Why Is Knoxville’s Common House Spider So Common?

Why Is Knoxville's Common House Spider So Common?

The name “house spider” encompasses a large range of common home-invading spider species. Though the most notable of these species is the common house spider. Occasionally, common house spiders are called American house spiders. These pests are usually brown, tan, or gray in color with darker markings across their bodies. Common house spiders are small, measuring between 4 mm and 8 mm in length, depending on the gender. Female spiders are larger than male spiders. Common house spiders love to hide in dark or undisturbed areas, such as closets, attics, basements, wall voids, and crawlspaces.

Are common house spiders dangerous?

Although all species of spiders are venomous, only a few are dangerous to humans. Black widow spiders and brown recluse spiders are the only dangerous spiders in the United States. Common house spiders use their venom to paralyze their insect prey, but rarely bite humans unless threatened or provoked. If you are bitten by a common house spider, you may experience mild pain, swelling, and redness around the bite site.

While common house spiders aren’t dangerous, finding an infestation in your Knoxville home usually indicates a larger pest problem. Spiders are nomadic, which means that they travel to wherever their food sources are found. If insect pests have invaded your property, it doesn’t take long for spiders to show up shortly after. Spider infestations always indicate deeper pest problems on your property.

 

Spider Prevention Tips

Without a food source on your Knoxville property, spiders will not have a reason to invade. One of the best ways to avoid attracting spiders to your home is to remove all the factors that provide spiders with sources of food and shelter. Keep spiders at bay with these simple spider and insect prevention steps.

  • Insects love moisture. Remove moisture from your property by filling in low-lying areas of your lawn, clearing your gutters of debris, and dumping water out of items that collect rainwater (such as flowerpots).
  • Both spiders and insects are most comfortable in areas with thick vegetation and plant cover. Cut tree branches, shrubs, foliage, and weeds away from your exterior walls. Not only will this reduce how attractive your property is to pests, but it will also allow sunlight to hit your foundation and dry up excess moisture.
  • Common house spiders and insects will invade your home through just about any entry point they can find. If you seal up these areas, fewer pests will be able to invade. Seal cracks in your foundation, install door sweeps, and replace torn window screens.

The most effective way to remove spider and insect infestations is with the help of the licensed pest specialists here at Russell’s Pest Control. We provide a variety of home pest control services, including inspections, general pest management, rodent control, and much more! For assistance with your spider infestation or any pests that encourage spiders to invade, contact Russell’s Pest Control.

Is My Knoxville Home At Risk for Spider Infestation This Summer?

Is My Knoxville Home At Risk for Spider Infestation This Summer?

We cover a lot of topics about Tennessee spiders in this blog (short for web log). As we update you on important pest information in this log, we cover topics such as the difference between nuisance spider and dangerous spiders, how spiders get inside and what to do if you see spiders in your Tennessee home. These are all great resources to help you understand the nature of this pest problem. Today, we’re going to look at it from another angle. Here are some conditions that can increase your chances of a spider infestation this summer and put your Knoxville home at risk.

Do you have lots of vegetation? If you do, you’re likely to have lots of spiders. Insects live in vegetation and spider eat insects. You can reduce spider populations by removing unwanted vegetation. Pluck your weeds. Keep your grass cut low. Trim your bushes and shrubs.

Do you have a moist foundation perimeter? Many spider species prefer to look for food in locations that are damp because the foods they eat prefer dampness. You can counteract this by keeping your landscaping as dry as possible. Clear obstructions from your gutters. Fix broken gutters. Put space between the plants in your landscaping to allow for better airflow. Trim tree branches to allow the sunlight into densely shaded locations.

Do you have lots of flying insects? Spiders catch flying insects in their webs. So don’t be surprised to see spiders if you have a high population of flying insects. A few ways insects are drawn to your home are white exterior lighting, open trash, and pet droppings in the yard. Consider replacing white lights with yellow lights or keep lights off at night. Draw your shades at night to keep the light inside. Keep trash in sealed receptacles. Cover or remove pet waste as often as possible.

Do you have entry points in your home? When spiders explore your exterior for foods, they can accidentally get in. A detailed inspection of your outside walls, particularly around windows, doors, and pipes, can reveal these possible entry points.

If you need assistance with an inspection or control of insects, bugs, and the spiders that eat them, we can help. Russell’s Pest Control serves the Greater Knoxville areas with industry-leading pest control. We can help you reduce a wide range of unwanted pests around your home and reduce the likelihood of a pest infestation inside your home.

What To Do If Winter Spiders Invaded Your Knoxville Home

What To Do If Winter Spiders Invaded Your Knoxville Home

Spiders, spiders, and more spiders! They seem to be everywhere! Cobwebs in the corners and spiders dangling from the doorways. It’s enough to cause a homeowner tremendous stress. You may be wondering, “How are they getting into my Knoxville home? They get in through cracks and crevices in your foundation and exterior walls. They can also gain access to your home through utility entrances, torn screens, and damaged vents. Finding the many entry points that spiders and other bugs are getting in through is a daunting task, to say the least. If you don’t want spiders in your home, you are going to want some answers. Even though most spiders are considered a nuisance, there are some that can prove to be very dangerous. This is why it is so important for you to do all you can to avoid them.

For the most part, spiders are a problem all year long, but in the fall and winter, they do tend to be more bothersome. Why is this time of year worse for spider infestations? You would think that the cooler weather may drive them indoors, but that simply is not true. They are only following their primary food source, other bugs. Insects that seek refuge indoors during cooler weather actually draw spiders into your Knoxville home. And they are there to stay unless you take action to get rid of them and prevent them from returning.

