Framingham
Spider Control

We can all agree that nobody on earth would enjoy any of the following scenarios. Seeing a spider creeping down their wall in the process of making dinner. Catching one crawl across the floor during movie night. Worst yet, encountering one crawling across their arm right before going to sleep. Yikes!

For obvious reasons, arachnophobia, the pathological fear of spiders, is considered the 3rd most prominent phobia in America.

Despite that, what if we told you that these creepy, eight-legged pests are not as scary as they seem to be?

Yes, in fact, they actually do quite a bit to make our lives a little bit better. Well, it really depends on who you ask. They provide many benefits to our ecosystem and even on the inside of our homes. Spiders prey on many insects such as roaches, moths, earwigs, flies, and more. In doing so, this ends up reducing the amount of destruction to our farmland crops.

As we mentioned earlier, just the thought of a spider can make the hair on someone’s arm stand up. Despite the good that spiders do, Rove is a Pest Control Company, and our customers’ happiness always comes first. Being scared of these predators is a perfectly normal response. This is why using a licensed pest control company, like us, is a perfectly reasonable solution to keep spiders out of your home.

The female house spider is between .19 to .31 inches long, and males .13 to .19 inches. Often referred to as the house spider, it takes the reins for being the most common of all in Massachusetts. These puny, eight-legged creatures have a muted brown colored body with yellowish-orange legs. The patterned appearance on their bodies allows them to hide from predators in plain sight.

The legs of both male and female house spiders are both long and skinny, with ankles covered in hairs. The male house spider has an elongated body shape compared to its female counterpart, with a spherical body.
Do house spiders bite?
House spiders only bite humans when heavily threatened or provoked. Even though their venom is not considered poisonous to humans, it could still lead to pain that may last for a couple days.

The female cellar spider is roughly .35 inches with a whopping 2.5-inch leg span compared to the male that is only about .25 inches. These long-legged spiders have light brown bodies and have a large gray patch in the middle of their backs. Their body and legs have semi-transparent, gray hair scattered about.

Do cellar spiders bite?
Contrary to the idea that these cellar spiders bite and contain venom, there have been no studies to prove that this is true.

The female jumping spider is about .30 to .60 inches, while males are slightly smaller at roughly .25 to .50 inches. The abdomen and cephalothorax on the jumping spider are black, covered in hair, and have a triangular white patch. Their legs are a metallic bluish-green color, are hairy, and contain various random marks.

Do jumping spiders bite?
Getting bit by a jumping spider is highly unlikely. However, if it were to bite someone, it contains so little venom that it would do minimal harm. This bite would result in redness around the affected area and cause minimal pain.

Comparing the female to male orb weavers, they are roughly .25 to .55 inches and .20 to .35 inches, respectively. Their color can vary greatly: from black to white, occasionally including several shades of red. Its cephalothorax and legs contain a pattern frequently resembling an arrow.

Do orb weavers bite?
Yes, these spiders can bite. However, it would only feel similar to that of a bee sting. Orb weavers also contain small amounts of venom, which, thankfully, would have little to no effect on humans, only the insects they consider prey.

As usual for spiders, the female wolf spider appears larger than males at roughly .8 inches long. The color of this species contains a combination of brown, gray, and black. Near the top of their cephalothorax, there is a unique tan border surrounding two black lines. These spiders have more of an oblong shape compared to the typical spherical shape of spiders. They are also known for their large, prominent, and shiny eyes.

Do wolf spiders bite?
Yes, wolf spiders can bite and may cause redness and minor pain, but these bites are not fatal or dangerous. These spiders are not aggressive and will only bite when threatened or provoked.

When wolf spiders are compared to the more venomous spiders listed below, a bite from one would be similar to a bee sting.

With hundreds of different spider species in Massachusetts, a majority being safe and posing little to no risk for the population.

With that in mind, the two most poisonous spiders found in Massachusetts have been the black widow and the brown recluse. Despite their natural inclination to reside in warmer climates, they can occasionally make their way up to colder states such as Massachusetts especially on shipments from southern states.

For your safety and well-being, we always suggest seeking medical assistance regarding a bite caused by any sort of pest.

The infamous black widow is roughly .10 to .40 inches long. Its body is typically black or dark brown, with a slight sheen to it. On the bottom of their abdomen, you will be able to locate a reddish-orange pattern resembling an hourglass. In contrast, the male displays red and white spots or stripes on the top of its abdomen.

Do black widow spiders bite?
Yes. However, there have been no fatalities reported as the direct result of a black widow bite. The large venom glands that they possess could cause serious harm to a human. Caution is always highly advised if someone were to ever come into contact with a black widow spider.

The brown recluse spider is about .25 to .79 inches in length. They have a light brown body: with hints of dark brown, white, black, and sometimes even gray.

On the top of the brown recluse’s cephalothorax, there is a distinct black line and various markings. These markings often resemble a violin, resulting in its nickname Violin Spider.

A majority of spiders have eight eyes, unlike the brown recluse that only has six.

Do brown recluse spiders bite?
Yes. Many victims of receiving a bite from a brown recluse have stated that they were attacked while wearing clothes left untouched for years. Despite the dangers of being bit by them, they are not aggressive and would only bite when seriously provoked.

Thoroughly inspect the interior of your home for spider webs, making sure to pay special attention to the floor joists, around boxes, ductwork, and piping in the basement.

Technician’s Tip; Be sure to move all boxes and light furniture around as they love hiding behind clutter.
Once spider webs have been identified, promptly remove them with an old broom. Be sure to remove all spider webs from the garage as well.

Ensure that all windows and doors leading into the home are properly sealed so that other pests cannot enter your home and allow spiders to prey on them.

Once finished on the inside, move to the outside. Take that broom you had previously and diligently inspect around all of your doors, windows, soffits, gutters, and downspouts. If you see webs, immediately take them down.

Ensure all woodpiles, toys, furniture, and various debris are moved further away from the exterior walls. By removing all spider webs, eggs, you will have disrupted their habitat. This should result in a decrease in activity after roughly two weeks.

If you tried to control spiders using the tips listed previously and are still seeing activity, you are most likely dealing with a bigger, unseen spider problem.

Fortunately, the highly-skilled technicians here at Rove Pest Control are licensed and professionally trained to identify, monitor, and control hundreds of various pests in the state of Massachusetts, including spiders.

If you continue to have trouble with spiders in and around your home, send Rove Pest Control an email or give us a call. We would be more than happy to answer any questions or concerns that you might have.