Advice about Spiders
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Advice about Spiders
Nov 2011
My son was playing Legos on our living room floor and said
he saw a big spider. It turned out to be a VERY BIG spider,
which I think is a wolf spider. It's 2'' across, hairy and
brown. We caught it and plan to take it to LHS tomorrow.
Does this mean we have MORE living in our house? Have you
ever found one inside, and then found more? Any advice welcome!
Creeped Out Mom
Yikes. My Audubon Society Field Guide to North American
Insects & Spiders says that wolf spiders are not web
weavers, but are burrowing spiders so I'd imagine it hitched
a ride indoors (on some firewood?). Wikipedia says they are
solitary creatures and live lonely lives (paraphrasing), so
it sounds like you probably don't have a bunch of them
running around.
One thing that has always helped my family and myself is to
learn as much as possible about any creepy-crawly or critter
that we encounter. How dangerous are they? Where do they
live? As a general rule, big fuzzy spiders may look really
terrifying, but it's the shiny spiders that are most
dangerous to humans. Spider bites are pretty rare and
spiders are good companions, really, in that they prey on
much more dangerous things like mosquitoes. You're probably
safe, but, I hear you...Big bugs and spiders are creepy.
Molly G
I'd wait to hear the diagnosis from LHS. It sounds likely to
be something other than a Wolf spider (which get to about an
inch), e.g., (and they're everywhere right now in the yard)
a pleasant enough Orb Web Weaver which somehow got lost
inside. Our house is overrun with various flavor of spiders,
all of which are more welcome than any bugs they manage to
catch.
Ara Chnid
You probably have more (although I don't know). Wolf spiders
(and other California spiders) don't usually bite humans (if
ever) and are not poisonous, and will kill and eat other pests
in your home so overall it's good to have them around, even if
you don't like seeing them.
Andi
Sept 2011
My husband and I are butting heads about what to do about
the army of spiders that have set up shop both in the front
and back areas of our house. We have lots of native shrubs
and trees, closely spaced together, so they lend themselves
nicely to web-building. While I am not bothered by the
critters, citing their important role in pest control, my
hubby says they ARE the pests. I do see his point of view -
often you can't walk through the front or back yards without
bumping into webs and getting a spider or two scurrying on
your body somewhere. These spiders are all of the common
brown mottled variety. Hubby is up in arms about inviting
brown recluse spiders and black widows into the house. I
don't like the idea of having chemicals sprayed all over our
property, as we have two dogs and a toddler. What has
worked for others in getting rid of spiders more gently? (I
tried power-hosing them down with water, but they came back
the very next day!)
pacifist about the spider war
[moderator note] September is Spider Season in the Bay Area!
See past advice below.
Not being a huge fan of spiders myself (because for some
reason they bring out the squeamish little girl in me), I
always wait with anxiety for spider season towards the end
of the summer. As noted by the moderator, this is the
time of year that these common (non-poisonous, and VERY
helpful for curbing the mosquito/wasp/annoying insect
population) spiders web-out and breed all over the place.
Remind your husband that it's only a minor inconvenience,
certainly NOT a health issue, and in a month or so they'll
be gone...until next year!
doesn't-like-em-but-does't-kill-em
I have the same experience. I have a huge native plant garden and many brown
spiders of all sizes hanging on webs everywhere.
The good thing is that spiders will only set up in non-toxic environments so
we
must have healthy homes/gardens!
Here is what I did last fall/winter, I put some latex gloves on and looked
at the
areas where they set up webs for the egg sacs. I then scraped or pinched the
egg
sacs and threw them away. I didn't get all of them given that we still have
spiders
but I noticed that it was more manageable this year. Last year we were
running
into webs. This year they are more contained but spiders are hard to control
because they lay eggs in many nooks and crannies. It's impossible to
eliminate
them and they do serve a purpose so I tolerate them as best I can.
Spiderwoman
Sept 2010
We seem to have a poisonous spider problem. My 5-yr old
has had some really bad bites. But about a week ago my
husband got a terrible spider bite on his forehead. It
swelled, but only to the size of about a poker chip. The
swelling is like a volcano with a red indented center. But
it literally put him in bed for about 3 days with flu-like
symptoms. He is still recovering.
We don't know exactly what kind of spider we are dealing
with. We live in Mill Valley. I've read some conflicting
info on BPN and other research. But most say the brown
recluse doesn't live here so I guess that's not it. Has
anyone had a similar experience and a positive spider
identification?
Almost all past BPN advice recommends leaving spiders alone
because most are beneficial. Unfortunately, that is not an
option. We have a poisonous spider problem. So I am
looking for advice about how to control the dangerous
spiders in the least toxic way. I've ordered the book
Common Sense Pest Control but not yet received it. I know
to get rid of cardboard and don't leave clothes piled on
the floor. Is there any kind of ''green'' exterminator we
can call? We are not necessarily opposed to chemical
treatment outside the house if that would help. But if we
do go the traditional chemical route, I'd prefer a
knowledgeable local professional rather than a chain like
Terminex. Does anyone have a recommendation that serves
Mill Valley?
Thanks for any advice!
Arachnophobia
I would like to reply to the person who is suffering from spider
bites. Not once
in your post do you say that anyone in your family has seen the spiders that are
biting you. In fact, you don't even seem to know what they look like! How do
you know they are spiders? I have handled spiders all my life (I like
them), and I
have never been bitten. I also can't imagine a spider creeping into someone's
bed and biting them. It's just not what spiders do. I'm sure you are
having some
sort of problem with creepy-crawlies, but it doesn't seem to me it's
likely to be
spiders. You need to identify your intruder before you can fight it.
spider gal
Spider bites are exceedingly rare but myths abound that
spiders are out there biting people all the times, esp. in
their sleep. It is much more likely that other insects are
biting you (bed bugs, rat mites, fleas, ticks) or your
husband's sore is something like a MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus) infection:
http://www.medicinenet.com/mrsa_infection/article.htm Here's
another webpage about the myth of spider bites:
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/asleep.
html You should see a doctor about these bites/sores.