If you think your home is at risk for spider invasions, try these prevention steps to limit them:

  • Caulk gaps around window and door frames.
  • Seal cracks and crevices in foundations and exterior walls.
  • Keep exterior doors shut.
  • Repair screens and vents.
  • Install weather stripping around doors.
  • Get rid of the many insect pests that spiders are drawn to.

In the end, professional pest control is the best solution for all of your spider and insect problems. Russell’s Pest Control in the Knoxville area is known for their expertise in getting rid of spiders and all pests that plague Knoxville homes. Our courteous technicians can help by monitoring spiders and safeguard against them by applying control measures. Give us a call at the first sign of an infestation. Find out more about our bundle packages, including the Power, Power Gold, and Power Platinum. Each one of our service packages can help protect your home, family, and pets from spiders as well as other, more dangerous pests.

Why Nonvenomous House Spiders Are More Than Just A Nuisance

Why Nonvenomous House Spiders Are More Than Just A Nuisance

Here in Knoxville, we get to see a wide range of wildlife, some of which we enjoy more than others. When it comes to spiders, we all know to stay away from the two poisonous types that live here, the brown recluse and the black widow, but did you know you should also be wary of having nuisance spiders take up residence in your home?

Below are three common nuisance spiders that live in the Knoxville area, why you don’t want them in your home, and what to do if you discover they have already invaded:

Orb Weaver Spiders

As their name suggests, orb weaver spiders weave intricate, wheel-shaped webs that they anchor between tree branches or other objects in order to catch their prey.

Orb weavers range from ¼ of an inch to 1 inch in length. These spiders have brown or black bodies with brightly colored markings on them that can be red, yellow, or orange. Their legs are spiny and hairy.

Orb weaver spiders are also commonly referred to as garden spiders as they are typically found in garden areas. These spiders can also be found in the corners of doorways, porches, and decks. Because the insects they feed on are drawn to light, they are also often found near porch lights.

Although they will bite if threatened, orb weaver spiders are not dangerous and their bites typically do not cause any health problems for humans.

Wolf Spiders

Wolf spiders range in size from ¼ inch to about 1 ½ inches. The females are typically larger than the males. These spiders have dark brown bodies with light brown or yellow colored stripes and long spiny legs. Wolf spiders can also be identified by their unique eye arrangement: four small eyes on the bottom row, two large eyes in the middle, and two medium-sized eyes on top.

Wolf spiders do not build webs. Instead, they hunt and capture their prey.

Although their name indicates otherwise, wolf spiders are not aggressive and would rather hide from humans than bite them. In addition, the bites of these spiders pose no serious threats to humans.

Cellar Spiders

Cellar spiders have small bodies that range in size from ¼ to ⅜ of an inch long and are typically pale yellow, light brown, or gray in color. Because of their long, skinny legs, cellar spiders often get confused with daddy long legs.

Cellar spiders build large, irregular-shaped webs that they continually add to. These spiders are social spiders and prefer to live in groups.

Cellar spiders cannot bite because their mouths are too small and therefore pose no danger to humans.

Why You Don’t Want Nuisance Spiders in Your House

Although they pose very few health risks in and of themselves, the presence of nuisance spiders in your home is not something to ignore. Though having nuisance spiders living inside your home is unpleasant enough, the presence could indicate other problems as well.

Spiders prefer to live in areas with high humidity levels. High humidity in your home or basement is not just uncomfortable, but could actually cause or indicate damage. Reduce humidity in your home by installing dehumidifiers, running fans, and making sure you have no leaking pipes or drainage issues.

Spiders also like to live near abundant food sources. If you begin to find large populations of nuisance spiders in your home, it could indicate that you have another pest problem as well!

What to Do About Them

Ridding your home of nuisance spiders from your home can be tricky business. Besides keeping humidity low and food sources to a minimum, you should also check outside your home for cracks or spaces that would provide them with easy entry to your home and seal any that you find.

If you have a spider problem in your home, it’s time to call the professionals at Russell’s Pest Control! Our ongoing pest control is the best way to ensure that your Knoxville home stays free of eight-legged home invaders. Give us a call today at Russell’s Pest Control for your free estimate!

Guide To Fall Spider Elimination

Guide To Fall Spider Elimination

Have you ever walked into your shed or garage and stepped through a spider web? Have you ever walked out your sliding glass doors only to have a web drape across your face? Walking through a spider web is no fun. Not simply because it is annoying, but because you have no idea whether or not there was a spider on that web, or whether or not that spider is now crawling on your clothing somewhere. But, as unsettling as spiders can be in your yard, they are even more unsettling when they get in the house.

Fall is a unique time of year. It is the time of year when temperatures start to drop, and bugs start to look for places to hide from the freezing temperatures of winter. When they do, they often find their way into our homes.

You may not know this, but spiders are actually pretty resilient when it comes to freezing temperatures. They have a natural sort of antifreeze that protects them. While it is possible for them to freeze, it is much less likely than it is for many other bugs. But, since spiders feed on other bugs, they are likely to go where their food goes.

There are many spiders that will not be happy to stay in your home. They prefer to be in your garden or exterior flower beds. But, there are some that will find your house to be the perfect environment. These spiders are often called common house spiders. The name pretty much says it all. These are the spiders you’re going to commonly find making webs inside your home. But there is one thing this name does not reveal. It does not reveal the role that fall plays in introducing these spiders to a home. While they can get inside any time of the year, it is much more likely to occur when food sources outside become scarce.

Before those spiders start to invade your home, it is a good idea to seal your exterior walls and foundation, inspect and repair all your screens, examine weather stripping and door sweeps, and take measures to reduce insects on your home. This will help to reduce the number of spiders inside your home this fall–and beyond.

If you need assistance with insect and spider control, reach out to Russell’s Pest Control. We offer comprehensive pest solutions that will help to keep all the bugs out of your home and manage the bugs around your home, all year long.