Prevention
Sanitation
General sanitation outdoors will aid in preventing buildup of spiders. Wood piles, rocks, trach, compost piles, old boards and other debris should be cleaned up. It’s important to keep crawl spaces free from debris. Indoors, spider webs can be vacuumed.
Structural Control
Screens, tight fitting doors and windows, sealing cracks and crevices in foundations all aid in keeping out spiders.
Chemical Control
Indoors – residual insecticides may be used in conjunction with a “knock-down” aerosol. In attics and crawl spaces dusts may be used.
Outdoors – residual insecticides may be applied as a barrier treatment, it may be advantageous also to treat sheds, woodpiles, garages, etc. Remember pesticides applied to areas receiving direct sunlight and exposure to weather will break down more quickly. Some insecticides, such as Malathion, have been shown to be repellent to spiders.
Signs and Symptoms
Spiders are seldom aggressive towards humans and usually bite only when injured or trapped. Only large spiders are capable of breaking the skin of a human; smaller ones can inflict only superficial scratches.
Nearly all spiders have venom glands, but most of the North American species have venom so low in toxicity to humans that effects are usually insignificant.
The severity of a person’s reaction to a spider bite is influenced by a number of factors, such as:
• species of spider
• body area of the bite
• amount of venom injected
• depth of bite
• seasonal changes and temperature
• In some cases there is no reaction at all.
Symptoms of spider bites are:
• slight soreness and itching similar to a mosquito bite
• burning, throbbing numbness and stiffness
• slight swelling
Individuals who are especially allergic to venoms of insects and their relatives may be more seriously affected by bites of spiders that are not dangerous to most people.
Spider Information
Crawling Insect Preventative Setup Preparation Sheet
Crawling Insect Insecticide Treatment Preparation Sheet
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