Spiders are sneaky, elusive, and sometimes harmless house guests. A few spiders on your window sills or in your basement may not seem like a big deal, but this can easily lead to an infestation. You could also be housing dangerous spiders.
Pest and spider control is key to stopping an infestation. How do you know when it’s a problem? Keep reading to learn 4 tips on how to identify a spider infestation.
Signs of a Spider Infestation
Take a look around your house, inside and out, to see where spiders may come in. They can sneak in through very small spaces, such as below doors and windows without airtight seals. Spiders tend to hide in damp or dark environments like basements, bathrooms, showers, attics, or along ceilings.
Spider Webs Spider webs are likely the most obvious sign you may be dealing with an infestation. Spiders need the right space to make a web so they often set up shop in corners, underneath or behind furniture, or in small dark spaces. Check areas of your home where spiders have the opportunity to make webs without being disturbed and look for cobwebs.
Egg Sacs One of the reasons spiders come inside homes is to mate and lay eggs in a safe, warm area. When the temperatures outside drop, you’re more likely to find egg sacs around your home. These look like small round balls that may be smooth or have a silky exterior and squishy texture. Spider egg sacs may contain more than 200 eggs per sac and some spiders can lay many at once.
Insect Parts Spiders are carnivorous and eat other pests like flies, mosquitoes, moths, ants, and more. Some people choose not to kill house spiders due to this behaviour, but you don’t want to leave a spider population in your home unchecked. Finding a lot of insect parts around your home may indicate you have a spider problem.
Spiders A few spiders do not make an infestation. However, they could be a sign of a bigger problem. If you are seeing more spiders in your home than usual, you may be on your way toward an infestation.
Dangerous Spiders
While most of the house-dwelling spiders you’ll find are harmless, you may run across some dangerous ones. Here are some dangerous spiders that could invade your home.
Black Widow
Black widow spiders are one of the dangerous, venomous spiders found in British Columbia. It’s easily identifiable as it has a red hourglass figure on its abdomen. Black widows make webs in dark, quiet spaces such as basements, behind furniture or clutter, and storage areas.
Black widow venom is 15 times stronger than rattlesnake venom, however, they often don’t strike humans or inject venom if they are left undisturbed. Only a spider control specialist should handle removing black widows from your home.
Orb Weaver
Orb weavers are large spiders that build large webs high up around beams or in corners. They often build their webs at night and take them down in the morning, which helps keep them hidden. For this reason, orb weavers often go unnoticed in homes until they are full-sized and creating large webs.
Orb weavers are unlikely to bite unless they feel threatened, cornered, and unable to escape. The venom is not likely to be lethal unless you are allergic to it. Symptoms of an orb weaver spider bite are a stinging feeling, bulls-eye rash, body aches, and fever.
Find Spider Control Near You
These are just a couple of indicators that you could be dealing with a spider infestation. Look for egg sacs and insect parts and make note of an increase in spiders or webs and cobwebs in your home. Even if you’re not sure you have a problem yet, you should talk to a pest and spider control professional.
At The Bugman Pest Control, we provide preventative services and pre-purchase home inspections so your home doesn’t develop a full-blown infestation. You can reach us for emergency service in Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton and throughout the Okanagan 24/7.