Are you noticing more and more spiders this month? Thats because all of the spiderlings that hatched this spring are now full sized adults and they are much more noticeable right now. When the temperature starts to drop and fall begins these new adults are beginning to mate and so they are out and about looking for other spiders instead of being tucked up in their webs. This makes it that much more likely that if you have not already you will begin to see them more often. You actually do not have more spiders, you just have more active spiders and so you are noticing them more often.
Ever wonder how a male and female spider find each other? Female spiders give off a pheromone which the male spiders can sense with special hairs on their legs attracting them towards the mature female spiders. Most of the spiders you see running around are males, this is because the females are conserving energy and staying in their webs so they can lay eggs.
One of the most common spiders in Idaho is the black widow. I personally think that she gets a bad reputation because people are afraid of her. For the most part black widows are non aggressive, you leave them alone and they will leave you alone. They like to hang out in dark undisturbed places close to the ground, so you commonly will find them in the crawlspace, garage or a wood pile. It’s important to understand that although black widows are poisonous, most victims of a bite do not suffer serious damage and bites from this spider very rarely result in death.
If you get bit by a black widow you may experience nausea, severe abdominal and/or back pain, profuse sweating, muscle aches and difficulty breaching caused from paralysis of the diaphragm. If you were bitten please seek medical attention, anti venom for black widows is usually locally available at your hospitals and can help with the effects of the venom.
If you need help managing spiders in you home or on your property please call Barrier Pest Control at 208-463-4533.
