Spider Wars: How To Win The Battle Against Arachnids In Kittitas County

A hallmark of a good action movie is a great villain, and the more sinister, cunning, and creative the action hero's nemesis, the better the show. Evildoers come in all forms. They can be outcasts to wealthy and manipulative covert world leaders; they also can be pests.

Spiders are arguably the king of sinister pests. Moviegoers frantically munch on popcorn as these multilegged, hairy arachnids catch prey in their oversized webs on the big screen. People tense up as they witness these erratic, quick-moving pests chase down a victim as he frantically runs through the house in the latest sci-fi action flick.

It is one thing to watch spiders terrorize people on the big screen while sipping a diet cola and getting your hands greasy with buttery popcorn; it is a different story when you feel one crawl across your arm while watching television in your living room. When you notice spiders are in the house, you want them out, and the best way to end the problem is to secure pest control services in Kittitas County from Prosite.

When you contact us to stop spiders in your Kittitas County house, you can take comfort that you are securing the best pest control company in Central Washington. We have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and are one of only a tiny percentage of QualityPro Certified pest control companies in the country. 

You probably found this article because you live in the area and have spiders in the house. Please keep reading to learn about your adversaries and how to defeat them.

Spider Behavior: How They Hunt, Feed, And Mate

When we think of spiders, one of the first images to appear in our mind's eye is the spider web. Nothing is more upsetting than to walk into a spider's web while searching from something in the attic or garage — especially when the web has corpses of dead bugs. However, not all spiders catch their prey in silky snares. 

Because there are thousands of spider species worldwide, we will only examine the hunting, feeding, and mating habits of the types of spiders in Washington. These are the five spider species we encounter in the Kittitas area:

• Black widow spiders
• Cellar spiders
• Giant house spiders
• Hobo spiders
• Wolf spiders

A better understanding of these spider species will help us win our battle against spiders in the house.

Black widow spiders are 1 1/2 to 1 3/8-inch long arachnids with a black body marked by two orangish-red triangles forming an "hourglass" on the bottom of their abdomen. When they enter homes, they often live in dark, secluded areas in the garage, attic, or basement.

A black widow spider's web is not a large circular silky snare constructed in the upper corners of the doorway; instead, they create messy, irregular traps near the ground to capture their prey. Black widow spiders prefer to eat cockroaches, ants, beetles, and other anthropods. These arachnids are called "widow" spiders because of the belief that the females kill and eat the males after mating; however, this gruesome mating ritual rarely occurs.

Cellar spiders are distinguishable by their long, thin legs. Some varieties have a long 1/4 to 5/16-inch cylindrical body with eight 1 3/4 to 1 15/16 front legs; others have a shorter 1/16-inch body and 5/16-inch legs. These spiders live in dark and damp areas and create messy webs in corners near open doors, which they use to capture insects and other prey.

Female cellar spiders often create egg sacs in their webs where they deposit their eggs; although they also construct egg sacs, they do not attach them to their cobwebs but rather hold them in their mouths until the eggs hatch.

Giant house spiders appear in many Kittitas homes around mid-summer to early fall. These greyish-brown spiders have a 1/2 to 1-inch body (not including their hairy legs, which can add four inches to their overall length). Homeowners typically encounter these spiders in garages and basements. Their ground-level webs have a funnel-like hole in the middle where they sit and wait for prey.

Giant house spiders mate in the late summer, after which the females create multiple egg sacs in the funnel-like retreat area of their webs. The eggs have the following spring or summer.

Hobo spiders are closely related to giant house spiders, and the two species are often confused with each by homeowners due to their funnel webs. However, hobo spiders have a dark line down the center of their 1 to 1 3/4-inch light to medium brown body, which includes the legs. Another way to distinguish the hobo spider from the giant house spider is the protruding spinnerets from the rear of the abdomen. Mating habits, timing, and egg sac placement of hobo spiders are similar to the giant house spider.

Wolf spiders are the outliers in our Kittitas spider group. Unlike the other species, wolf spiders do not create webs. Instead, these 3/8 to 1 3/8-inch arachnids chase down their prey. Wolf spiders have dark brown bodies with pale or yellow stripes and long, hairy legs.

Wolf spiders mate in the fall. The fertilized females survive the winter in protected areas, but the males die shortly after mating. In the spring, the females produce egg cocoons which hatch mid-summer. The hatchlings do not reach full size until the following summer.

Whatever spider species infests your Kittitas home, Prosite has the tools, experience, and knowledge to eliminate all types of spiders in Washington state.

Symptoms Of Spider Bites: What To Expect And How To Treat

Many children have memories of playing with cellar spiders (aka daddy longlegs) because they are known to bite humans; however, the other spiders on our list will bite if threatened. If a hobo, giant house spider, or wolf spider bites, the initial pain is similar to a bee sting. Generally, redness, slight swelling, itching, and temporary pain may occur at the wound site, but most people do not experience any significant effects from a bite from these spiders. However, a bite from a black widow spider is different.

All spiders produce venom, which they use to paralyze prey they capture; however, the venom of a black widow spider is supposedly 15 times more potent than that of a rattlesnake. A bite from a male black widow is rare, but the females will bite, especially when they feel their egg sacs are under threat. Many people experience fever, increasing blood pressure, nausea, and sweating when bitten by a black widow. Although these symptoms subside within one to three hours, pain at the bite site may last up to three days. If you suspect a black widow bite, you should seek medical attention immediately to avoid complications that may lead to a more serious medical condition.

You can take precautions against spider bites by wearing gloves and keeping skin covered when working in dark, damp areas of the house (i.e., the crawl space, basement, garage, and attic). However, the best way to avoid spider bites in your home is to secure pest control from Prosite.

Prosite protects your family from venomous spiders in Washington state. Our proven, time-tested spider removal methods and treatments will help get rid of spiders and keep them from infesting your home.

Preventing Spider Infestations: Practical Tips And Tricks

Spiders often enter homes pursuing insects. If you reduce the insect population around the house, you will automatically limit the spider population. Furthermore, the same exclusion tips that keep insects out also keep spiders from entering your home. Therefore, these suggestions will keep insects and spiders from infesting your house:

• Provide proper drainage to ditches and low-lying areas in the yard.
• Remove trash and debris from the lawn.
• Elevate firewood and locate it at least 20 feet from the structure.
• Dehumidify the crawl space, attic, and basement.
• Keep outdoor and indoor trash containers closed.
• Seal cracks in the foundation, roofline, and around frames.
• Install door sweeps.
• Repair holes in window and door screens.
• Install exterior bug lights or LED lights and limit usage.
• Vacuum the house regularly.
• Suction corners and cracks in the house when sweeping.
• Clean and store the dishes before retiring to bed at night.  

Implementing these tips, along with the services of Prosite, will prevent spiders in the home. When a technician inspects your property, we can provide additional ideas for your situation.

Professional Pest Control: A Great Spider Control Solution

When you contact Prosite for spider control in Kittitas County, we will send a highly-trained technician to your residence to inspect the property. We will search for entry points, attractants, hot spots, and infestation signs. We will present you with our findings and, upon approval, will begin our spider elimination process. 

Our spider control method begins by de-webbing the exterior of your home. We then create a barrier around the house using environmentally conscious products to prevent spiders from entering your home. We also perform other pest control treatments as outlined in your monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly plan. Contact us today to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Kittitas County and get a consultation regarding your spider problem.