Everything You Need To Know About The Spiders In Spring Homes
Spring, TX is a wonderful place to live. Founded in 1838, Spring is conveniently located about 50 miles inland from the Gulf Coast and just 20 miles north of Houston. Our community is known for being a safe, family-friendly place, and with a population of 60,000, there’s considerable human activity throughout the city.
While Spring is undoubtedly a lovely place to call home, and our city’s population provides a lot of diversity and excitement, one problem remains. Where there are people, there are pests. Pests are a year-round problem, and these unwelcome guests seek entry into our homes looking for sources of water, food, and shelter.
Spiders, specifically, are very fond of Spring homes, which means you’re put at risk for experiencing a spider infestation as a homeowner. Imagine a lovely day, sitting on your porch, when suddenly you walk into a big spider web. Piece by piece, you pick it off of your face, wondering how you didn’t see it right in front of you. It’s an unpleasant surprise and extremely disturbing, to say the least.
What if you spot a spider climbing up the railing, or worse, what if the spider crawls up your arm and ends up in your hair. The horror! The scene is enough to illicit scream of disgust and defeat, but what if you could avoid all that? Instead of falling victim to your arachnophobia, what if you decide to take control of the problem and get serious about your spider control efforts?
That’s why we’re here – to address your spider control needs and help protect your Spring home from infestation. Join us as we go over some of the spider basics that everyone spring homeowner should be familiar with.
Types Of Spiders You May Find In Your Spring Home
Here in Spring, some of the most common spider species in the area are black widow spiders, brown recluse spiders, crab spiders, ground spiders, jumping spiders, orb weavers, and wolf spiders. The good news is that most of them are harmless, meaning they don’t contain toxic venom.
The only two poisonous species on the list are black widow spiders and brown recluse spiders. If bitten by one of these two species, it’s important to seek medical attention right away. We’ve put together some of the basic distinctions between these species to assist you in your spider identification efforts. Read on below.
Black Widow Spiders
These spiders prefer to hang out in remote areas with minimal human activity.
The females are black, with a red spot located on their abdomen.
The males of the species have a brown coloration, and they rarely emerge.
These spiders have neurotoxic venom that can affect your nerves and nerve tissues.
When they bite, they leave a pinprick in your skin and can lead to a number of symptoms.
Some of the symptoms include muscle aches, cramping, fever, abdominal pain, sweating, and more.
Brown Recluse Spiders
These spiders are also called “fiddleback” spiders because of the violin-shaped marking on their back.
They range in color from light tan to dark brown, and their legs are covered in short hairs.
They’re small in size, measuring around ½ to 1 inch long.
They stay hidden in dark areas like attics, closets, and cabinets, basements, and piles of clothing.
When they bite, they inject venom that can cause holes in your skin/body and may require skin grafts.
They have cytotoxic venom, which can cause skin tissue decay eaves painful marks.
Crab Spiders
They’re named after the way they move like a crab, using their back legs to walk sideways.
They also utilize their large crab-like front legs to grasp their prey.
These spiders don’t use webs to catch their prey like many other spider species.
They camouflage themselves to look like the environment they’re in.
They stay hidden until prey approaches, and then they emerge from their camouflage and attack.
Ground Spiders
This classification of spider encompasses a broad spectrum of individual species.
Their appearance depends on their specific species.
These spiders produce silk through barrel-shaped spinets on their bodies.
They do not create webs to trap their prey like many other spider species.
These spiders aggressively hunt their prey, chasing them along the ground as fast as they can.
Jumping Spiders
They are dull-colored spiders that can vary between black, tan, brown, or gray.
They tend to have pale white markings throughout their body and legs.
Despite their dull coloring, the male’s body can glisten in the sunlight.
They have a compact body and can grow to be between 1/8th and ¾ of an inch long.
They have eight short, powerful legs that allow them to jump 25 times their own size.
Orb Weaver Spiders
They are the most common group of spiders, known for their intricately woven, wheel-shaped webs.
The appearance of orb weavers can vary greatly depending on the specific species.
Spiny-backed orb weavers are the most common species found in the Houston area.
This species resembles a crab, with a distinct red spine protruding from the edge of the female’s abdomen.
They have a yellowish abdomen with black spots, and their legs are black.
Males of the species are usually a gray color with black spots, and they don’t have large spines like the female.
Adults spiny-backed orb weavers can grow to be between ¼ and ½ of an inch long.
Wolf Spiders
They’re usually black or dark brown with camouflage type, yellow-striped markings on their body.
Males can grow to be between ¼ - ¾’’, while females can grow to be 3/8 to 1 3/8th of an inch long.
They have robust, stout bodies covered in hair and eight eyes placed in three distinct rows.
Their bottom row of eyes has four, the middle row has two, and the top row has two.
They have eight, spiny long legs that are fast and powerful enough to jump and chase their prey.
They’re mostly nocturnal pests, hunting during the night and early morning to feed on insects and crop pests.
