| Spiders
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| Spiders are beneficial for their role as predators to
insects and other arthropods. Unfortunately, many people fear or dislike
them. |
| Spiders are not insects, they are arachnids. Spiders
have eight legs and two body parts: a head region (cephalothoraxes) and
an abdomen. They lack wings and antennae. Most spiders have toxic venom
used to kill their prey. |
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Brown recluse spiders
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| Brown recluse spiders
are commonly found in garages, firewood piles, cellars,
storage units, and closets. Most people are bitten when
they put on clothes or shoes that have not been worn for
a long time and come across a brown recluse hiding in
the arm or pant leg. To prevent a surprise encounter,
make sure you shake out clothes and shoes that you
haven't worn in a while before dressing. |
| Brown recluse spiders
are brown in color and have a characteristic fiddle
shape on their back--the stem of the fiddle points
toward the spiders "head." However, the fiddle is
sometimes difficult to see. They have a total leg span
about the size of a quarter, and have long, spindly
legs. If you catch one and kill it, you can also
identify it by the unique pattern of their eyes: 6 eyes
arranged in pairs in a semicircle. |
| Brown recluse bites
may go unnoticed, or may be very painful, depending on
your sensitivity and the amount of venom injected. A
small white blister usually arises 2-8 hours after the
bite, and becomes red and enlarged. The venom is
necrotic (eats away at the skin tissue) and usually
kills the affected tissue. Depending on the seriousness
of the bite, it may take up to eight weeks before full
recovery. |
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Black widow
spiders |
| Black widows can be found in
protected cavities outdoors, and occasionally (rare) indoors.
Garages, storage units, shrubbery, trash cans, and old furniture
are common places to find black widows. Most people are bitten
when they accidentally disturb a hidden web. |
| Despite its reputation, this spider often attempts to escape
rather than bite, unless it is guarding an egg mass. Males do
not bite. After mating, the female often eats the male, earning
the name "widow." |
| Black widows are very easy to
identify. They are dark brown to black in coloration and have a
red hour glass shape on their abdomen. Since black widows hang
upside down from their web, it is extremely easy to see the hour
glass. The bite may go unnoticed at first, or feel like a pin
prick. Local swelling is the first symptom, followed by intense
large muscle pain in the abdomen, back, and/or legs. Symptoms
also include tremors, nausea, vomiting, and perspiration. Black
widow bites can be deadly. |
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| If you are ever bitten by a spider,
collect it immediately! Identification is the key to treatment. All
spiders have fangs and the ability to bite, but knowing what type of
spider that bit you, can provide you the correct treatment. You know
your body; if something doesn't feel right, get medical treatment as
soon as possible or call Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222. |
| These problems can easily be handled with outside applications, and
if needed limited interior treatment. Many of our customers have an
annual outside and underside treatment done to prevent problems and
reduce the numbers of this type of pest. |
| The best protection for this type of problem is a program to
maintain an exterior band of protection around the structure. We have
programs we can design to provide long term protection with little to no
disruption to your family and with a high degree of safety. |
| Call to get more information or to schedule an
appointment. |
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