In the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet, a little girl was happy as can be as she sat on a tuffet. But she was scared away when a spider sat down beside her. It was probably a good thing she ran away, for had that spider been a Brown Recluse, it was quite possible she’d have to finish her curds and whey in the back of an ambulance. We both know these spiders can cause a serious injury so, let’s get down to how to get rid of brown recluse spiders naturally.
Safety First
Brown Recluse spiders (Violin spiders) when they bite, they are dangerous but typically not lethal. Thankfully, contrary to popular belief, they are also not common in California. They have been spotted in Southern California on a few occasions, but it is rare to find one. Typically, Brown Recluses are shy spiders and tend to stay as far away from humans as possible, unlike their spider cousin the Black Widow, who is quite aggressive. But… on a rare occasion, they have been known to bite. And if bitten, you might not realize it right away. It takes a few hours for the spider’s venom to affect its’, victim. The infected person might not even realize they have been bitten until the bite starts to swell and they feel nauseous. The initial bite doesn’t hurt at all. If left untreated, the bite can eat away at your skin and eventually require surgery.
Rare or not, how do you keep from being bitten? Like nearly all species of spider, the best way to stop them from around your home is to clean up any debris. Spiders love dark, secluded places, such as wood piles and old sheds.
How to Keep Them Away
To keep spiders, any type of spider, from your home, the number one solution is to not provide them with a nurturing environment. Implementing the following preventive pest control will reduce the chances of an infestation:
- Keep your home and patios uncluttered.
- Routinely dust your rafters and eaves for spider webs.
- As a general rule, the stickier and tougher the spider web the more likely it comes from a poisonous spider. Use extreme caution if you find a web that is more durable than others, such as Cellar Spiders (Daddy Long Legs) whose webs are much more fragile.
- Also, beware of egg sacks. Egg sacks mean the mother is probably not far away, and there’s a possibility there’s a horde of babies running around. For Brown Recluse spiders, they can lay up to 50 eggs in a single egg sack.
Ideas on How to Get Rid of Brown Recluse Spiders Naturally
- Beyond cleaning up areas around your home, you can also try a mixture of peppermint oil with water and spray it around your windows and cracks leading into your home.
- If you do find cracks, it’s best to fill them as well to keep not only spiders but other insects from sneaking into your home.
- Don’t leave papers, primarily newsprint, stacked around your home.
- Remove spiders’ food source. Spiders eat other insects such as flies and moths. By eliminating what attracts those insects from your home, you can prevent spiders from wanting to venture into your home for a midnight snack. The best way to do that is:
- Toss away anything smelly directly out into the garbage.
- Smellier items, such as fish, are best kept frozen until your trash pick-up day. This also prevents other creatures, such as rodents, from being enticed by the “yummy” smell.
- Store bought products such as Raid offer formulas, especially for spiders. When using aerosol poisons, be sure to keep your distance to ensure you don’t breathe in the fumes and/or prevent the spider from jumping at you and possibly still biting you.
When to Contact a Professional
If you believe you have a nest of Brown Recluse or any type of venomous spider in your home, don’t attempt to remove them yourself. You need to call a professional. The professionals at AIPM are trained in eliminating all types of spiders, especially the venomous ones. They can remove the threats to your property while setting up a custom plan to ensure that you never have to face the same type of spider infestation again. Receive a free consultation today!
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