Ernies Pest Control

Spiders Page Menu

          Spider Pest Control Facts And Prevention

 Spiders Pest Control and Information

  Web Building Spiders Pest Control and Information

 Cobweb Spiders (Theriididae)

 Orb Weaver Spiders Pest Control

 Nursery Web Spiders Pest Control

 Jumping Spiders Pest Control and Information

 Passive Hunter Spiders Pest Control and Information

Ernie's Pest Control services Toledo, Northwest Ohio and Lower Michigan. 

Preventive measures for all pests you can take are :

• Do not leave piles of clothing, papers or other miscellaneous things laying around
• Regular cleaning and maintenance of your home or business
• When cleaning, check under carpet edges and baseboards
• Do not have dirty dishes piled up and sitting for long periods of time, especially not in old water
• Especially in hot weather, put your food scraps in plastic before disposing of them
• Schedule regular pest control maintenance
• If you see one pest or insect, chances are you are not seeing rest.  A call to Ernie's Pest Control should be made to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

 Spiders   (Class Arachnida)

Characteristics

• Spiders have eight legs, 4 pairs
• Most spiders have 6 - 8 simple eyes in various arrangements
• All spiders have a pair of jaw-like structures, the chelicerae, each of which ends in a hollow fang through which venom can be injected
• Spiders have 2 body regions : a cephalothorax (fused head and thorax) and an abdomen, which are joined by a narrow waist
• The tip of the abdomen has a group of small fingerlike spinnerets, which produce silk

Spider Bites

• There are only 2 species of spiders that are dangerous to humans, the brown recluse spider and the black widow
• The sac spider species (clubionids) are suspect for most spider bites, their venom is cytotoxic - causes the tissue around the bite to die
• The vast majority of spiders are harmless to humans
• Usually there is no more than a slight swelling of the bitten area, most spiders fangs are too small or weak to puncture skin
• Spiders don't bite unless they are pressed against skin or held, although some actively will protect their egg sacs and their young

Habitat

• Some like damp places such as basements, crawl spaces and other damp parts of buildings
• Others like dry, warm areas such as subfloor air vents, upper corners of rooms and attics
• They will hide in dark areas

Diet

• Spiders are predators and feed on living prey, mostly other insects
• They produce a venom that is poisonous to their normal prey of insects, mites and other anthropods
• Venom is injected through the hollow fangs to immobilize the prey and begin the digestion process, and then they suck the digested liquid food
• Some species of spiders build webs to trap their prey while other spiders will actively hunt
• Passive hunters are spiders that lay and wait for their prey rather than searching for it

Reproduction

• Spiders produce egg sacs which are laid either in a web, attached to a surface or carried within the female
• Spiders may produce several egg sacs, containing several hundred eggs
• A spider grows by molting, or shedding its skin, usually 4 - 12 times before reaching maturity
• In many species, the male may wander off in search of a mate
• Some species of spiders may live for many years, but commonly, spiders only live for one season

Other Facts

• Only 2 species of spiders are harmful to humans
• Sanitation is the best control and preventative measure

Spider Relatives - Class Arachnida

• Close relatives are found in 10 orders and include scorpions, psuedoscorpions, mites, ticks and daddy longlegs
• Daddy longlegs are commonly confused as spiders, but are actually not spiders but belong to the family Opiliones

Web Builders

• Their web designs may or may not be elaborate
• Webs are built to trap prey

     Cobweb Spiders  (Theriididae)

• These spiders typically build an irregular web in sheltered sites in or outdoors
• The outer sticky threads of a web entangle insect prey
• Some species build a retreat within the web and hide there during the day, and the spider hangs upside down from the web during the night

Characteristics

• These spiders include the widow spiders
• They have a rounded globular abdomen (black widow spider shape)
• The common house spider (Achaearanea) is about 1/3 inch long (female)
• The house spider is usually gray to brown, and it's spherical abdomen has several dark stripes
• They require high humidity and plentiful prey, typically found in basements, cellars, crawl spaces and outbuildings
• This species will abandon webs that do not attract prey and constructs new webs until it finds a productive site

 Nursery Web Spiders

Characteristics

• These spiders are very large, they can have a leg span of 3 inches
• Many are earth tone colored
• Many can run on the surface of water and, if chased, can dive and stay immersed for some time

Habitat

• Many species of this spider are found near lakes and streams, but can be found indoors in moist areas

Diet

• These spiders hunt night and day for aquatic insects and even small fish

Reproduction

• The sole reason for this spiders web is for egg sacs
• The female uses her mouthparts to carry the sac under her body until her young are ready to emerge
• Then the female spider will fasten the egg sac to some leaves and encloses it with a "nursery" until the young spiders are ready to emerge
• She stands guard to protect her young

   Orb Weaver Spiders

• These spiders build the familiar circular, flat, elaborate web to trap flying insects, and are usually constructed outdoors
• These spiders have poor vision and locate prey by feeling the vibration and tension of threads in their webs, and use silk to wrap their victim

Characteristics

• Many species of orb spiders are large  (1 inch), but others are quite small (.1 inch)
• Despite their formidable appearance, these spiders are not dangerous
• Some may bite if they are handled

Reproduction

• Female carry their large, globular egg sac attached to spinnerettes under the abdomen
• After hatching, the hatchlings will crawl onto their mothers back and stay there for several days before dispersing

Wolf Spiders

• Wolf spiders can alarm people because of their size and rapid movements
• These spiders are not aggressive, but may bite if handled

 Jumping Spiders

Characteristics

• These spiders are 1/8 - 3/4 inch long, very hairy and short legged
• 2 of their 8 eyes are very large, and have the keenest eyesight of all spiders
• Many species have patches of bright colored or iridescent scales
• Some jumping spiders are black with spots of orange or red and are at times confused with black widow spiders
• Jumping spiders got their name because of their jumping ability, they can jump many times their own length and walk backwards
• They make quick, sudden jumps to capture prey or avoid a threat

Habitat

• Most jumping spider species live outdoors, but can establish themselves indoors, usually by windows and doors where there prey is most likely
• These spiders are active during the day and prefer sunshine

Diet

• These spiders feed on insects

Passive Hunters

• These spiders lay and wait for their prey rather than search for it
• When their prey approaches, these spiders may jump or pounce to seize it
• Crab spiders, tarantulas, and many other spiders use this technique

 Crab Spiders

Characteristics

• These spiders have a flattened body and hold their legs at right angles
• They can walk forward, backward or sideways
• Those that hunt on the ground are colored with shades of gray, brown or black, while those that frequent flowers are bright red, yellow, orange, white or green

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