Spiders rarely bite people; they cannot drink human blood.
They eat small things like insects, period.
Andi
Did you actually see the spider bite the skin? If not, then
it is probably not a spider bite. Even doctors get confused.
If they see a bump on the skin that they are not familiar
with, they will commonly call it a spider bite, instead of
saying that they just don't know. if you have bumps on your
skin, it could be many things. Check here for more info:
http://www.srv.net/dkv/hobospider/medical.html
Using pesticides to kill spiders doesn't work. You have to
get rid of their habitat. Any pesticide you use would
probably be far more dangerous for your family than the
spiders.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7442.html
anon
Next time it happens, go to your doctor to get a swab of the
''bite'' tested. What you're describing sounds much more like
MRSA (a type of staph resistant to some antibiotics) than it
does like spider bites. MRSA is pretty ubiquitous around
here -- more than half of the staph skin infections cultured
at Children's Hospital in Oakland are MRSA. The infections
are quite commonly mistaken for spider bites. Some reliable
info on MRSA is at
http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/mrsa_initiative/skin_infection/index.html
local pediatrician
I've recommended him here before, but my go-to source for
sane and often environmentally friendly advice about
dealing with all manner of creepy crawlies is the Bug Man:
www.askthebugman.com
JP
Aug 2010
I have found black widow spiders in three different places
around our house: in our garage, outside our kitchen, and
right by the front door. These are all places where my 2
young kids are frequently and I think we should get rid of
them because of the danger they can (potentially) pose to
our kids. I know they are definately black widows because
of the red hourglass on their bodies. I want to have a
professional come out. My husband thinks I'm overreacting
and that we should just spray them with bug spray and call
it a day. I have actually sprayed one of the spiders
directly with a spray made for spiders but it didn't kill
it. I'm generally opposed to the use of insecticides and
prefer to live in harmony with our little crawly house
companions but I draw a very real line at the creatures
that can harm my kids. My youngest is only 19 months old
and is very curious so I am concerned at the risk she
could be in. I suppose I'm mostly appalled at my
husband's lack of concern. Am I overreacting? Thanks for
the sounding board
Just want to keep my kids safe
Richard Fagerlund, aka The Bugman, is my go-to source of
advice for dealing with creepy crawlies in a sane way.
His advice: ''You can control black widows without using any
toxic pesticides or spending money on a pest control
service. First mix up a solution of 40 percent water, 40
percent alcohol and 20 percent dish soap in a spray bottle.
Then inspect your entire yard for signs of black widows and
spray any you find directly with the mixture. If you don't
spray the spider directly, it won't help. If you can't see
the spider or aren't sure if one is present, then you can
dust the area with food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE). This
product will kill any spider it comes in contact with and
prevent others from nesting in the area.''
More: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/25/HODG13MCJD.DTL
JP
black widow bites are lethal to small children. black widow spiders can inflict
serious damage to adults as well. there are sonic pest plug-ins that may deter
them but i would get a reputable pest control service to come and treat the
perimeter of your house and check everything. you do not want to mess with
black widows.
Leo
My four-year-old son was bitten by a black widow spider this
summer and ended up in the hospital for four days with an IV
of some pretty heavy narcotics. It was scary and awful.
After that, my husband went around our house, inside and
out, and found more black widows and killed them all. We're
keeping shoes indoors (the black widow was in his boot), and
we're using a leaf blower to keep shadowy corners clear.
I've read that spraying doesn't help that much, but I think
that being careful about keeping black-widow-friendly areas
clear is helping. Tell your husband that you're not
overreacting: watching my kid scream in pain for four days
proved that to me.
Been there
I don't think you're over-reacting but I'm probably in the
minority. When I find spiders in the house I gently take
them outside and and release. But I make an exception for
black and brown widows (yes, there is such a thing as a
brown widow); of those I am not so accepting. Thankfully I
have not found them in our home, but I find them in the
garage and in the yard (around where the kids play). From
what I've learned they are quite resistant to bug spray. I
was given one recommendation to spray the web instead of the
spider itself, but I've had limited success with that. I do
not recommend spraying around the house because it kills
alot of other beneficial bugs.
I am teaching my children how to recognize them and to let a
grown up know whenever they find one.
Best of luck!
I recommend that next time you see and/or kill one of the
spiders, that you put it (live or dead) in a little
container and take it to an entomologist or pest person to
get a positive ID on it. You may be able to call the
entomology department at UC Berkeley and see if there is a
person who could identify your spider for you. Black widows
also have a very distinctive shape that is very different
from other typical spiders in the east bay. Form what I
understand,t hey are common in hot dry places like Davis,
but not very common at all on the west side (bay side) of
the east bay hills where, especially this summer) we have a
lot of cold damp fog. I don't know where yo live, but if
you live in Berkeley, in my opinion, the likely hood that
you have Black Widows out in the open during this cold
summer is small.
nature mom
I did not see the original posting asking advice about black
widow spiders, but I do want to disagree with what Nature
Mom said. Though she may be right that there are relatively
less black widows in the east bay than other hotter dryer
areas, there are definitely black widow spiders here!