It’s not always easy to tell the difference between spider species, especially when you’re not familiar with common area intruders. The only way to be sure of what spiders you’re dealing with is to call in a team of local pest professionals. Here at Modern Pest Control, we’re ready to help you detect and identify your specific spider problems.
What It Means If You're Seeing Spiders In Your Spring Home
If you see a spider anywhere in your Spring home, there are likely more of them hiding around the house. Unlike other pests who seek warmth and shelter in your home, spiders usually come into your home to find prey. They’re drawn to sources of food and water throughout your house.
Seeing as spiders primarily feed on hibernating insects and common indoor pests, they’re usually found in areas where these invaders tend to hang out. Some of the most common insects that fall prey to spiders include crickets, grasshoppers, ants, flies, earwigs, cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, fleas, and moths. Wherever these invaders are hiding, there are likely spiders close behind, plotting their kill and looking forward to their next meal.
With this in mind, it makes sense why spiders frequent areas where insects hang out. They consume these insects in your home and may therefore be an indication of another larger infestation. It’s also important to note that spiders can be pretty sneaky about gaining access to your home. They’re excellent climbers and can squeeze their way through small gaps in the roof, windows, siding, and shingles.
Spiders can commonly be found in moisture-rich areas like the ground in wooded areas or under piles of debris. They inhabit dark, quiet, hidden spaces that are hard to access. Some of the most common spider harborage spots include garages, attics, sheds, eaves, storage spaces, crawl spaces, and cabinets. They gravitate toward dark, secluded areas with ample humidity like basements, closets, and pantries.
Easy & Effective Spider Prevention Tips For Spring Homes
As previously discussed, spiders are attracted to areas where insects hang out. So, when it comes to spider prevention, a good place to start is keeping other pests out of the home. By eliminating hibernating insects and common indoor pests, you can minimize your exposure to spiders as well.
Another important consideration is addressing spider access points. There are certain areas around your house that could provide entry points for spiders to get inside your home. Because spiders inhabit dark, remote areas where they can lay their eggs, it’s crucial to check these areas for webs, active spiders, and signs of spider activity. This includes checking all screens and door sweeps, checking for any cracks and crevices around your structure, and identifying any potential entry points for spiders and their prey.
Even if you address all entry points and take care of insect activity around your home, it can still be very difficult to control spider populations. They can reproduce quickly, and that’s why the best approach is to get ahead of the problem. The best way to do this is to be as proactive as possible in your spider prevention efforts.
Here are some helpful ways to minimize your chances of experiencing a spider infestation:
Examine weather stripping and replace if damaged.
Install or repair window and door screens.
Keep home clean and reduce clutter.
Keep other bugs away from home.
Keep the exterior/porch lights off.
Keep trash in tightly sealed containers.
Keep vegetation at least five feet from the home.
Keep yard and vegetation neat and well-trimmed.
Reduce excess moisture around the property.
Remove easily accessible food sources.
Replace outside bulbs with yellow, insect-resistant bulbs.
Thoroughly dust, sweep, vacuum on a regular basis.
Use caulk or foam to seal up cracks and crevices.
Use cedar mulch, cedar hangers, cedar chests, cedar shavings, cedar blocks, etc.
While being proactive in your prevention efforts is certainly beneficial, there is still no solution as effective as comprehensive spider control and prevention services from pest professionals. That’s why the team at Modern Pest Control is here. With our help, you can stop spider activity in its tracks and prevent infestation in your Spring home.
The Most Effective Spider Control For Spring Homes
If you’re looking for efficient and effective spider solutions for your Spring home, Modern Pest Control is your best bet. We are proud to provide the latest, most advanced pest control strategies and methods around. Since 1952, our independently owned and operated company has functioned on the following philosophy: To deliver prompt, personalized pest control using the latest pest control strategies and methods in the industry.
No matter the nature of your spider infestation, we provide innovative pest control strategies to resolve pest problems quickly and effectively. We uphold a strong commitment to IPM (Integrated Pest Management) strategies, using trusted methods that our valued customers can rely on throughout the year.
All of our pest management professionals undergo rigorous training because bringing you the absolute best pest control is our number one goal. We are proud to be Quality Pro Service providers, and we’re fully licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture. With over 70 years of experience in the pest control industry, you can count on us to bring you the lasting results you’re looking for.
It’s time to say goodbye to spiders and all the hassle that comes with them. With our effective spider solutions for your Spring home, you can protect yourself from the nightmare of infestation. When you contact our company for your spider problem, we’ll start with a thorough inspection to determine what type of spider is infesting. Based on our findings, we will develop a plan of action that gets rid of spiders!
Contact us today for more information about our spider control services in Greater Houston. Not only do we guarantee pest-free conditions, but we’ll come back for free re-service should a pest problem occur between scheduled service visits. Reach out to us today to request your free inspection, and we will set it up for you as soon as possible. We look forward to your call.