Yes, spiders are very beneficial in controlling certain insects on the perimeter of your home, but inside your home is a whole different story. That’s when one spider is too much!

There are two types of spiders. One spins webs to catch their prey and the other one, which is a lot scarier, is the hunter spiders. It’s easy to see a spider web and stay away, but when you’re sitting in your living room and a spider crawls through, most people jump with fear. These are the hunters. When he’s not hiding in the shadows waiting for his prey to walk by, he’s moving to a different more productive spot to hunt. That’s usually when he’s spotted. Mostly active at night, which also adds to the fear factor.

All spiders are poisonous, it’s not just the famous Black Widow and Brown Recluse. To “kill” its prey, when the spider sinks his fangs into his prey, the toxin kills his prey so the spider can then sit and enjoy his meal. Spiders do not hunt down humans like the famous movie Arachnophobia (which is a real fear with a huge population of people which ranks higher than the fear of public speaking, dying, and even the dentist!).

The spider will bite humans by accident. Crawling over us while we sleep, we may feel the tickle, go to swipe it away and as the spider feels threatened it will bite. If you’ve ever woke up with an itchy bit, or swollen red area, it could be caused by a spider. Mosquitoes puncture our skin with one spear like stab looking for blood, same as a flea. The spider has fangs, which means two entry points can be seen, maybe by zooming in with your phone camera. The itch you feel is from the venom left behind, just like a wasp or bee.

Cobwebs are a sign you may have a spider infestation in the home. Nothing else creates silk webs in the corners of your home. These “dust catchers” are obnoxious and are left behind because the “hunting spot” wasn’t productive. So, rather than refreshen the silk web like an active spider will continue to do, the spider moves on. A good example is the webs you have around the outside of your home. Notice how “loaded” these productive webs are by all the insects that were trapped and eaten. These webs are usually found around lights, because as we all know, insects are attracted to light.

Hunting spiders do not spin webs. They do produce silk and when their prey is slowly dying from the venom that the spider injected, they wrap the prey up so he’s not crawling off while the venom takes over. As mentioned earlier, all spiders are poisonous, but the type of neurotoxin each spider produces will depend on which ones can poison you, or in the case of certain spiders like the Black Widow, can kill you.

Hunting spiders are the largest spiders. In fact, the Tarantula belongs to this group of spiders. The Wolf spider, which is a common spider in our area, is usually the big hairy fast-moving spider that makes our phones ring. Nothing else will ruin a night of Netflix and popcorn quicker than a Wolf spider running across the room! Our Pets usually will let us know there’s an intruder in the room. Usually, it’s up to the bravest person in the room to grab something to smash it with a shoe or book, notice even the brave spider killer never uses their hand!

The Fall season is known for the cooler nights and the great migration of insects into siding and eventually our homes. Where the insects go in so do the spiders. They are just simply following the food source. So, it’s time to “close the kitchen” before your basement is set up with webs, or worse, the Wolf spider is on the prowl.

Perimeter applications are the best solution to this upcoming invasion. Some people may say, “Well I’ll just caulk all the holes up.” The possibility of sealing and finding all the entry points available to a spider is next to impossible and very time consuming! A carefully applied outside application by a professional pest control applicator like ours is much easier. The inside of the garage is also a hot spot and should be treated. The corners of your homes should be covered as well.

Call Guardian Pest Control today at 877-924-7378(PEST) and we’ll help you enjoy your cool evenings on the couch without any goosebumps and screams!