Spread Christmas Cheer... Not Spider Tears
Pulling out Christmas decorations can be a great time, until you find a family of spiders living in your storage boxes!
#1 on the Naughty List
There are tens of thousands of species of spiders in the world and in Texas we encounter dozens of different species on a regular basis. While most are nonpoisonous two species the widow and recluse spiders are common in our area and both produce dangerous venom and can unknowingly be introduced into our homes during the holiday season.
Getting out storage boxes filled with Christmas decorations is the first step in the process of getting ready for the holiday season for many of our friends and neighbors. While climbing ladders and traversing the dark usually poorly lit attic decking can hold their own risks the boxes and ladders are often harboring unseen and often unnoticed pests like Black Widow spiders and Brown Recluse spiders.
Widow Spiders
Widow spiders produce a messy dense white colored web and can come in colors ranging from brown to black. The Black Widow and Brown Widow are both found in our region and can inflict a painful venomous bite. If you are taking out the extension ladder to hang some Christmas decorations it might be wise to check inside the rungs of the ladder to make sure it is free of black widow spiders, especially if the ladder is stored outside. Black Widows are common outdoors and generally do not live indoors but can be introduced inside by an unsuspecting homeowner trying to spread a little Christmas cheer.
Brown Recluses
Another unwanted spider houseguest common to our area is the Brown Recluse spider. Recluse spiders get their common name from their reclusive behavior. They tend to spend their time in undisturbed areas like attics, storage closets and other dark areas that provide adequate food, water and shelter. Despite the seasonal shifts in temperature many Texans find their attics to be a suitable place to store seasonal decorations like boxes of Christmas ornaments, lights and fake garland.
Attics and seasonal storage closets are the perfect place for recluse spiders because they are undisturbed and can house many other pest species like silverfish and roaches that are often food sources for spiders. If seasonal decorations are stored in cardboard boxes the boxes can provide a microhabitat that can produce many generations of recluse spiders.
While the widow spiders and similar species tend to produce offspring that venture away from their birthplace the recluse spiders tend to stay near their birthplace. Which means one closet or large cardboard box can be home to generations of recluse spiders that go unnoticed until they are disturbed once or twice a year when unpacking our seasonal decorations.
We'll Get Those Little Devils!
Effective spider control begins with trusting Angel Pest Control to develop a pest control plan that works to reduce pest populations in and around your home.
