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Spiders and their Control

Common Spiders

There are thousands of species of spiders, most of which are beneficial. Spiders are not insects, but arachnids. Unlike insects, spiders have eight legs as adults (insects, by definition, have six), and only two body segments (insects have three).

Spiders also have spinnerets, or silk glands, from which they secrete silk to build webs, drop lines, and shelters. The webs are used to catch insects for food, many of which (such as flies and mosquitoes) are harmful to humans. So as a group, spiders are considered beneficial animals.

Many spiders will bite if they are threatened, however, and these bites can cause serious discomfort or allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. In addition, two species of spider in particular can inflict harmful bites which can even be fatal on occasion.

Black Widow Spiders

Black widow spiders are extremely poisonous arachnids (not insects). Their venom is 15 times as poisonous as the venom of the prairie rattlesnake. These venomous spiders are found in warm and temperate climates all around the world.

Black widows live in dark places such as in drain pipes, under logs, in manholes, and in other secluded places. They are found throughout North America from Florida and California to southern Canada.

Black widow bites often cause severe pain, cramping, nausea, vomiting, and increased blood pressure and heart rate. Black widow bites should be treated as a medical emergency, but they rarely are fatal in humans.

 

Brown Recluse Spiders

The brown recluse spider is uncommon in Ohio. They are native to Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi, and only occasionally are encountered in other areas. Nonetheless, OSU Extension receives numerous spider specimens that homeowners mistakenly suspect to be the brown recluse.

Brown recluse spiders hide in dark, secluded areas. When disturbed, they can inflict a painful bite that sometimes quickly develops into a "bulls eye" pattern, with a blister in the middle of a red ring. When the blister breaks, a scab forms over the wound.

In some cases, brown recluse spider bites can result in a more serious condition in which the wound ulcerates, and surrounding tissue is progressively destroyed. In these cases, medical attention (and sometimes surgery) is necessary.

 

For help with spiders or any pest problem, please contact Z-Best Pest Control. Providing general pest and spider control in Cincinnati, Dayton and all of Ohio's Miami Valley.