Spider Habits
Spiders haunt the dreams of many individuals. Just the sight of one spider can cause quite the commotion in a home. Their numerous legs, fast movements, and venomous bite create plenty reasons for anxiety. Some studies have estimated up to 10% of the global population experiences arachnophobia (the extreme fear of spiders).
However, the only element of a spider that even has the potential to harm humans is their bite. While nearly all spiders possess a venomous bite, very few of these have venom that can even cause pain in humans. Even fewer of these create major health concerns. When narrowed down to a certain geographical area, relevant spider species diminish to a minimal concern. This concept is what our technicians try to convey to clients. Spiders are a very unique, diverse, and evolved order of animals. Many people don’t understand spider behavior and habits, constituting fear and misunderstanding. In reality, spiders help control an number of other harmful insects.
All pertinent spider species in this area can be organized into two categories, active hunters and web builders. Active hunters and web builders both possess specific characteristics that are important to understand. Pest control professionals that are able to identify these groups have a better change at control.
More information on pest spider species can be found on our website.
Group #1 - Active Hunters
Active hunters, as the name suggests, do not wait for their prey to come to them, they find their prey. These spiders are fast and strong because they are going head to head with their prey. They may have the ability to create silk, but they do not build webs. Instead, they crawl the ground looking for insects under leaves, rocks, and other debris. This habit is why active hunter spiders often end up inside our homes. They instinctively try to squeeze into cracks and crevices looking for insects. Many times instead, they end up squeezing underneath a door and into our living room. Control for these spiders involves chemical treatments around the inside and outside of a home. These treatments are often highly effective because the spiders readily crawl through the grass and over the ground, coming in contact with the chemical. Below are some examples of active hunting spiders
Group #2 - Web Builders
Web building spiders, as the name suggests, build complex web structures to capture prey that comes in contact with it. These spiders work smarter, not harder. They will wait for up to days at a time, for an insect to get entangled in their web. Spider silk, as a ratio of its weight, is some of the strongest material in the world. For most insects, coming in contact with a spider web means death. As the insect struggles, it comes in contact with more silk, further trapping it. The spider then walks over to its ready-to-eat meal. Spider webs can come in all shapes and sizes. Below are examples of a funnel web structure, a radial web structure, and a irregular web structure.
Group #3 - "Passive" Hunters
A few spiders can be classified as passive hunters. One example is the brown recluse spider. This species of spider is unique because of its hunting strategy. This spider lays webs on the ground around a central crack or hiding place. The spider then sits in this hiding place waiting for an insect to come in contact with the web. The vibrations on the web tell the spider that the insect is close. Brown recluse spiders then hunt the insect and kill it with its potent venom. Because of this passive hunting strategy, control of brown recluse spiders can be a challenge. Minimal movements in a secluded crack makes getting chemical in contact with the spider difficult. For this reason, other control methods may be needed for control.
How to Control Spiders
Spider control relies on a number of factors to achieve success. Our technicians are trained to first identify the problem, communicate it with the customer, then execute treatment. After spider identification, the best treatment options will be applied. For example, if active hunting spiders are identified as the pest, then ground level chemical treatments will be paired with habitat removal, and outside debris removal. This will create less hiding places for its prey as well as kill any spiders that come close to the structure.
Read more about what a regular pest control service includes here.