Spider Identification Guide Across the Mid West and East Coast

What are spiders?

Spiders are predators and so feed on other living things. Some of their favorite things to eat include flies, mosquitoes, and garden pests. People tend to have a love/hate relationship with spiders; we love that they feed on dangerous and nuisance insects, but we hate when they invade our homes.

Being arachnids, spiders have two body segments, eight legs, and lack wings and antennae. Because they vary in size, shape, and behavior, knowing which species has taken over your property is difficult. The best way to identify which of our areas most common spiders are in your home is to partner with a professional.

a black widow spider on a web

Some of the more common spiders people in our area deal with regularly include:

  • Black widow spiders
  • Brown recluse spiders
  • Wolf spiders
  • House spiders

Are spiders dangerous in AL, GA, FL, KY, MA, TN, or TX?

Whether or not a spider is dangerous depends on which species it is. Fortunately, most of the spiders living in our area and across the United States are harmless to humans. Wolf spiders and house spiders are both examples of nuisance spiders. While they are unpleasant to find hiding in your closets, they also won’t cause you any direct harm.

Both black widow spiders and brown recluse spiders are dangerous. All spiders possess venom that they use to paralyze their prey, dangerous spiders have venom strong enough to cause health problems in people. The venom of black widow spiders attacks the central nervous system. A brown widow spider's venom causes the ulceration of tissue around the bite site.

Why do I have a spider problem?

If you have insects living in your yard or home, you will have spiders hunting them. The more insect activity, the more spiders there will be. Spiders and their insect prey are also attracted to properties that offer them plenty of sheltered areas to build their webs or burrows like shrubs, trees, woodpiles, and garden areas.

Where will I find spiders?

Spiders are active year-round, but their activity level is highest during the summer months when the weather is warmest, and there are plenty of insects to feed on. When insects move inside to overwinter, spiders follow. It is typically not the weather that drives spiders indoors, but rather the prey they hunt migrating indoors.

Once inside, spiders like to hide in quiet, undisturbed areas out of sight. Closets, boxes, attics, basements, spaces under furniture, and outbuildings are common hideouts for spiders.

How do I get rid of spiders?

Urbanex is the best choice to get rid of spiders from your property. We offer our customers peace of mind knowing that problems with nuisance or dangerous pests will be solved and they won’t return. At Urbanex, we offer modern and effective pest control services that provide maximum results. To learn why so many home and business owners trust us with their pest control needs, reach out to us today!

How can I prevent spiders in the future?

Prevent problems in the future with spiders with the help of the experts at Urbanex. In addition, use the following spider prevention tips:

  • Get rid of unwanted vegetation in your yard. Spiders love to hide in dense overgrown vegetation.
  • Damp soil attracts many insects and hungry spiders. Keep the soil around your home’s foundation dry by making sure gutters are working and keeping shrubs, bushes, and trees trimmed back from your home’s exterior walls.
  • Exterior lights and open containers of trash attract insects and the spiders that hunt them to your home. Switch out traditional lightbulbs with LED lights, which are less attractive to insects. Keep lids on trash cans to keep foraging insects out of them.
  • Repair any openings in your home’s exterior walls and foundation that spiders can enter through.
  • Make sure screens in windows and doors are tight-fitting and are without rips or tears.
  • Regularly vacuum and remove any spider webs from the corners of your home. If you remove a spider’s webs, it annoys them and makes them move on.
 

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