Arachnophobia

Because we've had more calls on spiders than usual this week, we are getting a jump on Hallowe'en by featuring information on spider control today. For all of you who have a touch of arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, be warned! Spiders are not always the bad guys. Fear of spiders may have sprung from myths and legends, or perhaps because of the few spiders that can be harmful. We've noted in a previous post how to recognize and avoid the two spiders in our area which can deliver a poisonous bite - the brown recluse and the black widow. Here's a little more general information on spiders, members of the arachnid family.

Unlike insects, spiders have eight legs and two body parts, a fused head and thorax. There are literally thousands of different kinds of spiders. While spider bites may itch, the vast majority of spiders do not have fangs big enough to puncture human skin. And they will rarely bite unless they feel threatened or trapped. The smallest spiders are around 1 mm in length, the largest can have a leg span of 10 inches! One of the distinctive features of most spiders is their ability to spin webs. Just as there are a huge variety of spiders on the planet, there are also a huge variety of web shapes and sizes. The black widow spins a heavy, irregular, messy-looking web - and prefer to spin their webs in dry, protected locations. For this reason, we advise home owners to remove wood piles, rock piles and other clutter from their yards - and do so carefully, with  gloves on. Indoors, spiders, webs and egg casings can be removed with a vacuum - the bag should then be sealed and disposed of.

But what about the spiders in your yard who go about the daily task of catching and consuming flies, mosquitos, roaches and aphids? Do we really want to get rid of them? For many, even though spiders are helpful in the yard, they prefer to dissuade them from a proximity to the house. After you have cleared wood piles, weeds and debris, if spider webs are noticed in the eaves of the house they can easily be knocked down with a broom. Check window and door screens to assure they are in good repair, as well as weather stripping at the base of all outside doors. Keep in mind that most spiders are helpful in the garden and non-threatening. They have even been helpful to scientific studies such as the one shown here, where spiders are observed after they have been injected with various drugs. The resulting webs  give us an idea of how chemicals can impair function. To learn more about spiders and how to control them, see the UC Davis web site here (pun definitely intended!). If all else fails, and those spiders are really bugging you, call  your pest professional.