Although spiders are a common pest year-round, many people consider fall to be the season of spiders because of how abundant they seem. Spiders hatch in the springtime—by the time August and September roll around, they’re definitely in full force. These eight-legged creatures are attracted to food, water, and shelter that your home provides them with. Thankfully, most of the spiders in your home are harmless and will, for the most part, avoid you altogether! That said, there are two spiders in particular that you should keep an eye out for: the black widow and the brown recluse spider. Keep reading to learn all you need to know about spiders during the fall months here in Baton Rouge.

Identifying Black Widows and Brown Recluse Spiders

It can be difficult to differentiate between your common house spider and the more dangerous black widow or brown recluse. Because these two spiders can bite and potentially cause dangerous side effects, it’s important to know how to differentiate them: 

• Black widows
  • These spiders have a characteristic red hourglass shape on its body.
  • They build sticky, tangled cobwebs in garages, sheds, and near the ground.
  • They can bite when they feel threatened.
• Brown recluse spiders
  • Brown recluse spiders have a darker brown violin-shaped spot on their bodies.
  • They build loose, dome-shaped webs for shelter.
  • A brown recluse bite is known to be very painful.

Preventing Spiders During the Fall

To keep spiders out, there are several ways you can make your property less attractive to her in general. Our top spider prevention tips include:

1. Maintain your yard and lawn. Overgrown bushes, shrubs, piles of wood, and more can attract spiders to your property and eventually indoors.
2. Regularly clean your home. Doing so can prevent insects that spiders like to prey on and eliminate hiding spots for pests.
3. Seal any cracks and crevices. Inspect the inside and outside of your property for tiny spots that may be inviting spiders in, and seal properly.
4. Install or repair screens on doors and windows. Tight-fitting screens are the key to keeping insects, spiders included, out.
5. Inspect items before bringing them indoors. Egg sacs and adult spiders are known to be inside old boxes you may be transferring.

What to Do When You Have Spiders

We all know that seeing the occasional spider in your property is completely normal. But what do you do when you’ve spotted a dangerous species or are dealing with endless webs? It’s likely time to call your local spider exterminators here at Dugas. Our spider pest control experts can control current infestations and make sure you don’t have to deal with spiders in the future!