I live on the berkeley/oakland border and since the spring
of this year have killed or found 7 black widows INSIDE my
house or outside in an often used area. There is one more
under an eave out of the way on my garage that I cannot
reach and I leave alone. One made her web in the middle of
my sunny kitchen window! Two others made their webs in
corners of nearby windows. I usually catch spiders in a jar
and take them outside and caught two that way, and got a
very good look at them and have no doubts whatsoever about
what they are. After reading about what a bite would do I've
switched to killing any I find indoors or in areas where my
son might go.
Usually spider friendly mama
Nov 2009
We just bought a house and the backyard is overrun with weeds (mostly oxalis).
I'm
excited by the landscaping project ahead of me, but noticed today that there are
a TON
of small black spiders amongst the oxalis. They are probably innocuous,
but...ick!
How do I get rid of them without using a ton of poison? I don't mind a few
spiders,
but the place is literally crawling with them! And I'm concerned that they'll
just
invade the house once I dig up the oxalis. Any ideas?
arachnophobe
Hi,
I know you are an arachnophobe, but please be gentle with these little black
spiders. I am pretty sure that these are the same ones I have in my back yard in
Alameda; on a sunny day you see lots if you look. They hunt flies diligently.
They don't bite or spin webs. And poisoning them is, well, a toxic approach! I
have literally never found one inside the house (in 33 years), although various
other kinds seem to like it indoors. They seem to love the sun and don't like
indoors or other enclosed areas. Once you have a well-mowed or landscaped yard,
I don't think you will see so many; and they are a well-behaved way to keep
flies down.
Nils
Don't worry too much about the spiders. October is the month that sees them
proliferate. This will pass and you'll start your landscaping and all will be well.
Andus
Nov 2009
Hi. We were cleaning out our laundry/storage area (its an unfinished,
dark, dusty sub- terrainian space) and found a couple of black widow
spiders. We are just about to move our two children into the adjacent
finished basement as their bedroom (just on the other side of the
wall.) We cleaned out the unfinished space as best we could, but now
I'm worried that black widows will come into the finished basement and
bite the children.
Is there any way to get rid of black widows?. I am open to spraying
with chemicals as I think the environmental risk is worth it
considering a bite could kill a small child. But I don't even know if
that would work, or just drive them into the finished bedroom area
across the wall. Any recommendations for pest control people to call?
thanks!
Pesticides are generally useless when it comes to spiders. And generally, black
widows live in uninhabited spaces, like the unfinished basement where you found
them. So, if you do nothing at all, the kids will likely be safe from black
widows in their rooms. For more info on black widows, insects, etc, the UC Davis
Integrated Pest Management site is very helpful.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7442.html
anon
Black widow spiders,
One of the most important first steps (besides removing the black widows) is
change the humidity level in the room. They enjoy dark, somewhat moist, and
dusty sub-terrainian spaces. I normally don't kill spiders but in this case you
really need to. After you remove/kill them and change the moisture levels they
won't come back. No need for chemicals. The way I changed the levels was to get
a dehumidifier and place it in that area/room.
If you can get to the spiders- the easiest way is to cup them, take them outside
and kill them.
We had about 15 or so (and spiderlings) inside our house.
zt
I grew up, and then raised my own child, in old houses in the Oakland Hills that had many spiders
including black widows in them, and I would certainly advise against using poison. Of all the various
kinds of spiders (which I taught my child to try to catch in a jar and take outside whenever possible, as
my compassionate mom taught me), black widows are by far the hardest to catch because they are so
shy - they hide in dark cracks most of the time, and when they come out, usually at night or in the
dark, they are always ready to run back and hide. We lived for years with a black widow in each of two
cracks along the baseboards in 2 bedrooms - at least, we'd often see them there when vacuuming
(they always escaped) and sometimes at night with a flashlight (we never managed to catch one, they
move so fast, so after a while we gave up). Eventually we ''solved'' the problem by (duh) caulking the
cracks, so the spiders had to find their way out the other side of the wall somewhere. We've never seen
them in the house where there wasn't a handy dark crack. In the (unfinished and usually dark)
basements, it's another story; widows do lurk between the odd objects so we have to be careful when
we move anything around. By the way, black widows' webs are conveniently easy to recognize:
formless, very tough, often making a crackly sound - a good warning. So my advice is not to worry too
much; vacuum and caulk and weatherstrip; educate yourself and your child (when old enough) about
how to recognize and avoid black widows and their webs; and remember if you do use poison you'll
have to keep using it because they may come back. My daughter is 13 now, brave and passionate
about nature and biology.
Tolerance Advocate
For your black widow problem, please look up the Richard Fagerlund's website
www.askthebugman.com
You'll find the answer to your problem in there. He does not recommend the use
of toxic chemicals and I have used to his suggestions for ant control and
pests in general with 100% success. Maia
Maia
I always look to Richard Fagerlund who writes the ''Ask the Bugman'' column for
advice. Here is what he says: ''Good housekeeping indoors and outdoors can
control black widow and other spiders. Spiders are very fond of littered
environments and keeping that to a minimum will help reduce their numbers.
Make sure all doors and windows close tightly. Do not stack firewood, bricks
or anything else near your house. If you go around your house at night with a
flashlight and inspect suspected hiding places, you will often find the
spiders working in their webs. You can vacuum them up or spray them with a
mixture of soap, water and alcohol to kill them. The mixture should be
approximately 40% water, 40% alcohol and 20% dish soap. This concoction will
kill most insects as well as spiders. You can treat cracks and crevices with
natural grade diatomaceous earth to kill spiders that may be hiding in those
areas.'' You can read his info about spiders here:
http://www.askthebugman.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70:april-2007&catid=45:the-bugman-reports-2007&Itemid=60 No need for nasty chemicals.
