When it comes to creepy, crawly pests, perhaps none elicit more fear than spiders. Whether or not you have a phobia, the fact is no one wants to find a spider in their home. While the majority of spider species can do little more than frighten us, some species can be a danger a humans and pets alike.
Among the species of spiders that are considered to be dangerous by experts, perhaps the most well known is the black widow. This species, a member of the larger group of widow spiders, is extremely venomous and can pose a medical threat to you if you are unfortunate enough to be bitten.
While some spider species can be difficult to identify, knowledge of the black widow’s appearance is almost ubiquitous among the general public. As such, you can always identify a black widow by the characteristic blood red “hourglass” pattern on its abdomen.
If you are a homeowner in Tennessee, you probably want to know WHAT attracts black widows to your home, and what you can do to stop it!
Black widows are typically accidental invaders, which means that they often enter homes by unintentionally. Most of the time, they are led into the home in the pursuit of prey. However, once they make their way into the home, they will often stay and build webs.
Your home offers a very advantageous living environment for a black widow. Oftentimes, these pests will seek out a dark, secluded part of the home for nest building. Thus they are most often found in garages, basements, crawlspaces, or sheds. Beyond these areas, black widows will often prefer areas with lots of debris to hide within, and they will sometimes make their way into closets and other dark crevices inside the home.
Black widows are solitary by nature, and thus you will never see a colony of black widows (Fortunately!) but female black widows can lay hundreds of eggs at once in your home.
The new spiders will hatch and typically wait out the cold winter months before emerging in the spring to spread to new areas. As such, many black widow problems beginning in the early spring are often caused by populations that have been in the home for months.
While black widows are shy by nature, they will bite humans when threatened. Most often this occurs when a person or pet reaches into an area with low visibility and unintentionally finds the black widow.
When they bite a target, black widows release a specialized protein venom that is designed to attack the nervous system of the victim. This can almost immediately paralyze insects and other small creatures, and it can cause a range of problems for humans as well and result in a range of symptoms such as:
- Difficulty breathing
- Pain focused around the bite mark
- Swelling and muscle cramps
- Dizziness, nausea, and vomiting
- Spiked blood pressure and increased heart rate
If you are bitten by a black widow, it is best if you seek medical attention immediately. While deaths from black widow bites are rare, it is better to stay on the safe side.
When it comes to keeping black widows out of your home, the focus should be on reducing environment conditions that are favorable for their habitation. Black widows are fairly picky about where they nest, and due to this you can greatly reduce the chances of your home being infested by removing any clutter or debris that could provide the spiders with hiding spots.
Also, since many times black widows enter the home pursuing other prey. They feed on insects such as smaller spiders, crickets, roaches, etc. Removing or reducing pest activity in your home can often help to reduce or prevent a black widow problem.
If after these steps you are still finding black widows in your home, your best option is to schedule an inspection of your home performed by a licensed pest control technician. This inspection can provide increased insight into how and why the black widows are entering your home, and a professional service can then provide treatment if necessary.
We here at Volunteer-Rid-A-Pest are proud to be a leading pest provider for Tennessee residents living in Chattanooga and Cleveland! We have decades of experience in the pest industry, and we can preform a wide range of safe, targeted treatment options that are designed to remove pest problems from your home completely and effectively!
So if you are dealing with pests, or simply have a question, give us a call today for FREE, friendly advice at 423-698-7205 OR 423-472-7736!
By: Erik Gardner
