Spider Pest Control
B's Weed & Pest Control Services treats spiders for residential and commercial customers throughout Reno, Sparks, and Carson City. Most spiders around a Reno home are harmless and even useful, but two, the black widow and the brown recluse, can deliver a bite that needs to be taken seriously.
Spider Control in Northern Nevada
Spiders are a problem pest in Reno, and spider treatment is one of the services B's performs most, for houses, apartments, offices, and warehouses alike. B's certified professionals are trained specifically in spider control, and the same visit can cover the ants, wasps, mosquitoes, or rodents that often turn up alongside them. Where a property sits changes the pressure: in town, spiders concentrate around foundations, garages, and window wells, while in the wooded country toward Lake Tahoe and Incline Village they shelter in woodpiles, decks, and outbuildings.
Spiders move indoors to follow their food. A home with a steady supply of insects, drawn by porch lights, open doors, or moisture, will attract the spiders that eat them, which is why good spider control usually means treating the insects too.
Black Widow Spiders
The black widow most people picture is the southern black widow, Latrodectus mactans. The widow native to the Reno area is its close relative, the western black widow, Latrodectus hesperus, and it is identified and handled the same way.
Size. Adult widows range from one-eighth of an inch to 1.5 inches long, depending on sex and species. Females are far larger than males, and the females are the ones that bite.
Color. Most widows are black with bright red markings, though some are brown with orange markings. Mature females carry a red or orange hourglass on the underside of the abdomen, a mark that develops once they reach maturity and is the surest way to identify one.
Body and web. Like all spiders, the black widow has two body regions, the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Its front and back pairs of legs are long and slender and point forward and backward, while the two middle pairs point out to the sides. Black widows build webs that look disorderly, a tangle of strong, irregular silk with no spiral pattern, and a messy web low to the ground is often the easiest way to spot one.
Behavior. Many people have learned to fear the sight of a black widow, and with reason. Its bite is rarely fatal, but it can be a long and painful experience, sometimes with muscle pain and cramping well away from the bite. Anyone bitten, particularly a child or an older adult, should get medical attention. Black widows are not aggressive, and most bites happen when a hand presses against a spider hidden in a glove, a shoe, or a stack of stored items.
Habitat. Widow spiders are found in almost every state except Alaska. Around Reno they settle in garages, woodpiles, sprinkler and meter boxes, under patio furniture, and along foundations. Indoors they avoid high-traffic areas and build webs in secluded spots where they will go undisturbed.
Tips for control. Reducing clutter is one of the most helpful ways to keep spiders from settling in:
- Store items that are not used regularly in sealed storage bins or airtight bags. Stacks of papers or clothes left untouched for months are ideal hiding places for spiders.
- Seal cracks and gaps on the outside of the home to keep spiders from getting in.
- Wear gloves when moving stored items or firewood, and shake out shoes and gloves left in a garage before putting them on.
- Treatments can eliminate spiders, but it is best to consult a pest management professional on the most effective options for the property.
Brown Recluse Spiders
The brown recluse, Loxosceles reclusa, is native to the south-central and southeastern United States, not to northern Nevada. Those found here have usually traveled in boxes, furniture, or other belongings moved from within their native range, and once inside they can thrive in homes and other buildings. Because so many other spiders are mistaken for it, a suspected brown recluse is worth having identified by a professional.
True to their name, brown recluse spiders prefer to stay hidden in out-of-the-way places: crawl spaces, attics, garages, and cellars. Outdoors they live under woodpiles and other debris, and they adapt readily to sheds, barns, and houses. They hunt at night.
Identification. The brown recluse is about half an inch long and ranges from light tan to dark brown, with no stripes or bands. Its long, thin legs look silky because of the fine hairs along their length. It has six eyes arranged in three pairs instead of the eight most spiders have, and a violin-shaped marking on the front of its body, which is why it is sometimes called the fiddleback. Its web is not built in open areas, and it is a fast runner that will usually escape if spotted.
Brown recluse or wolf spider? The brown recluse is often confused with the wolf spider, of which more than 200 species live in the United States. Wolf spiders lack the violin marking and have distinct stripes or bands on their bodies and legs.
Bites. Brown recluse spiders are widely feared but rarely aggressive, and they bite only occasionally, usually when trapped in clothing or bedding. Many skin wounds blamed on them turn out to be from other insects or other causes. Seeing or feeling the spider bite, the symptoms that follow, and the appearance of the area around the bite all help determine whether a brown recluse was responsible. The bite is venomous, and its effect depends on how much venom was injected and on how the person reacts, so reactions vary widely.
For a suspected brown recluse bite, the Mayo Clinic recommends cleaning the bite with mild soap and water and applying an antibiotic ointment, applying a cool compress to reduce pain and swelling, elevating the bite if it is on an arm or leg, taking over-the-counter pain medication as needed, and watching the bite for signs of infection. See a doctor if the pain is severe, the wound spreads or fails to heal, or the bite becomes infected.
Infestations. Because brown recluse spiders hide in boxes, infestations often start when those boxes are moved and then stored in dark, damp places. Once established, brown recluse spiders are difficult to control and can build a large population in a short time. They settle in unsealed cracks and crevices and in places where they cannot be seen during their nighttime hunting: sheds, crawl spaces, fireplaces, closets, and behind furnaces.
Keeping them out. Sealing those areas is the first line of defense, and storing belongings in sealed plastic containers protects them. Other steps that help:
- Weather-stripping around windows and window frames
- Plastic wood filler or wood adhesive to seal cracks in floorboards
- Routine vacuuming wherever webs or spider activity show up
Some homeowners use sticky traps to catch spiders, but a large brown recluse infestation needs many traps, monitored constantly and replaced as they fill. Removing an established infestation without professional help can take several months, and do-it-yourself methods often fail.
Other Spiders Around Reno Homes
Wolf spiders, jumping spiders, cellar spiders, and orb weavers are all common around Reno homes. They are generally harmless, but a large number of them indoors usually means there are plenty of insects for them to eat, and the same perimeter treatment that reduces them also reduces the insects drawing them in.
When Spiders Are Most Active in Reno
Spider sightings rise through late summer and peak in the fall, when many species reach maturity and males leave their webs to wander in search of mates. That is when most people find spiders in garages, basements, and living spaces. A perimeter treatment in late summer, before that peak, prevents more indoor sightings than treating after they have already moved in.
Professional Spider Control
The most reliable way to deal with black widows and brown recluse spiders is a trained pest control professional. A B's technician inspects the interior and exterior of the property, identifies which spiders are present, and recommends the best treatment for that specific infestation, focusing on the eaves, window frames, foundation, garage, and storage areas where spiders actually live. B's uses environmentally friendly products that are safe for families and pets, and service is available as a one-time visit or an ongoing plan.