Andi
I have been through this many times and would advise you start out simple.
Before you hire some contractor to come and soak your house with toxins he has
in a secret tank on the truck try a DIY method. Seal off the area of concern and
release one or two of the aerosol foggers you buy at the hardware store. Let
them do their job for 24 hours and then air out the area. They work incredibly
well and seem to be a long lasting solution. If you find the need to bring in a
pest control company make sure they provide you with a MSDS (material safety
data sheet) on whatever they intend to spray on or in your home. If they won't
do it find one who will (often they cite secret formulas and proprietary
issues). The risk of toxic exposure is likely much greater than the spider bite.
I have been bitten and my arm was temporarily numbed to the elbow but all was
fine the next day. A brown recluse bite is more concerning if there are any
around here.
anon
I'll admit that I don't know very much about black widow spiders, and maybe they are harder to get than
the non-black-widow kind that inhabit my house. I was surprised that no one has yet given much credit
to my weapon of choice, which is a canister vacuum cleaner with a ''wand'' type hose. I have found this to
be extremely effective. I don't go vacuuming up individual spiders, as those are harder to catch, but
instead, I take the time to look for, and vacuum up every web-encased bundle of spider eggs that I can
find - usually in nooks, crannies, corners, and under furniture. This has significantly reduced the indoor
spider population at my house. If it doesn't help in your case with the black widows, it certainly doesn't
hurt anything, and you'll be free of dust bunnies to boot.
L
May 2009
I was wondering if anyone has found a non-toxic way to get rid of spiders in your
house. We bought our house a year ago, and when the weather starts to warm up,
spiders appear everywhere but mostly up stairs.
I asked the previous owner about this. They said they always had problems with them
and would even spray outside once a month. I have a toddler and spraying isn't an
option. Any suggestions?
anon
The vast majority of spiders that would be in your house won't
hurt you, and they are good to have in the house to keep other
pests under control. We've always had spiders, and never had them
cause real problems (maybe a few mild suspected spider bites, but
nothing dreadful, and the bites may have been from something
else). But if they bother you, just take them outside! Place a
cup or glass over them, slide a card under to trap them, then
deposit them outside. As non-toxic as it gets.
spider liker
Cats
Allen
We have a ''spider catcher'' a plastic tupperware container. I catch and release the
spiders outside into the garden. They are harmless to us, and beneficial to the
environment.
jj
Why not just let the spiders alone? If you kill them, then you
will just have flies and mosquitoes instead. Spiders in the home
provide a service and cause no problems. Live and let live.
Sanon
Somewhere between toxics and letting them live/relocating them
lies what I used to do when I lived in a house with a lot of
spiders: Once a week, as part of my housecleaning, I went around
with the vacuum (with the hose attachment, or you can use a
dustbuster) and vacuumed up all the spiders/webs.
My house now mostly has spiders outside, where I really enjoy
watching them.
Kathy
July 2008
A few times a week, our toddler son has been waking up with red
spots on his face and body, which we've been told are spider
bites. They don't seem to itch or bother him, but needless to
say I'm horrified that a spider is biting him at night! We've
been advised to vacuum more, but this hasn't completely solved
the problem. Our son co-sleeps with us, and I never see any
spiders in our(reasonably clean) apartment except for the
occasional daddy longlegs (whom my husband says don't bite -- is
this true?). Should we hire an exterminator? Close the windows
at night? Rid the bedroom of every last dustbunny? Advice
appreciated.
Spidey's mom
My now 5 yr. old son seems to get bitten by some critter a few
times/yr. I just hose him down in Avon's Skin So Soft bath oil
for a few nights and it seems to discourage whatever's chewing
on him. I also spray it on his sheets, stuffed animals, and
pillow.
Good luck!
Been There
I don't know why people always say that any unidentified red mark
on the skin is a spider bite. Have you even once seen a spider
bite you, the way you've seen mosquitoes and fleas bite you? I
never have! I think you can safely ignore that ''diagnosis.''
Don't hire an exterminator. You'll probably just get lots of
toxins dumped into your home environment with no benefit.
Identify what the marks on your son's skin are, with the help of
his pediatrician or a dermatologist, and let your treatment
proceed from a real diagnosis.
Standing up for spiders and logic
WE've had similar experiences on and off. What's true is that
spiders like warm dark places...like beds with covers and
sheets and warm bodies. Some spiders are really teency
(...''eensy beensy''...)
What you can do is take the bedding off every morning and leave
it off. Put fresh bedding on at night....OR...put the bedding
in the dryer before putting it back on the bed at night (to
kill any critters)....maybe also vacuum the mattress.
Good luck. Tis spider season
anon
kind of disgusting but.....could it be an allergic reaction
rat mite bites? at first i thought our kids had chicken pox, as we
(parents) didn't have any marks. but after i took them to the dr,
she said that because the kids' skin is thinner, it often shows
up more on children. also, not everyone reacts to the bite. check
around your home and attic for evidence of rats (esp. dead ones).
we had to remove a beautiful vine but it solved the problem.
problem solved
No, daddy longlegs don't bite. In fact, there are very few
spiders in our area that do bite. It is probably mites -
maybe rat mites. Or bedbugs. Google these two things and see
if it looks like the culprit.
