, and roaches are in your home because they feed on the food they find in its kitchens and pantries. Spiders then enter your house to feed on those insects. In addition to kitchens and pantries, spiders hang out in damp, dark areas like basements, crawl spaces, bathrooms, and closets.
Living in the quieter areas of your home and being naturally reclusive allows spiders to hide for long periods, but eventually, like other pests, their numbers will become too large to ignore!
How do I get rid of spiders?
Let EnviroCare help you maintain your Alabama home so that at every turn, you aren't coming face to face with spiders.
Our detailed and professional pest services will solve the problem you are experiencing with spiders and other household pests and implement the regular, customized services necessary to keep them from returning. Our professionals use the latest techniques and treatments to solve pest problems in an environmentally responsible manner. We are easy on you and tough on pests; we can handle any pest infestation!
To learn more about our home pest control or commercial pest management options in Birmingham, reach out to us at EnviroCare today.
How can I prevent spiders in the future?
Use the following prevention tips to keep excessive numbers of spiders from taking over your Alabama property.
- Regularly inspect your home for webs, knocking down any you discover. Web-building spiders need them for survival; disturbing them will make them want to move somewhere else.
- Reduce clutter from your home or yard that burrowing spiders like to hide under.
- Seal up your home's exterior; caulk cracks in the foundation, place door sweeps on exterior doors, and repair damaged screens.
- Cut back bushes and other landscaping from your home's exterior.
- Do things that will make your property less attractive to insects like flies that spiders like to feed on; keep lids on trash cans, turn off outdoor lights, remove standing water, wash dishes regularly, and pick up uneaten pet food.
Keep spiders out of your home by working together with us; call EnviroCare today for more information about effective pest solutions in the Birmingham area!
