Spiders are common year-round, but in Kansas City, when the Fall season comes, spiders become much more noticeable around the house. This is because Fall is the mating season for most species, and they will also be needing better shelter for the cold winter, such as the same for insects the spiders prey upon for their meals. The following are some of the most popular species of spiders you will find in homes in the Kansas City metro area. If you believe there is a spider issue in your home contact Blue Beetle Pest Control and use our professional spider control services for your home!
Brown Recluse
Diagnosing a Brown Recluse infestation is mostly straightforward. A sign of infestation in many cases is simple as seeing a Brown Recluse spider walking across your floor or seeing one trapped on a glue trap. They will stick to walking along walls, so if placing glue traps, place them around baseboards. They also tend to build their webs around baseboards as well so check corners for webs as well. The Brown Recluse gets its name from how it acts, these are spiders that don’t like to be seen. You may see one crawling around on the floor but many more can be hiding in places such as your attic.
The Brown Recluse lives in infamy due to its bite. With their small fangs, a bite from a Brown Recluse is typically painless. In the first few hours you will notice a dry patch of skin, a bluish appearance with redness around the lesion, and a central blister. This is where most cases end and will heal after a few weeks with the help of a doctor. In some cases, the venom will spread, and the wound will expand. Severe reactions can include chills, dizziness, fever, rash, vomiting. If you believe you have been bitten by a Brown Recluse contact a doctor immediately.
Wolf Spider
Wolf spiders grow to two different sizes, females will grow between 3/8 – 1 3/8“ while males only grow to 1/4 – 3/4“. These spiders have hair that is dark brown with lighter brown and yellowish stripes. Unlike most spiders who hunt with their webs Wolf Spiders are much faster than most other species and use that speed to chase down their prey. It is common to come across a Wolf Spider as they do tend to hide inside during the day but when night comes around it is time to hunt. They are labeled as a nuisance pest so if they are left alone you won’t have a problem with them. If a Wolf Spider is threatened and bites it will seem just like any other bug bite and is hard to diagnose as a Wolf Spider bite unless you directly witness the spider bite you. In some cases people have allergic reactions to the bite and may experience dizziness, breathing difficulties, or swelling in the face.
Daddy Long Leg
A Daddy Long leg spider is one of the most recognizable species of spiders, their actual name of Cellar Spider is far less known than its nickname. There are long-bodied and short-bodied species whose only difference is in the size of body and legs. Short-bodied cellar spiders will grow up to just under half an inch with legs with bodies that are a sixteenth of an inch. Long-bodied Cellar Spiders grow up to around half an inch with legs that can get up to two inches long. You will most often find cellar spiders in damp places so, bathrooms and basements are popular spots to come across as they are easy to access to water. Thye enjoy hanging upside down on their webs waiting for their next meal to enjoy, they do this by pulsating their bodies shaking the web to capture insects along with other spiders. The Daddy Long Leg is not commonly known to bite humans and is labeled a nuisance pest. It has been believed they are unable to bite due to their fangs not being strong enough to break the skin, that is not true as they are able to break the skin and the bite leaves a faint burning sensation for only a few seconds. The Daddy Long Leg nickname also includes the Harvestman which is an arachnid with a single segmented body and eight long legs but is not considered a spider.
House Spider
The House Spider gets its name from being the most common spider encounter in the home worldwide. A female can lay up to 3,760 eggs in her short one-year life so, the species multiplies quickly. The House Spider is a yellowish-brown, dirtyish white abdomen, and striped dark and light brown legs. As is the case for most spiders, the female House Spider grows larger than the male getting up to five-sixteenths compared to three-sixteenths for males. Biting should not be a problem unless provoked, in which case you will get redness around the bite mark like most bug bites. Due to pest control the House Spider is growing less common in homes and found more in sheds, garages, barns, and warehouses for easier access to food.
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