Spiders are an important of our ecosystem.
Do we treat for spiders? Yes, Sutton Weed and Pest Control uses products specifically targeted for spiders, centipedes, and other household pests. Our products are effective for 90 days, and are safe to touch once dry. But why are spiders important, and why don’t we get rid of them all?
Spiders eat bugs in their territory, and also are a food source for birds, frogs, and other bugs. We are a pest control company, but we only want to protect your home and family, not remove all bugs (including spiders) from your neighborhood or yard. Spiders do more good than harm. Spiders rarely bite people, and usually do so in self defense.
If spiders are a significant issue for you and your family, we can do an additional spider protocol treatment inside your home. Purdue University teaches that eliminating the food sources for spiders is one way to control the population in and around your home, as well as long lasting residual treatment. Spiders are most commonly found under porches, eaves, crawlspaces and other areas with moisture.
Get the most from your pest control:
If you have regular quarterly pest control, the barrier around your home will be maintained and new spiders looking to enter will need to walk through the product we apply. There are a few things you can do to make your pest control treatment more effective.
- Trim your trees that overhang or touch your home. Not only will this help eliminate spiders accessing your home via a route not through the product, this will also prevent ants and wildlife from using the tree as a ladder over the product we apply.
2. If you are having work done around your home, the product may be disrupted by workers moving rocks, dirt or other areas we applied products. If your protective barrier gets disturbed, call us to come out to treat the area again.
3. Keep debris like dead leaves, pine needles and other organic materials clear and away from your home. If there is organic material buildup, any pest can hide and walk under the material, but the product we apply will be on the top.
Our general pest control protocol provides a preventative barrier around your home. If a spider or other insect crosses the product, it will expire. Our products are not repellants.
After a pest control treatment you may see spiders in your home. Why is that? Well, the product we use are neurotoxins. Spiders do not like to be in the open. When a spider walks through the neurotoxin their behavior changes and they behave erratically. Spiders you see after a treatment were already living in your home, and are now coming out, behaving abnormally. These spiders will most likely die soon.
Fascinating facts:
Spiders do something called ballooning. They will release a strand of their silk ( or gossamer thread) to catch the wind and fly! Spiders can travel over a mile this way. Do you remember the movie Charlotte’s Web, with the baby spiders leaving Wilbur on the wind? That’s what ballooning looks like.
Some species of tarantula will throw hairs from their abdomen to ward off predators. The hairs cause itchiness and irritation.
In the White Mountains, we have a species of spider called a spiny orb weaver. They are beautiful spiders who make beautiful webs. What’s your favorite type of spider?
Spider Bites
Spiders typically only bite when threatened. Many people fear the bite of a black widow spider, but typically those will cause mild irritation. Brown Recluse spider bites are more serious and of concern. Brown recluse are not native to Arizona or the White Mountains. Have these spiders been spotted here? Yes, but they are not the main spiders in our area. If you have any sort of spider bite and feel disoriented or have trouble breathing, it’s a good idea to seek medical attention. If you suspect you have been bitten by a spider and your reaction is severe (anaphylaxis, vomiting, fever) call poison control right away. 1-800-222-1222
Article written by Rachel Sutton