We had problems with spiders and had an exterminator out once a month to spray; it didn't cut down much on the spiders because they breed so fast that the only way to control them is by overspraying, which is too toxic. So the exterminator gave me a great suggestion: get a house cat. Natural pesticide- free pest killer. Since we have had the cats, we have had no spiders, mosquitos, moths or flies inside the house --or at least not for long. There are some great cats at Friends of Fairmont Animal Shelter, very socialized, and definitely needing a home. steve
July 2003
My mother, always fond of scare tactics, has just sent me email
pics of what a brown recluse spider can do to a person. The bite
got really infected, gross and well, just scared me to death! I
recently read the discussion of B.R. spiders in Berkeley in the
newsletters, but was wondering what about Orinda(where we are
moving to)? I have two very young children who are always
poking around things(under rocks, the garage etc.).
Anon
The Chronicle printed an article about the dangers (or lack of) from brown
recluse spiders http//sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2002/10/30/HO199587.DTL
Patrick
I believe I was the person who mentioned a bite by a brown recluse
spider in the advice newsletter. I would like to say that we were not
living in California at the time. I found the site mentioned by another
reader http//www.ipm.ucdavis.edu
, to be very informative and helpful. I
don't believe that brown recluses are supposed to be found in
California. Of course, they were not supposed to be in the state we were
living in either, and we believe the spider came in a box with some
clothing delivered from another place where there are such spiders.
My husband was bitten when he put on the clothing. In any case,
though my spouse was definitely bitten, he got excellent medical care
from the local clinic (medicine to take and close monitoring) and though
he got all the classic symptoms including flu and a dinner dish size
swelling, in the end it did not leave so much as a scar. The best
defense against this kind of spider and probably a lot of others is
indeed, vacuuming regularly, keeping clothes and bedclothes off the
floor. Most spiders are harmless, and in fact eat annoying insects. The
point of my earlier message was mainly that in my (limited) experience it
is pretty unusual to get bitten by a spider! it does happen, but not all that
often, and it is usually just a large mosquito bite-like thing. I have lived in
California all my life, as have my teenagers, and none of us has ever
been bitten by a spider in the house, despite the cobwebs that appear
regularly on the ceiling (I do admit that I prefer the magnificent
constructions in the garden). So my other point was, if my kid was bitten
in the house even once, I would do something to reduce the spider
population in the house immediately. The website above is very helpful
with ideas for controlling spiders in eco-friendly ways. Do not worry
about spiders!
Ms. Tuffett
I just read something on Snopes about this the other day. You
should check it out.
http//www.snopes.com/photos/brownrecluse.asp
***Warning*** the pictures are quite graphic.
Patty
I had similar concerns about these spiders, and wondered if they
were under my house. It's been a while now, so I'm not sure who
I contacted, but I believe it was someone in the appropriate
department at UC Berkeley. They were happy to talk to me. My
recollection is that they said, to my surprise, that brown
recluse do not exist in this area, and they may have even said
in california. So, before you worry too much over it, check it
out.
anon
A colleague of mine was bitten on the back of her leg by a
brown recluse at a school in Lafayette (she was taking
chairs out of a closet at the time.) I was amazed at the
damage done by one bite. Since they are definitely in
Lafayette, I would think they are also in Orinda.
Patty
Nov. 2003
Spiders not wanted anymore... We need advice
about rodents and spiders
removal services. The need
is quite urgent.
thanks so much !!
Hi-
Please think twice about getting rid of your spiders (but
not the rats!). They have an undeserved bad reputation, and
arachniphobia is just that- a phobia.
Spiders are very beneficial for the environment. They eat
many harmful and annoying insects like flies and mosquitoes.
Black Widows are the only spiders found here that can be
dangerous to humans, and they do not choose to live inside
houses.
Cecelia
June 2003
My 3-year-old son seems to get a lot of spider bites, and his
reaction seems pretty severe to me. His doctors have not seen
them at their very worst, but they've heard my descriptions over
the phone and say that it is typical and not a major concern.
He had one bite on his big toe that first was red and swollen,
then, within 24 hours, started turning purple and black and
bubbly and over the next several days blisters developed and
popped, skin peeled, you name it--it was so disgusting I
couldn't even look at it and my husband had to put the
antibiotic ointment on it! For 2 full days he could not even
walk a single step. He has also had several on his forehead,
and in the last 2 days he has gotten one on each wrist and one
on his finger. So far nothing has gotten as gross as the toe,
but they are very red and very swollen. I get them
occasionally, and I got lots as a kid (but I lived in a wooded
area back east), but I have never had or seen a reaction like he
gets. Fortunately they seem to heal with no scarring, but I am
concerned about both the frequency and the severity of the
bites. We do not have an unusually large number of spiders in
our house, and we always put them outside when we see them. I'm
pretty sure the bites happen at night because we usually notice
them in the morning.
We give him tylenol when they get really swollen just to ease
the pain, but we have not given benadryl because he has asthma
and their is apparently some risk involved with that.
Has anyone else had this problem? Any suggestions on how to
make him less appealing to spiders--like any supplements he
could take or anything else to safely repel the spiders?
Thanks!
Tracy
Getting more than one or two spider bites in your life is NOT NORMAL.
My kids are now in their teens and have NEVER had a spider bite. I had
one in 1988. It was extremely painful and had full nervous system
effects. My husband was bitten in 1996 by a brown recluse, and had to
see the doctor many times and take medication to prevent extensive
tissue loss (it came in a shipping box). Spiders that bite have many
different types of venom, and you do not want your child exposed to this.
Get rid of the spiders. Hire an organic exterminator or whatever makes
you feel ok but get rid of them. Your son is not having a ''bad reaction''
he is having the normal reaction. The cheap way to get rid of them?
