Huntsville's Handy Guide To Effective Spider Control
August 14, 2020
Alabama may be one of the most entertaining places to enjoy the outdoors and to hunt for wild animals, but Huntsville residents know that not all creatures are a welcome sight. There’s nothing like seeing deer bounding through your backyard to get you fired up for hunting season. But spiders are a different story.
The Spiders of Huntsville
There are plenty of spiders that plague Huntsville homes, but do you really have to worry about them? Fortunately, you only need to worry about two types of spiders. While all spiders have fangs and venom, only the brown recluse and the black widow spider are cause for medical concern. But the problem comes when you try to distinguish and identify what kind of spider infestation you’re dealing with. Many of the harmless spiders of the area resemble either the brown recluse or the black widow, so differentiating nuisance spiders from the health hazards is key to protecting your home and family.
The black widow spider is well known for its black body and the dark red, hour-glass shape on its bulbous abdomen. However, the hour-glass shape is a very dark red, so you’ll have to look closely to see it. The brown recluse, on the other hand, is tan, light brown, or brown with skinny, long legs. Most people who see a brown recluse only see its body since the legs will blend into the background, but they’ll recognize the dark black/brown violin shape on the spider’s back. These spiders are very rare in our area, but they are still something to worry about. A bite from a brown recluse or a black widow can cause serious medical conditions, including, in extreme cases, paralysis and death.
Some common Huntsville spiders that bear a resemblance to these pests are grass spiders, yellow sac spiders, and house spiders. Grass and house spiders have the same color and shape as the brown recluse, but they don’t have the violin shape. The yellow sac spider is only different from the brown recluse because of the yellow tint on its brown body and lack of violin shape. As far as the black widow goes, plenty of black spiders look the part, but they have more slender bodies without the red hourglass.
A Pest Is A Pest
While the common spiders of Huntsville are not necessarily a health threat, they still create a nuisance on your property and bring the potential for long-term damage. Who wants to walk around the yard, patio, or porch in fear of walking through a spiderweb? Spiders are labeled as pests for a reason, so here are a few ways you could try and prevent them:
- De-web: Getting rid of webs as soon as you see them will make spiders want to set up shop elsewhere.
- Declutter: Eliminate any sort of clutter in the yard near the home such as woodpiles, fallen trees, rock piles, or anything that might provide a convenient web/hiding spot.
- Seal it up: Advanced weather stripping on doors and proper seals around the windows/cracks of the home can help prevent spiders from entering.
Now, if you ignored these tips for a while, or life simply got the best of you, you can still have a spider-free property. For solutions that can fit exactly what your home is dealing with at an affordable price, contact Custom Pest Control. We have a variety of customizable programs that you can choose from to suit the needs of your home and property, all for a price you’ll love.