Summer is almost fully upon us, and along with it comes all the pests that start to become more and more visible. One of the most terrifying pests people can come into contact with is the Black Widow Spider.
One of the three most venomous spiders found in the United States, black widows are a shiny black color with its most distinguishable feature being a red hour glass shape on its abdomen. Female black widows can grow to be about a half inch long, with the males growing half that size.
Black widows like to find shelter in undisturbed areas such as wood piles and debris while outside. On the inside of homes black widows prefer to build their nests in cluttered areas, especially in basements and crawl spaces.
Black widows normally feed on insects that they catch in their web and don’t intentionally come into contact with humans. Most interacts with humans occur when someone accidentally disturbs a black widows nest or startles the spider while it is hiding. If given the opportunity, black widows prefer to run away rather than deal with humans.
If you, or someone you know, have the unfortunate occasion to be bitten by a black widow the bite will be easy to recognize, appearing as two small puncture marks in the skin. After 15 minutes or so a dull pain can start to spread through the body being followed by other symptoms such as severe cramping, anxiety, headache, light sensitivity, muscle weakness, numbness and nausea. If someone suffers a black widow’s bite it is important to seek medical attention immediately.
There are some measures that you can take to protect your home and family from black widows. It is important to keep debris out of your home to eliminate nesting sites. Also keeping trees trimmed back from touching your home as well as keeping any cracks sealing will help keep black widows from getting into your home in the first place.
Finally the most effective way to keep black widows out of your home is to use one of Senske’s Pest Control programs to make sure your home is protected all year long. Also if you do happen to see a spider in your home Senske will return to your home and treat for free. Get more information on Black Widow Control.
