Finding spiders in your Bay Area house can be scary. It’s hard to know if the type of spider you’re looking at is dangerous or benign. Some perfectly harmless spiders resemble the more deadly species. The worst part is getting it wrong, which can mean the difference between a pleasant evening at home and a trip to the Emergency Room.
Fortunately, most of the spiders we encounter in our homes here in the Bay Area are harmless. All spiders are venomous, but not all spiders have potent enough venom to put humans in danger. Most of the time, you’ll encounter the benign kind. Here’s how to tell the difference.
Harmless VS. Harmful Spiders
As we said above, most of the types of spiders homeowners deal with in the Bay Area are harmless. Common house spiders, for example, are some of the most common spiders you’ll find in your home (hence their very literal name). These spiders aren’t capable of inflicting a bite that’s much worse than a bee sting. Unless you’re allergic to arachnid venom, you can expect to experience little more than localized pain and swelling and maybe some itching.
On the other hand, we have a couple of spider varieties that pack a medically significant bite. These spiders can’t kill most healthy adults but pose a mortal danger to children and the elderly. They can make adults very sick.
Black Widow Spiders
Black widows are the most dangerous spider in our area. These arachnids are shiny black with a red hourglass marking on their underbelly. Black widow spiders weave webs in the dark corners of your house. They also pack a bite that can trigger symptoms ranging from nausea and vomiting to muscle spasms and other neurological symptoms. If you think a black widow has bitten you, call your doctor right away. If your small child has been bitten, seek immediate emergency medical attention.
Brown Recluse Spiders
Unlike black widows, brown recluses have hemotoxic venom instead of neurotoxic. That means when this spider bites you, you may not experience anything but a minor wound. The worst-case scenario is necrosis, or tissue death, around the site of the bite.
Lots of common house spider varieties look like brown recluses, fiddle marking, and all. The main difference is that brown recluses are very plain. They have nothing but a dark brown fiddle marking on a lighter brown body: no stripes or other patterns. Even so, if you see a spider that could be a brown recluse, treat it like it is if you aren’t sure.
The Best Way To Get Rid Of Spiders
Those who want to get a head start on getting rid of spiders know that prevention is vital. You can take a few steps to directly prevent spiders, such as sweeping away the webs spiders weave or eliminating the clutter they like to hide in. However, the best way to control spiders is to stop what’s attracting them. If you start seeing an uptick of spider activity in your home, it’s a safe bet you have another infestation drawing them in. Roaches, silverfish, ants, flies, and other bugs can all attract spiders.
That means the best way to get rid of spiders is to get rid of the infestations attracting them. To keep prey items like roaches and ants away:
- Cover all indoor and outdoor trash.
- Keep foods in the fridge or airtight containers.
- Seal all cracks and holes in your home’s exterior.
- Never leave pet foods or dirty dishes sitting out.
- Trim back tree branches and shrubs from around your house.
If you still can’t get rid of spiders, no matter what you do, we can help. Here at Bay Pest Solutions, we can handle anything spiders throw at us. Not only can we eliminate the spider infestation in your home, but we can get rid of the prey infestations causing it. So give us a call or visit our contact page to get started!