How To Get Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders
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While many species actually help out in your yard by eating nuisance insects like mosquitoes and are completely harmless to humans, this is not the case for the brown recluse spider. This somewhat common spider has a venomous bite that can cause serious health problems.
Although brown recluses aren’t aggressive, and they’re not as deadly as many people believe, we highly recommend going straight to a professional pest control company to handle a brown recluse spider problem because of the health risks. A professional exterminator will know how to get rid of these pests safely and quickly. To help your search, we’ll provide our recommendations for a few top pest control companies.
How To Identify Brown Recluse Spiders
Brown recluse spiders are, as the name suggests, brown in color. Adult spiders with their legs extended are about the size of a quarter. They’re also sometimes called fiddleback spiders because of a dark brown, violin-shaped mark on their backs, with the widest part of the “violin” sitting right behind the spider’s head. They are not to be confused with brown widows, which are similarly colored but smaller and have the same large abdomen with red markings (similar to black widows).
Although most brown recluses live outdoors under rocks, logs, or woodpiles, they can establish indoor homes as well. They spin webs only to hold their egg sacs, not to catch their prey, so a lack of cobwebs is not evidence that they’re absent.
Found throughout the south central and lower Midwest, these spiders very rarely form infestations outside of this region. Brown recluse spiders typically stay hidden during the day unless driven out by hunger or overcrowding. If you see one in your home during the day, you may already have a substantial infestation.
Health Risks of Brown Recluse Spiders
Brown recluses are venomous, but they aren’t aggressive. When they bite humans, it’s usually because they’ve accidentally become trapped against human skin—inside clothing, shoes, or bedsheets. If you spot one but haven’t been bitten, there’s no need to panic.
A brown recluse bite is usually painless when it happens, so you may not realize you’ve been bitten for several hours. Although a bite will usually heal on its own, there is the possibility that the wound can become necrotic, destroying tissue around the bite.
Some people will have immediate severe reactions like fever, dizziness, and vomiting, though this is rare. Although a bite can be serious, death by a brown recluse is even rarer. In fact, according to news reports, it is far less likely than death by a lightning strike.
How To Prevent Brown Recluse Spiders From Entering Your Home
The most important thing you can do to prevent these venomous spiders from establishing a foothold in your home is to use caulk to seal cracks and crevices through which brown recluses can enter. Pay special attention to areas around windows, doors, vents, and utility pipes, as these are the most likely places for cracks to develop.
It’s also a good idea to move woodpiles and yard debris away from the side of your home, as this spider prefers to make its home in such shelters. Similarly, cut tall grass and clear any climbing ivy off the exterior walls of your house. Since brown recluses use other insects as a food source, keeping up with general pest control in and around your house will also help keep them away.
How To Get Rid of a Brown Recluse Infestation
Again, we strongly recommend professional pest control, but if you have reason to believe the infestation is small and you want to try a DIY approach, here are some steps you can take. Remember that before starting any kind of inspection or treatment, put on long sleeves, gardening gloves, and boots to protect vulnerable skin. Brown recluse fangs are small and can’t pierce clothing.
When To Call in the Pros
With brown recluses, it’s safest to head straight to the professionals from the start. And if you’ve tried to treat the problem yourself to no avail, it’s definitely time to consult a pest control company. Although serious complications from brown recluse bites happen only about 10% of the time and are rarely fatal, these complications can be very painful and cause deep scarring. It’s entirely worth the money to have experts handle brown recluse infestations.
Our Top Picks for Professional Pest Control
We recommend Terminix, a nationwide provider that’s been in business for nearly a century. This company offers annual pest control plans as well as targeted brown recluse treatments, and its technicians will point out and repair weak spots in your home where pests may be getting in.
Orkin is another excellent choice for pest control that’s available in more than 400 locations nationwide. Well-trained technicians will follow up with you to make sure your brown recluse problem has been fully eliminated.
FAQ About Brown Recluse Spiders
What’s the difference between brown recluse and wolf spiders?
Wolf spiders are fairly common in many parts of the U.S., and since they’re brown in color, they can be mistaken for brown recluses. Luckily, wolf spiders are far less dangerous, and their rare bites only sting or itch if you have an allergy.
The easiest way to tell the difference between wolf spiders and brown recluses is coloring. Brown recluses are solid brown save for the violin-shaped mark, but wolf spiders have stripes or mottling of black and gray. Their bodies are also covered with fine hairs, whereas brown recluses are smooth.
What does a brown recluse spider bite look like?
It’s difficult even for experts to tell what kind of spider bit you just by looking at the bite. Brown recluse bites begin as many insect bites do, as a red bump that may be itchy and painful for several hours afterward.
However, complications arise when the bite develops an open sore or ulcer. Although this reaction is unlikely, seek medical attention as soon as possible if you have an insect bite that becomes ulcerated.
Where do brown recluses live?
In the United States, brown recluses are found in a region that stretches from Nebraska to Ohio and Texas to the Florida panhandle.
Our Rating Methodology
We back up our pest control recommendations with a detailed rating methodology that we use to objectively score each provider. We review pest control plans, navigate the provider website, speak with customer service representatives by phone and online chat (if available), request quotes, and analyze customer reviews for each provider. We then score the provider against our review standards for plans and services, reputation and customer responses, customer service offerings, workmanship guarantees, financing, and availability to arrive at a final score on a 5-point rating scale.
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