Spider Identification & Prevention

What are spiders?

Spiders are arachnids; though they vary in size, color, and shape, they all have two body parts, eight legs, and chelicerae (fangs). Additionally, all spiders lack antennae and wings. Web-building spiders build webs to catch their prey, while other species of spiders build burrows. Spiders are beneficial pests and play an important role in the ecosystem. All spiders are predators, feeding on nuisance insects and other spiders helping to keep their populations in check. Most spiders living throughout the United States are harmless nuisance pests, but there are some dangerous species of spiders.

Two of the most common species of spiders in our area are listed below:

• Black widow spider
  Black widow spiders have round bodies that are shiny and black, with eight very thin legs. They have an red hourglass-shaped mark on the underside of their abdomens, and some have light red or white markings on their abdomens and back. When they bite, they deliver venom that attacks a person's nervous system.
• Brown recluse spider
  Brown recluse spiders are grayish-yellow to dark black, and their legs are a darker color than their bodies. Gray hair covers their abdomens, and they have a distinctive, violin-shaped pattern on the top of the bodies. Their venom causes skin the ulcerate around the bite site.

Are spiders dangerous?

Most of the spiders we come across in our homes and yards are species of nuisance spiders and pose no risk to people, other than being annoying to deal with and hard to control and eliminate; however, some spiders have the potential to be dangerous if their venom is strong enough to cause health problems in people. Brown recluse and black widow spiders are both dangerous spiders, although you can manage the effects of their bites with proper medical attention.

Why do I have a spider problem?

Spiders take advantage of any yard or other property that offers them a suitable place to burrow or create their webs and to hunt for food. If your yard is home to a lot of insects, you will find that you also have a lot of spiders around. Gardens, thick vegetation, woodpiles, and trees attract both insects and hunting spiders. Spiders mainly live outside but will move into homes, garages, sheds, and other structures while out hunting for prey.

Where will I find spiders?

Spiders live outside in areas of dense vegetation such as gardens, tall grass, and shrubbery. They also hide behind shutters and siding, under decks, and in doorways. Garages, sheds, barns, and other outbuildings make great places for spiders to live in seclusion and hunt prey. When they find their way into a home, they hide and build their webs in quiet, dark, less-traveled areas. Inside spiders hide under furniture, in the corners of rooms, behind window treatments, in closets, and bathrooms.