Spiders are common pests in Reno. They appear in many unexpected places within our homes and routinely appear in garages, sheds, and landscaping. Our goal today is to help you find answers if you've been wondering how to keep spiders in Reno at bay. We'll share basic facts about common spiders and how spiders cause problems and give you our best, all-natural spider control tips. If you need professional spider pest control in Reno, hop over to our contact page or contact us by phone. We're happy to help you in person.
Types Of Dangerous Spiders In Reno
We have quite a few scary spiders in Reno. If you're concerned about spiders and spider bites, these eight-legged invaders can put you on edge. Let's quickly look at some noteworthy spider pests.
At the top of the "scary" list are hairy spiders. We have large tarantulas, tiny jumping spiders, and mid-sized wolf spiders. They're all hairy and scary. Fortunately, they're not nearly as bad as they look. These are docile and mostly harmless spiders.
In our yards, landscaping, and gardens, we have bright yellow and black banana spiders, mid-sized garden spiders, and orb weavers. While it is certainly unnerving when you walk through a web and notice a large spider staring you in the face, a bite from one of these critters will only result in localized pain and swelling. Many Reno residents put up with these frightening outdoor spiders because they help to manage pests that damage plants and vegetables.
Lastly, we have several common house spiders. The most common is the American house spider. There is a good reason why it has the word "house" in its name. American house spiders love to live in houses, but they are a nuisance when they live in our homes because they often abandon webs that aren't catching flies, and they create more webs in other places. They also tend multiple webs. In general, common house spiders are like this. They present little threat and are just creepy and annoying.
According to state entomologists and experts in the study of arachnids, only one kind of spider presents any real threat to residents in Nevada. If you live in Reno, we don't need to tell you that it is the black widow spider. We all know about these spiders. What you may not know is that we have a look-alike spider called a false black widow, which is not harmful at all. Therefore, not every small, black, bulbous spider you see is a black widow, but it is best to err on the side of caution.
Why A Spider Infestation In Your Home Can Be Problematic
While it is certainly problematic to have black widow spiders in your home, they rarely get inside or stay inside. That is the good news. But there is some bad news to consider. Seeing spiders in your home is a warning sign that you have entry points. Spiders aren't the only critters that can enter your home through the entry points those spiders found. Harmful pests like bark scorpions can also get into your home. The greater your spider infestation, the more we recommend performing a close inspection of your exterior walls. When you check your exterior walls, here are a few trouble spots to check first.
- At night, stand outside the exterior doors of your home. If you see light leaking out through gaps, it is possible that spiders and other pests are getting in through those gaps. Align your doors, install new weatherstripping, and seal things up.
- Check your exterior door and window frames and use a caulking gun to seal the tiniest gaps. It doesn't take much of a gap for a spider or a bark scorpion to get inside.
- Inspect your utilities. Pipes and wire conduits sometimes have gaps around them. These gaps are typically low to the ground and high in humidity, two factors that make them enticing to spiders. Cans of expanding foam work well for gaps like these.
- expanding foam works great for filling in voids behind joists. Spiders slip behind joists and find pathways to enter homes.
- Do you have weep holes? Weep hole protectors can keep pests out. If a wood-damaging pest gets into your weeps holes, they can make entry points for spiders to use.
- Fix damaged screens and seal gaps around screens.
- Cracks in your foundation or chipped mortar can allow spiders inside. A foundation repair kit might help seal these cracks.
It isn't easy to do home improvements, but they are well worth the effort. Your hard work won't just keep pests out of your home. Home improvement tips like this help keep cold air in your home on hot days and thus help lower your energy bills.
The Safest Way To Get Rid Of Dangerous Spiders Around Your Home
Spider control is relatively simple. When you control food and harborage, you have less trouble with spiders, particularly dangerous spiders like the black widow. Controlling food and harborage does not require the use of control products, so there is no concern for your health or safety. Like home improvements, spider management just takes a little elbow grease. Here are our best suggestions.
- Move stacked materials away from your exterior. Scrap wood, campfire wood, dead branches, and leaf litter are strong attractants for spiders. They also like to hide in stacked stones, bricks, and cinder blocks. It is best to store these well away from your exterior or in a storage shed.
- Remove junk. Junk piles are similar to stacked materials. Spiders find lots of gaps and pockets to hide in. If you have a pile of anything, spiders may take up residence.
- Remove yard clutter. Any object with a void inside can provide a hiding place for spiders. If you have objects you don't want to remove, such as a child's playset, inspect for gaps or holes and patch them.
- Trim vegetation. Short grass and well-trimmed landscaping can deter black widows from taking up residence. They're looking for food-rich environments. Dense and humid landscaping provides these.
- Reduce insect population. Every step you take to reduce insects in your yard will have an impact on black widows. They don't want to live in a yard that has no food. There are several ways to reduce insects. Moisture control is top of the list. Clean your gutters and repair damaged areas of your gutter system. Along with moisture control, consider exterior lights. White lights attract insects, but insects can't detect yellow light, so replacing bulbs can have a big impact. You may also consider getting motion-sensitive fixtures that only come on when you need them.
Addressing food and water resources and limiting the places black widow spiders may hide is often all that is needed for control. Consult a pest management professional if more control is needed. Some properties have higher-than-normal problems with black widows.
Why Professional Pest Control Is The Best Spider Control
There are many reasons to get professional spider control. While managing dangerous spiders is certainly at the top of the list, it is far from the only reason.
- Life gets busy. Who has time to deal with spider control? It is easy to put spider control on the back burner. Doing that can come back to bite you.
- Spider control is hard work. When you get done with work, you'd probably like to relax. When you have professional pest control, you can enjoy your leisure time while we handle spiders.
- Sometimes spiders find food sources and hiding places that aren't easy to detect or address. A licensed technician has the training and experience to solve even the most difficult spider problems. We use field-tested strategies to detect spider activity and evaluate spider treatments.
- Year-round residential pest control provides ongoing spider management so you are never without protection.
- Year-round residential pest control provides coverage for several pests. Spider control is only one piece of the pest control puzzle.
Are you in Reno? If so, contact Celtic Pest Control for spider and general pest management. We can guide you in selecting the right services for your specific needs. You don't have to worry about spiders and their bites. Our industry-leading pest control solutions provide layers of protection for your exterior. We provide routine crack and crevice treatments to your exterior and spot treatments in your yard to control the food sources that attract spiders and we make it hard for spiders to live near your home or get inside your home. We offer feedback to let you know if you have conditions on your property that could increase spider problems and attract black widows. We also remove spider webs and egg sacs. A single egg sac can contain hundreds of eggs. That's a lot of spiders waiting to hatch! Get proactive and stop those spiders in their tracks. Life is a whole lot better without spiders. Start living the good life.
What Celtic Pest Control Customers Are Saying
"My overall experience with your company was very good. They were on time and professional. They did good work and answered all questions we had. From the first point of contact with your company, we have had a good experience. Great customer service. We will use them in the future and highly recommend them!"
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