Are The Spiders In Kittitas County Dangerous?

You see them when you're trimming your landscape vegetation or working in your garden. You see them clinging to the webs they've created near an exterior light fixture or in a void between a window pane and screen. You find them popping up inside your home in unexpected places, and they create webs for you to clean up. We're talking about spiders. Most of those eight-legged pests are harmless spiders, but some spiders bite, and there is one spider that has potent venom that is cause for some concern. Join us today as we examine these creepy pests that find their way into our homes. We'll look at how to tell if the spider in your home is dangerous, the symptoms of a dangerous spider bite, effective and all-natural spider prevention tips, and what professionals do to address spider problems. If you'd like to see firsthand how a pest professional can help you get spiders out and keep them out, contact us. Prosite offers effective spider pest control in Kittitas County. We'll walk you through the process, discuss your options, and guide you toward a solution that works best for you and your budget. If you just want to know more about spiders and spider prevention, you'll find some great tips here.

How To Tell If The Spider In Your Home Is Dangerous

We have quite a few spiders in Washington State. Identification of these spiders is often difficult, but don't worry. You don't have to become a spider expert to protect yourself and your family from dangerous spiders. We only have one medically important spider in the state. It is the black widow. You may already know these spiders are black and shiny and are adorned with a red hourglass marking on the bottom of the abdomen. If you see a spider that looks like this, you've found an adult female black widow spider. The baby spiders and the males don't look like the females. So, the first step in telling whether or not your Kittitas County home has dangerous spiders is to learn to identify them.

Dangerous Spider Identification: Inspect your home and check hiding places that are low to the ground. Use a flashlight to inspect sockets, recesses, and entrances to voids. If you see a spider, here are a few visual characteristics to consider.

• Females have a bulbous shape, you may almost imagine they are black light bulbs with legs. Silly, but helpful. A female is about 1 ½ to 1 ⅜ inches long. Most have a red hourglass, but some have a marking that is yellow.
• Male black widow spiders are half the size of the females, and you may mistake one for a baby spider if you see it sitting next to its mate. It is mostly brown and has dots of color. It does not have the bulbous shape of the female but is shaped like a pill.
• Baby black widow spiders (called nymphs) emerge from their eggs as tiny, white spiders with some dots. As they grow, females will have red (or yellowish) dots on the abdomen. Males will turn brown with dots.

Most of the time, you won't see these pests in your home. They do a good job of hiding. Therefore, you'll have to know other ways to detect these spiders. The most identifiable sign is the appearance of webs.

Dangerous Spider Web Identification: Inspect dark, secluded spaces. Look in areas where these spiders can find food sources, such as crickets, centipedes, other spiders, and small rodents. Attics, basements, boiler rooms, and storage rooms are the first places to check. As you look, keep these web characteristics in mind.

• Black widows make tangled webs. While they look like a mess, the messy design is purposeful. Their webs are designed to capture larger insects and other prey.
• Black widows make webs in low areas. You are far more likely to find a web underneath a stored couch than you are to find one in your attic rafters.
• The strands of a black widow spider web are strong. If you break one, it may create a plucking sound, like a string breaking. But we don't recommend reaching into a dark space to break a black widow spider web strand!

If you find black widows in your Kittitas County home, how concerned should you be? Let's quickly look at their venom, how they administer venom, and side effects to keep in mind.  

The Side Effects Of Being Bitten By A Dangerous Spider

First, why do we say side effects? It is because the bad feeling you get when a spider gives you a dose of venom is your body fighting the venom. If you have a strong immune system, your body will likely fight the venom with less of a bad reaction. If you have a weak immune system, it will likely result in severe symptoms. The severity of the symptoms is also impacted by how much venom the spider injects. Sometimes a black widow will cause a dry bite, which is when no venom is injected into the wound.

How deadly is a black widow? The last recorded death from a black widow spider bite in the United States was in 1983. If you have a fear of spiders, this should provide some comfort. You should also know that the male spiders aren't known to bite, and the females aren't prone to bite. More good news.

If you are bitten and envenomated, you'll have flu-like symptoms: fever, chills, body aches, etc. You may experience more severe symptoms if you have a bad reaction. You may have cramping, nausea, tremors, vomiting, and more. Always seek medical attention when bitten by a black widow and are exhibiting any symptoms.      

Naturally Effective Spider Prevention Tips For Around The House

The primary way to address black widow spiders is to remove food options. These spiders prefer an environment that is food-rich. They also prefer a secluded space that is dusty. Here are a few tips to help you drive these scary spiders out and keep them out.

• Address indoor pests. These are the food black widow spiders eat.
• Clean your attic spaces and remove clutter.
• Consider having pest control insulation installed in your attic.
• Install dehumidifiers in areas of your home that stay humid.
• Put down sticky traps to evaluate pest activity, and seek professional assistance if you find a black widow or some other pest of concern.
• Examine the exterior of your home and use a caulking gun to seal gaps, cracks, and other potential entry points.
• Remove organic debris near your exterior walls, such as leaf piles, brush piles, scrap wood, and firewood.
• Remove ground clutter and objects these spiders can hide in.
• Remove debris from underneath decks, patios, and porches.
• Reduce insect populations around your home by keeping lights off at night, replacing white lights with yellow lights, or installing motion-sensitive lights.
• Reduce perimeter moisture by cleaning your gutters and fixing any spots that need fixing.

It takes some muscle work to keep black widow spiders out of your home, but it's good exercise, and these tips are all-natural. If you start to consider using over-the-counter products, we would recommend steering away from this. DIY spider control products aren't the best way to get rid of spiders. They only treat the symptom. Not the source. Spider control is about controlling the factors that lead to infestations, factors such as food, moisture, hiding places, and entry points. If you have enough on your plate, let Prosite take this complex job off your plate.  

Pro Pest Control Makes For The Best Spider Control

Spider control is a science. Our technicians are trained in modern Integrated Pest Management and experienced with addressing common spiders in Kittitas County. When you contact us, there are a few things you can expect.

• We perform an inspection and record important facts related to your infestation, such as conducive conditions, routes, and entry points.
• We listen to your concerns and work with you to select a treatment program.
• We systematically apply several control methods to deal with spiders hiding in attics, basements, and wall voids.
• Once the spiders in your home are gone, we address exterior factors and perform exclusion work to create a physical barrier that keeps pests out.
• If you wish, we can work to continue to keep black widow spiders, other spiders, and general household pests out all year long. Your service comes with spider web removal, appropriate exterior treatments, and ongoing surveillance of pest activity. We deal with the pests that spiders eat, and prevent black widow spider infestations long before they begin.

The pest-free life is a great life. If you want to start living that life, contact us. Our friendly service professionals look forward to helping you find the right pest control solutions for you. We're not just highly trained pest management professionals; we listen to your concerns and work with you. It is our commitment to working with you and addressing your concerns the way you want them addressed, that sets us apart. Connect with us today to get started!