Stay elsewhere for a couple days, fog with those foggers you can buy,
air things out well and move back in. I know there are harmless spiders-
-we have some in our house but that is not what you have. You have
the kind that go out and hunt.
been bit
Hi,
Your description freaks me out a bit. Your son's reaction to
spider bites sure seems extreme to me. Please *insist* that your
ped refer you to an allergiest.
The extreme swelling, etc. that your toddler produced sounds
similar to what I used to have with honeybee and mosquito bites.
I was given a series of honeybee-venom allergy shots and always
carry around an epi-pen just in case.
I hope the allergist has something helpful to say. In the mean
time, I've always heard that lots of vacuuming/cleaning is the
best way to discourage spiders. Good luck.
Jennie
I didn't read the original post so don't have the full story, but
most spiders are not only harmless but beneficial- they eat
other, more harmful insects. Of course, black widows and brown
recluses are a different story, but they are very rarely found in
the house- wood piles and wooden shipping crates are their kind
of territory.
Everyone gets spider bites from common little household spiders,
but some people never know it because they're not sensitive to
them. A person who is especially sensitive can get a painful
itchy welt that may last a few days.
Killing all the spiders in the house is excessive, and foggers
are quite toxic and even though the smell dissipates, the
chemicals remain for some time. The idea of a crib cover sounds
both effective and environmentally harmless.
Cecelia
My younger daughter has intense reactions to spider, mosquito,
yellow jackets, etc. Apparently, it is pretty common. My
older daughter doesn't react at all and in fact doesn't get
bitten as often. I keep an eye on the spiders in the house and
remove them.
anon
We have alot of spiders, but they must be pretty benign because
our daughter has never been bitten in her crib. You do not ask
for advice re getting rid of them, but I might consider that or
spider-proofing the sleeping area - it sounds like alot of bites
in a short period of time. These may be self-limiting, but
probably not so fun for your child.
Anon
For info about spiders
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7442.html
Or get Common Sense Pest Control by William Olkowski from them
library.
RE: 3-year-old's bad reaction to spider bites.
I live in an area where insect and spider bites are common. If bites are common, then the culprit could be sand fleas, animal fleas or even chiggers. They all make a small, bright red, raised bump that itches. Children that are sensitive to bites may get larger welts. Fleas can terrorize children's legs. Try using Avon's ''Skin so Soft'' as a preventive method when the first bite appears. The spider bites that I have had, usually make me seriously sick for 6-8 days. A spider bite usually has a centerpoint, then a large darker circular area, sort of like a bruise, that encircles the bite. Each day the dark area gets smaller and the nausea and flu like symptoms of the bite lessen. The bite doesn't seem to itch. With a brown recluse bite, a larger area was quickly involved and I went straight to the doctor. They now treat it with something that they treat leprosy with, and the symptoms quickly go away. A qualified exterminator should be able to diagnose the culprit from looking at any of your household spider webs. I like the non-evasive methods of getting rid of household bugs - vacuum them up!! And use Avon ''Skin So Soft'' when the kids during flea hatching season, whether inside and outside, on their legs. Bites are serious issues for kids, or for anyone. RL
April 2002
Spiders are everywhere in my house. Has anyone had a great
experience with an exterminator in the Berkeley area? I've
been told that an exterminator could spray the outside of
the house, doors and windows to greatly reduce the creepy
crawlers but I don't know who to call. I've checked the
website and wasn't able to find any info there either. Thank
Tabitha
You ask for exterminators for your spiders, but your spiders are themselves
efficient
exterminators of even more annoying bugs! Get rid of the spiders, and you
will hear a lot
more buzzing. (Sorry for the pro-spider posting, but I recently finished
reading ''Charlotte's
Web'' to my son, so we've been looking at spiders in a different light in my
household!)
Dan
I do not recommend spraying to get rid of spiders. Spiders are good for the
environment and
insect spray is bad for your and your children's (and beneficial crawlers')
health. If you do
not want spiders, go for a long-term solution. Call Screen Mobile (see
phone book) to put
screens on your windows to keep them (and other critters) from getting in in
the first place.
Use a broom to gather the few hapless spider intruders one by one in the
cool of the morning
or evening (when they are slower) and shake the broom outside. Our screens
work great
and keep out most moths, mosquitoes, flies and spiders. Good luck!
Suzanne
Because of our mild climate, California homes are notoriously leaky,
so there are lots of places for spiders to get in. What you need to
do is seal up all the cracks in your house. You can buy caulk and
caulk guns at the hardware store -- they're cheap. Get both the
silicone-latex stuff (which you use with a "gun") and the spray-foam
kind that comes with a straw-extender -- this is for large holes. The
silicone stuff is basically clear; I gooped it on all over our house
and you really can't see it.
Caulk everywhere there is a crack or seam, whether or not it looks
large to you or even if you think it is sealed. When in doubt --
caulk it. Go all around the perimeter of all the rooms -- where the
floors, the ceiling, and the walls come together. Also in closets and
within the cabinets. Especially in the bathroom and kitchen, where
there are big holes for piping coming up out of the crawlspace. Go
all around all the edges of the windows and doors, as well as the
fireplace, and so on.
Also, make sure you have screens on all the windows, and that they
are tightly sealed.
The added advantages for you are a home that is warmer in the winter
and cooler in the summer, and less dust in the house, as well as a
lower utility bill.
If you are at all sensitive to chemicals, try to do this work in the
morning and air out the home for the rest of the day (windows open
and fans running).
There is lots more info on caulking at the Home Energy Web site at
www.homeenergy.org.
