The vast majority of us have little love for spiders in our hearts. They are rather unattractive looking, they can be venomous, and to same they can be a creature of horror. Spiders get a rather bad name in the minds of people for many reasons, and we get calls often with customers asking us to get rid of spiders in and around their homes.
Spiders range in size from tiny spiders that you can sometimes barely see to tarantula’s and other spiders bigger than your hand. In fact, the largest spider in the world, the Goliath bird eater spider, has a leg span of up to 11 inches and is known to prey on toads and even some snakes.
Fortunately no spiders of that nature live in the United States. As for your backyard, Georgia is home to around 10 different types of spiders, and the humid climate of the southern United States is an ideal environment for spiders, as well as many other insects. Unfortunately for us, those species include the Black Widow spider as well as the Brown Recluse.
While most spider bites barely hurt humans, the bites of these two species of spiders are considered to be medically dangerous. Black Widow spiders are well known for their black bodies and token red hourglass shape. They are typically shy spiders, and hide during the day.
The Brown Recluse is also easily identifiable by the arrangement of its six eyes. The Brown Recluse is also very shy and typically hides during the day. Despite many people’s fears, these spiders are not predatory creatures that will hunt you down. Most bites occur when people reach into dark corners or into places they cannot see and crush the spider, causing it to bite them.
So the best way to avoid being bitten is to never reach your hand into a crevice or somewhere where you cannot see. Fortunately, all other species of spiders in Georgia are not particularly dangerous.
One of the most common spider families that you will see are the Orbweaver spiders. Orbweavers make up around 25% of all spider species in the world. You will often spot them by their webs, which are designed in a spiral, orb shape(hence the name).
These spiders are actually beneficial to humans, they will capture other insects that might be irritating, such as mosquitoes or wasps, and help to control their population. The only time that spiders become a problem to humans is when they either form webs inside of structures, or when they are too numerous around your home.
Spiders often like the cold, dark environments of basements and air vents, and will enter your home in search of prey. They often get into homes through poorly sealed windows and doors, or in boxes or other carry in containers. If they reproduce inside of your home, spiders can sometimes become numerous and be a nuisance to deal with. While they are not inherently dangerous to humans, no one likes having spiders around their home.
Let’s be honest, spiders are unpleasant and most people would rather not deal with them, so let our professionals help you out.
If you have a problem with spiders or any other pest…or simply a question…Call Canton Termite and Pest Control at 770-479-1598 and ask for me, Tim McWhirter, president. I’ll be happy to help you any way I can.
Here’s to helping YOU live PEST FREE!
Tim
PS. Don’t forget to ask about our FREE 58 Point Pest Analysis of your home or office!
Want to know more about spiders? Check out these sources:
spiders.us: http://www.spiders.us/species/filter/georgia/
Dangerous spider identification chart: http://www.termite.com/spider-identification.html
