SPIDERS

Spiders are eight legged pests and are not insects. They are mostly beneficial, since they feed on all kinds of insects. All spiders use venom to bite and kill their prey, but only two are a real problem for people in the Fort Worth/Dallas area. These are the Black Widow and Brown Recluse. The Black Widow female is the one that is poisonous to humans and is easily identified by her shiny black abdomen and reddish hourglass or triangular markings, on the underside of the abdomen. The Brown Recluse is very common, in the Metroplex area. They are brown with a dark brown violin marking on the smaller portion of the top. It is very important to control these two pests. Other spiders affect people by causing fear and are just plain annoying. They come from the class Arachnida and people that have a real fear of spiders have Archnidophobia. A movie was made by this very name. Although most spiders are beneficial, most people do not want to share their home or office with these invaders.

Control: It is necessary to treat inside of structures, underneath if they are pier and beam structures, attic spaces, seldom used storage sheds or barns and especially around the outside perimeter of buildings. In other words, any place you see spiders. Vacuum all webs. We at Western, control theses pests, as well as 8 other pests, on our Quarterly Pest Control Program. Call us at (817) 834-3121.

Homeowner Control: Inside, one of the most effective treatments is to vacuum all spider webs. Outside it is important to seal all windows, thresholds, caulk openings and provide outdoor perimeter insecticide treatments. Spiders are everywhere outdoors and they will just keep wandering into structures. For this reason, control is difficult. Vacuuming is so important, since spiders will build a silk web and just wait for insects to get caught in the web. You could actually have insecticide inside a structure and the established spiders would never leave their web and contact the treated areas.