November 2002
Both my son and my husband have been bitten by spiders in our
north Berkeley hills home. My husband's doctor feels the bites
may have come from a ''cousin'' of the brown recluse spider. My
son's OK, but my husband has had a very bad reaction to the
bites (he's had 2 now) necessitating numerous trips to the
doctor, antibiotics, etc. Does anyone have experience with a
reliable exterminator in the area that may be able to rid us of
these spiders? Has anyone had a similar experience and found
another way to handle the situation? (We're not thrilled about
the idea of chemicals and the harm done to more friendly
insects & spiders.) Thanks!
Kim
My neighbor told me that cats like to eat spiders and they
are great exterminators all on their own! She has two cats
and once they came into the house they had considerably
fewer spiders in the home.
Hope this is an eco-friendly answer you can live with!
Julie
I full heartedly recommend ''Employ Exterminators.''
Richard has come to my home three times already
regarding a mice problem and has also consulted with
me about ants and spiders. He is very knowledgeable
and honest. You can't do better. Good luck.
Once again I would like to recommend the book, ''Common Sense
Pest Control'' by William Olkowski. It is a treasure trove of
information. In regards to bites, the book says that brown
recluse spiders are commonly suspect, but rarely the actual
culprit. If you actually think you have brown recluse
spiders, keep shoes, clothing and bedding off the floor.
Brown recluse spiders like to hide in boxes and papers, so
those could be frozen before dealing with them. If you use a
short-acting chemical, the critters will move back in after
the chemical no longer works. If you use a long-acting
chemical, the humans will be in a toxic environment for
years to come. I hate to think of using a chemical when you
don't know what you are dealing with. A welt on the skin can
be due to assassin bugs, ticks, mites, fleas, mosquitoes,
lacewings, etc. It can also be caused by bacteria or viruses.
sunsol
April 2002
Spiders are everywhere in my house. Has anyone had a great
experience with an exterminator in the Berkeley area? I've
been told that an exterminator could spray the outside of
the house, doors and windows to greatly reduce the creepy
crawlers but I don't know who to call. I've checked the
website and wasn't able to find any info there either. Thank
Tabitha
You ask for exterminators for your spiders, but your spiders are themselves
efficient
exterminators of even more annoying bugs! Get rid of the spiders, and you will hear
a lot
more buzzing. (Sorry for the pro-spider posting, but I recently finished reading
''Charlotte's
Web'' to my son, so we've been looking at spiders in a different light in my
household!)
Dan
I do not recommend spraying to get rid of spiders. Spiders are good for the
environment and
insect spray is bad for your and your children's (and beneficial crawlers') health.
If you do
not want spiders, go for a long-term solution. Call Screen Mobile (see phone book)
to put
screens on your windows to keep them (and other critters) from getting in in the
first place.
Use a broom to gather the few hapless spider intruders one by one in the cool of
the morning
or evening (when they are slower) and shake the broom outside. Our screens work
great
and keep out most moths, mosquitoes, flies and spiders. Good luck!
Suzanne
Oct 2001
I'm having similar trouble with spiders in my house. I am also a third
generation Californian and this doesn't surprise me in the least. I
lived in Santa Barbara for a while and the spiders we had in our yard
there were huge. In our house in Berkeley, we regularly see at least 5
spiders a day! I have had to pull them out of my daughter's hair
(dead) and see them hanging from her ceiling and near her windows (now
always SHUT). She recently got three large bites on her chest and
stomach -- which were red and about 1-2 inches in diameter. Scary. Any
ideas or suggestions on how to keep these guys out? I have two cats
and hate to poison the place.
Maria
Because of our mild climate, California homes are notoriously leaky,
so there are lots of places for spiders to get in. What you need to
do is seal up all the cracks in your house. You can buy caulk and
caulk guns at the hardware store -- they're cheap. Get both the
silicone-latex stuff (which you use with a "gun") and the spray-foam
kind that comes with a straw-extender -- this is for large holes. The
silicone stuff is basically clear; I gooped it on all over our house
and you really can't see it.
Caulk everywhere there is a crack or seam, whether or not it looks
large to you or even if you think it is sealed. When in doubt --
caulk it. Go all around the perimeter of all the rooms -- where the
floors, the ceiling, and the walls come together. Also in closets and
within the cabinets. Especially in the bathroom and kitchen, where
there are big holes for piping coming up out of the crawlspace. Go
all around all the edges of the windows and doors, as well as the
fireplace, and so on.
Also, make sure you have screens on all the windows, and that they
are tightly sealed.
The added advantages for you are a home that is warmer in the winter
and cooler in the summer, and less dust in the house, as well as a
lower utility bill.
If you are at all sensitive to chemicals, try to do this work in the
morning and air out the home for the rest of the day (windows open
and fans running).
There is lots more info on caulking at the Home Energy Web site at
www.homeenergy.org.
Sept. 2001
Does anyone know of a non-toxic way of "bombing" to get rid of spiders? Our 9 month old
is getting a lot of spider bites inside the apartment. We don't want to bomb on the
freshly cleaned carpet that she is now staring to crawl all over. It does seem to be spider
season- and the little rascals we have seem to move very fast. Any advice would be
great.
LM
I'm a 3rd-generation Northern California native and have never heard of anyone getting that
many spider bites around here. However, flea bites can be a BIG problem. If you have carpets, I
suggest you do some testing and try to figure out if you have fleas and work on getting rid of
them if you do. That may solve the problem.
Mark & Colleen
We thought our kid was getting spider bites, but they really were mosquito bites. Although
they were harder and lasted longer than most mosquito bites, that's what they were. Mosquito
netting above his bed and Herbal Armor repellent (from Real Goods) has made all the
difference -- no more itchy hard bites!
