Spider Identification

What are spiders?

Spiders are predatory eight-legged arachnids that are always on the hunt, often using their webs to capture prey. However, while they serve a vital role in nature, spiders can be a serious nuisance and even a health hazard when they share homes and other buildings with humans. Spiders can be difficult to detect in a home. Indoors, they like to hide in dark, quiet areas like closets, bathrooms, cabinets, or under furniture, in basements, in attics, and in crawlspaces. This often means that you might not realize you have a spider in the house until you run into a web - or get bitten.

While spiders are an essential source of natural pest control in the wild, all the benefits they bring can quickly become offset when they infest a human residence. Read on to find out more about the spiders that call western Washington home, why keeping spiders at bay is essential, and how Guard Pest Control can help.

Types Of Spiders In Western Washington

Black Widow

Black widows are notorious for their distinctive appearance and the danger their bites carry. They are roughly ½ inch in length, appearing oily black in color. Black widows have a unique identifying red mark on the underside of their abdomens, often resembling an hourglass.

Black widows are generally found outdoors, preferring dark, undisturbed corners in basement window wells, barns, garages, and other structures. Although it rarely results in death, the black widow bite is venomous and can be quite painful. The black widow spins disorderly webs typically close to the ground. While they appear chaotic, black widow webs are carefully constructed to effectively capture prey.

Brown Recluse

The brown recluse body is about 1/3rd of an inch in length with long, shiny, smooth legs.  The top, front of this spider is marked with a dark brown, violin-shaped design. The back of its abdomen is tan or brown in color and bears no markings.

Like the black widow spider, the bite from this spider is venomous, which in extreme cases has caused death in humans.  Brown recluse spiders prefer to live in quiet, undisturbed places and bites usually occur when humans accidentally come in contact with them while cleaning out under beds, in garages or while rummaging through boxes of old clothing.

Hobo Spider

Hobo spiders are about 7-14mm long and are light to medium brown in color with a dark stripe running down the center of its back. It gets its name from the presumed way it hitchhiked rides with humans in order to expand its population.

Hobo spider bites generally cause mild pain and redness and there is little evidence to prove that they are particularly dangerous to humans. However, they are reluctant to bite humans unless they feel threatened.

These creatures construct funnel-shaped webs to allow them to lie and wait for insects to wander near them, and sometimes build their nests in and around homes.

Yellow Sac Spider

As their name suggests, yellow sac spiders have a pale beige to yellow color, and can sometimes have a tinge of green. These spiders are active hunters, which means that they do not trap their prey in a web, but wander around at night searching for food.

You may find their retreats in your home, which are silken tubes or sacs that they hide in during the day. Yellow sac spider bites are painful and can cause a burning sensation in their victims. Because they are nighttime hunters, they will not typically come into contact with humans, but they will bite if provoked.

Are spiders dangerous?

The danger spiders bring varies greatly depending on the individual species. While house spiders and cellar spiders are effectively simple nuisances due to their constant web-building, black widow and brown recluse bites can carry serious negative health effects that require medical attention. Bites from these two spiders are rarely life-threatening but can still result in serious detrimental effects such as nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing, severe abdominal pain, rash, and necrosis.

Steps You Can Take To Prevent Spiders In Western Washington

Worried about spiders getting into your home or business? Luckily, there are some effective steps you can take to stop a spider infestation before it starts.

Here are some effective tips you can use to prevent spiders:

• Keep shrubs and bushes trimmed away from the exterior of the structure.

• Trim the treeline well away from your home’s roof.

• Keep the grass cut short.

• Seal any holes or cracks around doors, windows, basements, and air-conditioning units (these can let in spiders as well as the insects they prey upon).

• Remove piles of debris from your property that could attract insects.

• Keep woodpiles off the ground and place them a distance away from the outside of your home.

• Keep garden areas at a distance from the exterior of your home.

• Install door sweeps on all exterior doors.

• Ensure your door and window screens are free of any holes and replace them if necessary.

• Keep doors and windows closed when not in use.

• Keep the interior of the home free of clutter so spiders have fewer places to hide.

• Clean the house regularly, making sure to sweep for spider webs.

• Vacuum often.

• Fix any moisture issues throughout the house that could attract insects spiders prey on.

• Inspect and clean behind outdoor window shutters often.

• Contact a professional for help eliminating any existing pest issues in your home that could be attracting spiders.

Why To Call Guard Pest Control For Help With Spiders 

Keeping spiders out can be a difficult task for the average homeowner. They can squeeze through the smallest cracks and crevices in your homes walls, floors, and foundations in order to get inside. And depending on the type of spider you’re facing, you might be putting yourself at risk if you try to eliminate your spider problem on your own.

Luckily, you don’t have to. Contact the Snohomish, WA pest elimination professionals at Guard Pest Control. One of our trained and experienced technicians will be able to complete a thorough inspection of your home for any signs of spider activity before delivering a customized treatment plan to help eliminate any spiders on your property. Even better, we’ll be able to eliminate the pest-conducive conditions that were attracting spiders to your home in the first place, helping keep you and your family protected for the future.

If you’re interested in learning more about the many benefits of professional pest control when it comes to spiders, contact us today for more information.