Avi
Oct 2000
We just moved to Berkeley (up near Grizzly Peak) last
December, so are not used to these seemingly hundreds
of spiders that have recently invaded our deck, yard,
and garden. Can someone please tell me what kind they
are (they're all the same kind--brown with black &
white markings, averaging @ 1" across.) We have an
8-month-old, and are worried she might be bitten, but
also don't want to hire an exterminator or use Raid or
the like, for fear of chemical danger, now and
residually. Are they poisonous? Or are they just
friendly seasonal critters that will go away when
winter comes? Any advice would be much appreciated.
heidi
The spiders you spoke of arrive during the summer, hang out for Halloween I
suppose, and soon depart when the cold weather and rain come. They are
wonderful garden helpers during the summer growing season, as they help to
control numerous pests. And they make such great webs. Don't worry about them
biting--I have walked straight into their webs before and they just scramble
to get away. They'll be gone soon enough (and back next summer)! No need for
drastic measures.
Eabremner
I believe that you will only notice these spiders in the fall.
Some years there seem to be big "spider years" and you see a lot,
but once the rains come they will go back into hiding and you won't
notice them until next fall. We've never been bitten by them and
we love to look at their webs that they create during the night.
There do seem to be a lot more insects (and birds and other things)
in the El Cerrito hills than in the Richmond flatlands where I used
to live.
Liz
The UC Berkeley entomology department has identified insects for me before. I
can't remember the number I called, but I've actually brought bugs over in a
jar and had someone look at them and tell me what they were. Looking in the
phone book, the department seems to be called Insect Biology now. 643-9405.
Hope that helps.
Dashka
Those spooky-appearing spiders are called "Orb Weavers" and are
harmless to us. They have a frightening look (to some people)
and they do build fantastic webs. They usually hatch from eggs
in early September. I have followed many generations of them in
our gardens with my daughters. They have provided subject matter
for quite a few science projects here!
An entomologist told me that they build a new web every day/night.
I don't think they are remotely interested in coming indoors. They
build their webs in your garden and catch little flies to eat. I
wonder if they are the inspiration for the "spider" images associated
with Halloween?
We try to just let them be. Sometimes I have to remove their webs
from the clotheslines and play structure in the backyard (nobody
likes to have a head-full of spider webs, or a face-full either!)
but mostly I try to enjoy the craft of their amazing structures.
When we find an especially elaborate one abandoned, I lightly spray
it with white paint and then "catch" it on a piece of black paper.
If you don't want the Orb Weavers I suppose you could just remove
the webs with a broom. I wouldn't want spiders near my baby either.
But they really are harmless.
Sharon
Tis the season for spiders. I've been a gardener for years and they certainly
are all over the place right now. I'm not sure if they're all Orb Weavers or
other species too. To my knowledge they're not poisonous, but most spiders
will bite. They start their webs in late Aug. to early Sept. and usually last
thru Oct. or so. I'm not exactly sure what their life cycle is, but late fall
seems to be it. It's always a shock to be minding your own business and
suddenly you've walked into a web with a spider 3" from your face. AAAGGHHHH!
Ultimately I think there's nothing to be concerned about. With your 8 month
old, check out the area before going out, and you can move or remove any webs
you find. Remember they eat flies and wasps and other annoying insects, and
they were here first. They really are beneficial to the environment. As my
boys got a bit older they were interested in looking in bug books to try to
identify some of the spiders. Good luck.
June
Not to worry - yours isn't the only yard playing host to these monsters. We
recently had an underground wasp nest removed by the County - now there's an
invasion you really need to worry about! -- and the woman who came to dispatch
the wasps was admiring the 6 or so spiders that have taken up residence in our
front garden/ walkway. I forget the name she gave them, but when I asked her
how aggressive they are, she said not to worry about them. I must say,
watching them catch moths is very impressive. (BTW, Contra Costa County will
remove underground wasp nests and certain other pests (but not others) for
free. The number is under Mosquito Abatement in the County government section
of the phone book. They have an unintentionally funny voicemail system whereby
you categorize the type of vermin plaguing your home. "For skunks, press 3,
rats press 4")
In general, you will find the EB Hills quite a buggy area. Thankfully,
mosquitos aren't too big a problem. We have had a couple mild winters in a
row, so in general the bug population is a bit worse than usual.
An aside about bugs: the local norm of not having window screens has always
confounded me. I grew up in LA, where there are virtually no bugs except
moths, and yet every house there has window screens. I guess it cancels out
the confusing LA norm, where you have to bring your own refrigerator to a
rental unit. At least we're civilized enough to provide basic appliances!:-)
Ann
This is spider season. You will see webs proliferating on bushes and
trees in your neighborhood. As far as I know, these spiders are not
harmful. I work in a preschool in the Berkeley hills, and children
occasionally get what they and their parents call "spider bites". I
don't know what actually bites them, but the bites are about as serious
as a mosquito bite, possibly a little more itchy.
Louise
My research such as it is makes it most likely that your spiders are 'wolf
spiders', if they are free-running on the ground (as opposed to the
web-sitting kind). To me the ones in my yard, which have never bothered me,
look like the 'Lycosid' touted as 'good pets'(!). (the ones in my yard catch
tons of flies, which make the spiders a 'good thing'). If they have egg-cases
on their backs, it's a good bet they are the Lycosids. This website has a key
for finding them:
http://140.211.62.101/catalog/home.shtml
I selected 'runs fast' and 'lives on ground' and looked for the best visual match.
Nils
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